Bill Bender

9.3

The 2nd WNH Zoom tasting on 3/29 with a “open any white” theme. The On The Lam is eleven years old and is reminiscent of the Backwards and Forwards at this point in its development. I had a Backwards & Forwards in 2017 that had a ridiculously delicious array of secondary characteristics that were just outstanding in their funky goodness. This bottle reminds me more of that wine at age 10. It has transformed from youthful to mature but displays no adolescent awkwardness. Honeyed melon, marzipan, candied pear and burnt marshmallow envelop a firm backbone of acidity. It’s adding weight but ever so slowly. Right now it’s still lithe and pushy and a changeling in the glass that warrants frequent check ins because a night of drinking will deliver 4 or 5 different wines for your drinking pleasure. — 6 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.3

“The Return of Mike Grammer” Dinner on 7/5. - Agree with @Michael Meyer that this did not show as Pinot. I probably would have guessed Syrah blind. It just did not fit with the other Pinots and would be best served on its own. Did just that with the remnants on night two. Served with leftover tenderloin, this was rockin’ so much that I didn’t give a d@mn about the variety. Score for Day 2. — 7 years ago

Charlie Evans

9.4

Pepe making some of the absolute best sparkling coming out of Spain. This was so high toned with an insane amount of minerality coming through with some saline qualities on the back end. Just stellar. — 8 years ago

Roman Sukley

10

2002 Sine Qua Non “Just For The Love Of It” Syrah. 15.2% Alcohol. So I have a confession to make. When this wine was released and Mr. Parker rated it 100 points (and correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this might have been the first Parker SQN 100 pointer), I couldn’t wait to pull the cork. And when I did, I was totally.......underwhelmed! I began questioning Parker. Questioning Manfred. Questioning my palate. What was I missing? What was my problem? Could I continue on in this world? Well, I never did reconcile things, and then “Papa” was released and all was right with the world again. So here we are, 15 years hence, and I’m here to report that Mr. Parker knew what he was talking about after all. We’re talking absolute perfection screaming from my Zalto stem. Notes of exotic flowers, toasty oak, anise and spice box on the nose. Just gorgeous. I could swirl and sniff all evening. On the palate, a predominance of sweet black currant, white pepper, blackberries and plum jam. Juicy, opulent, intense, pure. Stunning really. Endless finish. I haven’t tasted this wine in ten years because as I said, it never impressed me. But it just jumped up to co-number 1 SQN Syrah with me along with “Poker Face” and “The 17th Nail In My Cranium.” One addendum to Mr. Parker’s review which stated this wine would drink well for 10-15 years. This piece of art is just getting started! Remember, “...never for money.” — 8 years ago

Norman

9.2

Hard to score here given the night, so will defer to others but a great night. Gunja throws the the best parties. — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.8

This run of about 13 PHENOMENAL wines I'm posting are from the SQN wine dinner/WNH interview I did at @Shawn R 's house last night. I was like a kid in a candy store on Christmas. What an absolutely EPIC night! Love ya brother!

Yup. Here it is. The first half of the 2006 Raven Series from Sine Qua Non. So quick story...I'm a big of a nerd when it comes to wine research and when Shawn said he had the full horizontal of the Series, I contacted the winery to see if they could give us extra details on the wines (3 Grenache, 3 Syrah). To my amazement, I heard back from them, and I got the craziest news...the Raven Series is only 2 different wines...yes, that's correct. They made one Grenache and one Syrah, but wanted to utilize different artwork, so the 3 bottles of Grenache were all the same and 3 bottles of Syrah were all the same! I think there might be some noticeable bottle variation, but who knows. As for the wine itself, it was elixir. It was Velvet. It dominated all your senses. Violet flowers, peppercorn, dates and plums ruled the nose and finish. I could taste this wine more than a minute after each sip. — 8 years ago

with Shawn

Scott Taddeo

9.0

Have tried and tried to like Cava and so much is let me down, this never does and it’s no more than 25 bucks; so good. — 6 years ago

Rob

8.9

I’m not sure about their whole story of not liking the DOC standards for cava , so they broke off to create their own level of control and accreditation?? But it’s good for marketing I guess and makes a light, citrusy cava — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Another 4th Friday for the books. What a much needed time out of the house and to be with friends after this past week.

It’s SQN, so descriptions normally fall short. I am partial to US Syrah vs US Grenache, BUT, I am fascinated by SQN’s play on Grenache. You could smell the black peppercorn here, imitating a top shelf CdP. It faded to a more iron/jerky like note that had a very solid amount of acidity in play. Still a baby. After time in the glass it gave way to some floral/lavender notes as well as a crazy complex finish that added baking spice and dark fruit. — 7 years ago

with Dan, Mark and 1 other

Bill Bender

9.7

A contribution from the raconteur @Shawn R and the label is a photo of him from his youthful confused stage. This was banging. I immediately recalled the SQN Incognito when I sat with this for a while. Very dark in the glass for a Grenache, subtle pepper, crimson cherry, kirsch. So sumptuous and voluptuous....and I loooove voluptuous. — 8 years ago

.:;2):’kicndnebxhjd

8.9

Gets the jobber done. A little floral a little leesy very clean very light! Kinda like a musty beer so these yocals like it lol. — 8 years ago

Scott Petrus

9.4

See previous reviews. Excellent and well integrated wine showing perfect balance of acid, oak, fruit, and tannins. Long finish. Cherry and tar never went together so well. — 8 years ago

with Kyle

Joonseok Kim

9.3

At Paris.Hawaii. Paired with kanpachi. Need to go to the end of the earth to find this!! So good.. complex, multilayered, slightly dry, not sweet. — 7 years ago

Donald Thomas

9.6

I am not a Rhône White lover; I have never fell in love with a SQN white. But this is the real deal! Aromas of peaches, white flowers, spice; a round delicious palate with a long tasty finish. So many white Rhône’s have an out of balance alcohol component IMHO, but not this delicious white! I’d put it up against the best — 7 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

Paul made masterful 16’s. What a value. Very very mineral, but with clarity and nuance. Lime zest, loads of rocks. So clean and aromatic. Tons of non fruit going down here. Palate has stunning cut and clarity. Juicy and engagingly minerals. So clean and fresh with dynamite energy and precision. Awesome. — 8 years ago

Ted Corvey

9.3

Have been buying a drinking a ton of Savennieres, so this was suggested as a good alternative. Did not disappoint. Waxy texture with apricot and peach notes. Great balance. And yes, I did play the Jurassic Park theme at some point during the bottle. — 8 years ago

Shawn R

9.7

So toasty with a frame of mocha and black tea. Drinks very well with a long decant. @Bill Bender awesome pull! — 8 years ago

with Martin, Kirk and 4 others

N O

10

So smooth so light juicy — 8 years ago

Kirk Alexander

9.7

Absolutely delicious. If there's any wine that mashes the "yummy button", this is it. So jealous of the generous provider of tonight's WOTN. @Martin G Rivard @David L you guys should be here!! — 8 years ago

with Dov

Shay A

9.5

A group of guys decided to meet up at our Wine Storage facility and bust out some unique bottles! Scores and notes to follow!

Many thanks to Keith for busting this out. A few of us mentioned we haven't had an SQN wine before, so he graciously brought this out. Silky at pop and pour but better after two hours. Dark fruit. Bacon fat. Nothing harsh about it. Divine and absolutely lush. This was a great primer to get me ready for @Shawn R 's SQN wine dinner this Sunday. My official Wine Nerd Herd interview! 🤞🏼 — 8 years ago

with Mark and Weston