98 points - limited Limited new Syrah from cult producer Sine Qua Non. 99 Points Robert Parker: "The 2016 Syrah SUBIR (meaning to rise or go up) is a single-vineyard wine—a barrel selection from the Eleven Confessions estate vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills. "This vineyard is by far our coolest," Manfred said. "Sometimes we don’t harvest this vineyard until November. The wines from here have a lot of structure and presence. The soil is a heavy clay, so the wines can be pretty muscular." I asked Manfred what he considers when he is looking to make a single-vineyard expression. "I pick out the wines that can have longer barrel aging," he replied. "The wine has to be meaningfully dense and balanced. I try to make the selection early on, when the wines go into barrel, to decide which barrels they will go into. I take thicker barrels from Seguin Moreau so that the wine evolves longer and slower." A blend of 89.7% Syrah, 4.6% Grenache, 2.5% Petite Sirah and 3.2% Viognier, this wine was made using 44% whole cluster. It was then reared for 38 months in barrel. Eighty-two percent of the wine was aged in new, French oak, while the remainder was aged in used barrels (one to five years old). Very deep purple-black, it comes bounding out of the glass with precociously profound notes of baked blackberries, plum preserves, blueberry pie, tilled earth and lilacs plus tobacco leaf, wild sage, truffles and espresso nuances. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is tautly structured, strutting a firm backbone of rounded tannins and fantastic freshness supporting the muscular, tightly wrapped layers, finishing with epic length and loads of minerally fireworks. 932 cases, 228 magnums and 30 double magnums were made. "There are few greater success stories in wine than that of Sine Qua Non’s Manfred Krankl. Austrian-born and showing up penniless in Los Angeles in 1980, he went on to create one of the greatest wine estates in the world today by sheer talent and work ethic."
Tom Garland
+3 hour decant(some cloudy sediment). A striking deep purplish magenta color. On the nose: subdued notes of black fruit, leather, smoked meat, floral, cloves. Taste: smooth, rich, lush, balanced wine with blackberry, graphite, charred meat, saline, pepper, and a minerally dark chocolate espresso long finish. YUM!
+3 hour decant(some cloudy sediment). A striking deep purplish magenta color. On the nose: subdued notes of black fruit, leather, smoked meat, floral, cloves. Taste: smooth, rich, lush, balanced wine with blackberry, graphite, charred meat, saline, pepper, and a minerally dark chocolate espresso long finish. YUM!
9.5Jan A
Sine Qua Non extended barrel age tasting
Sine Qua Non extended barrel age tasting
9.7Jeannine Giordano
La pravance with fam on Christmas
La pravance with fam on Christmas
9.0Gunja Gargeshwari
Subir means Rise! Wine of the night edging out the Dark Blossom for everyone (but in my mind this was WOTN by a big margin)!
Subir means Rise! Wine of the night edging out the Dark Blossom for everyone (but in my mind this was WOTN by a big margin)!
9.7Doug Griffin
To young for a 10 but..Jesus..there are no holes. This baby is filled out. Dense, extracted core of dark fruit, black pepper..herbs. Razor sharp. The aroma makes you rethink things
To young for a 10 but..Jesus..there are no holes. This baby is filled out. Dense, extracted core of dark fruit, black pepper..herbs. Razor sharp. The aroma makes you rethink things
9.9WARNING: DRINKING DISTILLED SPIRITS, BEER, COOLERS, WINE AND OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES MAY INCREASE CANCER RISK, AND, DURING PREGNANCY, CAN CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS.