Roman Sukley

9.5

1999 Sine Qua Non “Ox” Pinot Noir from the wonderful Shea Vineyard in Yamhill County, Oregon. 14% alcohol. I’ve always loved the simple label on this gigantic bottle with the cavernous punt. And I was all ready to wax poetic about the romance of opening one of these older SQNs as, based on a couple of recent tastings, I was told that this bottle is well over the hill. Well, that just ain’t so. At least not with this bottle which has been lovingly stored since release. Now I’m not going to try and convince you that the “Ox” is at its peak, but the old girl still has some tricks up her sleeve. Crystal clear, bright, medium garnet appearance. A little bricky on the edges. Smokey notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, truffles and clove on the nose. Quite vibrant palate of sweet strawberries and cola as well as spice box with a hint of vanilla, toast and that clove. A touch earthy. Nice acidity. Super silky mouthfeel. Short, but decent smokey finish with a bite reminiscent of Sweet Tarts candy. Tangy! Extremely enjoyable! Well made is well made. Chapeau Mr. Krankl! — 8 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.9

2002 Cariad. A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and the rest Cab Franc and Petite Verdot. Dark purple in color with a little brickiness on the rim. Opulent and sexy old world bouquet of graphite, smoke, Blackberry liqueur and expresso roast. Yet another one of those wines that I could swirl and contemplate into the evening. On the palate, dark berry, sage, cedary tobacco leaf and loamy earth flavors, along with Asian spices, duck sauce and exotic herbs and spices. Rich and intense with silky tannins. Beautiful structure. Intense. Complex. Elegant. Ethereal is the word I'm searching for. Endless finish. Just sensational. I stopped buying California Cabernet as I was simply priced out of the market. I had to choose, and I went with my main man Manfred and never have looked back. But whenever I taste one of these gems from my favorite Cabernet producer, @anncolgin and @colgincellars, I'm reminded of how compelling a truly great California Cabernet can be. — 9 years ago

Steve Bozich

9.4

Intense dried cherry, pepper, a touch of funk after it has been open awhile. Since she trained under Manfred, I was shocked to see the ABV is only 12.7! I have to admit here that I no longer purchase wines from Maggie - to be honest, lovely, well made wines, but I find her price point to be too high. Especially on the white and rose. But this was a reminder of how talented she is, and why in the past I bought a lot of wine from her. AnticaTerra, and Lillian. — 9 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.5

Gorgeous ruby, purple color. Knockout nose of cocoa, blackberries and cassis. On the palate, black currents, melted chocolate, espresso, graphite as well as an earthy quality. Supple tannins and a wonderful richness. This Harlan second label is probably better than most producer's primary. I don't drink much Cabernet as I've been driven from the market because of ever increasing costs (I only have room for a couple high end wines, and who in their right mind would ever say no to Mr Krankl?), but I always feel regretful whenever I open a great one and see what I'm missing. — 10 years ago

John Van Trijp

10

101/100!!! Manfred Krankl is my Hero! — 10 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.5

This is an awesome white blend from Manfred Krankle. Deep golden yellow color, aromatics doninated by the roussanne (although this is a complex blend - roussanne, chardonnay, petite manseng, and I'm not sure what else), and a beautifullly mouth-coating palate. Definitely benefits from some time in air and needs to be a few degrees below cellar temp to reallly come into focus, but when it does it is awesome. Another winner from Sine Qua Non. — 11 years ago

with Vanessa and Tom

Monica O

9.8

This is a quintessential cali Syrah!
Kudos to manfred & Elaine. ❤️ your wines!!! — 11 years ago

Michael Brughelli

10

Manfred killing it with this one. 2005 Sine Qua Non Syrah Atlantis Fe2O3-1c. Parker gave it 100 points... It's worth every one — 12 years ago

The Schwartz

9.3

What can I say Manfred — 13 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.9

The SQN that made me a Manfred Krankl fan, still drinking great. — 13 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.8

2008 Sine Qua Non "Jinete Bajo Vin de Paille" California Roussanne (375ml). A sweet wine named after E’s favorite horse. Beautiful, fathom-deep gold color. Apricots and orange marmalade on the nose. Unctuous, syrupy, creamy texture with notes of candied citrus and creme brûlée. Monstrous 240 grams per liter of residual sugar with perfectly balanced acidity. Manfred really is the master of these high wire balancing acts. Is there anything that this guy doesn’t excel at? Simply spectacular. A beautiful dessert wine that is itself a dessert. — 9 years ago

with Tyler, Mike and 1 other

Shawn R

9.4

Maggie was once a student under Manfred Krankl, this bottle was her second vintage. Shows a restrained nose even after 3 hours after the decant. Hints of wild game and blackberry compote on the nose. Sweet tannins that integrate well and provide backbone. Layers of cassis, plum and wild flowers set up a stellar finish that sails for over a minute. — 9 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.4

Excellent grenache from Manfred at SQN...but not etherial. As I'm writing that I realize that this is still awesome - just that Manfred sets the bar absurdly high. Blackberries, kirsch, and a hint of licorice on the nose. Very full mouthfeel with lots of glycerin. The wine is a lot more evolved than I was expecting - possibly a consequence of a warm vintage? - so I'm not sure how many more years of evolution this has left (then again, this is my last bottle of this, so whateves!). Manfred is a genius. 'Nuff said. — 9 years ago

with Vanessa

Elizabeth Van Wazer

9.0

RCS - 2015 — 9 years ago

Joe Conti

10

Wow. What a treat this was. This is a very rare and special gewurztraminer made by Manfred for his good friend @Roman Sukley with a personally inscribed note from Manfred for Roman to share it with friends and family.

This wine is the nectar of the gods. Amazing — 10 years ago

with Mike, Tyler and 3 others

Roman Sukley

9.6

Jim Binns is killing it. Must be something about working with that Krankl guy. — 10 years ago

Jeffrey Lew

9.8

WOTN in heavy fire. Beat out the XXL and five shooter. Definitely a 3-1 under dog in this fight but it gets the belt. 5 hr slow oxed then down the hatch. So polished, deep and dark.... Manfred is a mad scientist with this stuff. This is the wine that changes your perception of what great really can be. — 11 years ago

Ki Punwar

Owner, California Wine Republic

9.4

Another Krankl boomer Syrah — 11 years ago

Birgit Glock

9.5

Mit Eltern Bettmeralp 2013/14 — 12 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.8

Seriously, Manfred Krankl is the man! — 13 years ago

Meeter B

9.0

This is very light. I’m blinded in a Manfred Mann kinda way. Subdued. This could become a true love affair based on respect, admiration and tasty tannins. — 9 years ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.5

Incomparable take on Riesling...
Northern Rhône-nose, Krankl-like concentration and unctuous-ness. Yet the minerality screams Riesling!!!
Alive and kicking. — 9 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.5

2013 SQN "...And An Eight Track" Rose'. I look at these as Manfred's in your face, over the top, hedonistic homage to life wines. Throw all of your preconceived notions of what a Rose' should be right out the window. These wines celebrate life. No review today. Happy Memorial Day. Don't think. Enjoy. Recently, I've had a little back and forth with a non-SQN believer who shall remain nameless. You know the type. "I just don't get SQN" (And man, do I ever hate that phrase. Surprisingly, don't think I've ever heard "I just don't get DRC"). Anyway, I let it upset me more than it should have. To each his own. Drink what you love, but for my money, give me Mr Krankl anytime! — 9 years ago

Cody Short

9.5

Gave this a 3hr decant and needed every bit of it and continued to evolve in the glass. Big wine but extremely well balanced. Manfred is the master. — 9 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.9

68 degrees in Chicago in November, the Chicago Cubs are the World Series Champs in an amazing comeback after being down 3-1, and I'm drinking an SQN Papa sitting on my deck after a spectacular Cubs rally with about 5 million other Cub fans in Grant Park. Doesn't really get much better. Oh, and the wine is singing ("Go Cubs Go, Go Cubs Go, Hey Chicago, What Do You Say, Cubs Have Finally Gone All The Way"). The nose on this wine is well worth the price of admission. Simply stunning. Manfred is still the mark for all winemakers to shoot for. — 10 years ago

Andrew Z. Scharf

9.8

Ginormous fan of whatever Herr Krankl throws at me. — 10 years ago

William Lauder

9.6

Awesome wine. Thank you Manfred K — 11 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.6

Another awesome effort by Manfred Krankle. This wine is way too young, but an hour after decanting this started to open up. Peppery nose, with terrific layers of dark fruits, iodine, and earthy undertones, this needs several more years in the cellar but is going to be one of the best (short barrel-aged) wines he has yet produced. Fantastic. — 11 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.5

Doing 32 SQN Reds and 6 whites as well as a number of his stickies
tonight. This is the largest tasting of Sine Qua Non wines that I have ever heard about.

1st 100 % Chard from Manfred. — 11 years ago

Nick Lobaccaro

9.8

2010 Sine Qua Non Grenache- About as good as it gets across the board, these singular, incredible wines are the result of an obsessive attention to detail at all stages of the wine making process. There is no secret or hidden magic going on here. The incredibly talented and down-to-earth Manfred Krankl simply walks the walk as opposed to only talking about attention to detail or offering up the standard, wine is made in the vineyard comments. Looking at the vintages focused on here, 2009 has produced a decadent, voluptuous style that offers up thrilling levels of fruit as well as an approachable, heady richness that-s hard to resist. While they possess ample depth and structure, I would drink these before either the 2010s or 2011s. The 2010s here are stunning and have everything; gorgeous fruit, awesome concentration and incredible purity. While the most age-worthy of the recent vintages, they're a spectacular drink even today. The 2011s, which were all tasted out of barrel, have additional freshness and focus over the 2010s. They have solid concentration and overall balanced profiles that should allow them to cruise in the cellar. — 12 years ago