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

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

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

Sarah Sampsel

9.4

I just love Matthiasson so much! It's all incredible. — 9 years ago

with Joris, Calvin and 1 other

Sara Hurst

10

Great Rose'...Not sweet at all, more on the dry side but still super flavorful! Found at Total Wine with the recommendation of a staff member. So glad I got it, since I typically don't like Rose' but this was fabulous! — 9 years ago

Michael Park

9.1

Classic SQN Grenache. Nobody does it better. Still early for this bad boy so finish was a bit rough but still really well balanced and velvety in front and mid-palette. — 10 years ago

J Ferrugia

9.1

This is a classic Montepulciano.. Plenty of fruit... Tannins and a hot mose...Needs to be open at least an hour before getting any light licorice and hints of dark cherry. Even so, not as complex or deep as the '05 Fanetti. Looking forward to another 3-4 years to try it again — 11 years ago

Steven Foster

Wine buyer Belmont Wine Exchange

10

Best young Grenache from sine qua non. So fruity and deep. Needs some time in glass but ready now. — 11 years ago

Roman Sukley

10

Perfect end to a great Thanksgiving. So unctuous. Just terrific. Perfection in a glass. — 12 years ago

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

Richard Steinberg

9.7

Best Syrah of the year. Well balance and In a great place. In your face. So what. — 8 years ago

with Jeannine and Dan

Bill Bender

9.3

A total outlier among the whites and a special treat from @Shawn R it is not in everybody's wheelhouse and certainly not a casual poolside sipper. This is a studying wine. Open the book. Get out your hi-lighter. You will be tested on this later. Immediate petrol on the nose that gives way to marzipan, parker house roll and honeyed butter. There is a yeasty quality that predominates on the mid palate and is likely representative of its late stage development. This is on its denouement so drink now but stop to enjoy the unique ride. This is the woman with the little scar on her cheek that you can't get out of your head. You didn't appreciate her when you had your chance but now you remember her far more than the obvious hot ones with less substance and now you want another chance to show her you're not as superficial as she thinks. — 8 years ago

Michael Park

9.4

This needs to lay down for another ten years or so before it hits it's peak. Very well balanced, incredible fruits with a very high dose of alcohol on the finish. — 9 years ago

Michael Park

9.3

So well integrated and velvet smooth — 9 years ago

Jordan CM

9.6

So good! Super well-balanced, quaffable, but goes well with most dishes — 10 years ago

Andrew Benn

9.2

Love the producer
Like his whites a lot
The viscous, complex flavors take great risk (and thus have great reward) that so many contemporary whites avoid. Paired with mussels in a French cream preparation, would love to have paired this with cleaner seafood like a jalapeño sashimi
Enjoyed on a winter night with MK and BP
Better suited for a spring evening with grilled halibut and spring onions
Still a superb drink that takes the flavor palate of white wine away from the predictable & ordinary — 11 years ago

Ashleigh Everett

9.6

Rare treat to have a Sine Qua Non. Always so great. — 12 years ago

with Grant and Robert

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

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

Roman Sukley

10

So sometimes,...not often, but sometimes, a friend will say "you gotta try this" and open a great Non-SQN bottle of wine for me, and I'll be wowed. And maybe,...and I even hesitate to say this out loud,...maybe I'll be so wowed that I might even start to doubt that Manfred Krankl is the greatest winemaker on the planet. But then something like this evening happens, and all is right with the world again, because this wine simply checks all the boxes. The 2006 "A Shot In The Dark" Syrah is perfection in a glass. Let's begin with the nose, and we could stop there too as far as I'm concerned. I could swirl this glass all night. Rich and extracted, flamboyant and intoxicating, intense and layered notes of melted chocolate, ripe cherries, pepper and cinnamon. On the palate, pure silk. A blackberry liqueur milkshake, cocoa and Asian spices. Simply massive, yet stunningly elegant. Perfect balance. I'm running out of superlatives. Suffice it to say that it doesn't get any better than this for me. A finish that leaves the stopwatch running. 100 points. More if I could. And sorry for pontificating, but when I hear people say "I just don't get SQN", try this wine blind and get back to me. — 8 years ago

Ted Corvey

9.2

Vintage cava so good the producer refuses to label it as cava. Baked apples and pear with a little toast on the nose and finish. With a dryer finish this compares more to some rustic growers champagnes or well done cremant than it does other Spanish sparklers. Also at 20 dollars it's a great value. High QPR. — 9 years ago

Michael Park

9.3

Awesome. Drinking perfectly right now. So well integrated; smooth, long but rich finish. — 10 years ago

Kenneth Korsbæk

9.8

Mightbe tonights Wine so far, despite still an infant- Much to Young to enjoy now — 10 years ago

with John

Steven Foster

Wine buyer Belmont Wine Exchange

10

Pretty much fulfilled my fantasy of a 500$ piece of art. Wine was so balanced and full of layers with a 4 min finish that I will never forget. — 11 years ago

Alessandro Rossi

9.2

Il mio champagne preferito !😱😱😱 non ho mai parole quando lo bevo ... — 12 years ago