2015 | Sine Qua Non | Le Chemin Vers L'Heresie Grenache

Dark, potent and brooding, the 2015 hits the palate with serious depth and resonance.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2015 Grenache Le Chemin Vers L'Heresie is a blend of 75% Grenache, 13% Mourvèdre, 8% Touriga Nacional and 4% Petite Sirah, coming 35% from The Third Twin (Estate) Vineyard, 9% from Bien Nacido Vineyard, 28% from the Cumulus (Estate) Vineyard, 26% from the Eleven Confessions (Estate) Vineyard and 2% from Molly Aida (Estate) Vineyard. It was produced using 44% whole cluster and aged for around 22 months in French oak, 11% new (bottled August 21, 2017). It has a deep garnet-purple color and fragrant nose of violets, kirsch, blueberry compote and dark chocolate with hints of lavender, smoky bacon, Provence herbs and menthol. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and bold, the wines bursts with energy, superbly framed by velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with lingering sautéed herbs and black pepper notions.

• Vinous: The 2015 Grenache Le Chemin vers l'Hérésie is a dense, powerful wine that captures the natural richness of the year in spades. Dark, potent and brooding, the 2015 hits the palate with serious depth and resonance. This is an especially dark, somber vintage for the Grenache. The 2015 is going to need at least a few years to shed some of its baby fat and recover from its relatively recent bottling. I found the 2015 a bit more expressive from barrel, but that is hardly surprising given that the wine was bottled just a few weeks before this tasting.

Producer Information

Sine Qua Non is one of California's most famous wine producers. Based just north of Los Angeles in Ventura County, and with most of its vineyards in Santa Barbara, it eschews the usual image of top California wine as being only from Napa Valley. That is not the only thing eschewed at Sine Qua Non – the same wine is rarely made more than once, turning the idea of the American icon wine on its head. The cult winery specialises in Rhône grape varieties, with most of the red wines based on Syrah and Grenache. White wines are typically based on Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier and are also modelled after Rhône wines. While most of Sine Qua Non's vineyards are located in Santa Barbara, the home vineyard (and the winery) is located in Oak View. Many of the wines are labeled under the more generic California and Central Coast AVAs, rather than the specific AVAs the vineyards are located in, giving more freedom when it comes to blending. Sine Qua Non's first vintage was 1994, as Austrian-born winemaker Manfred Krankl released three barrels of Syrah as "Queen of Spades" with a label he had designed himself. Previously, Krankl had made wines with other winemakers – including the "Black and Blue" wine with Havens Cellars and several wines with John Alban of Alban Vineyards. After releasing Queen of Spades, Krankl sent a bottle to Robert Parker, who promptly gave the wine 95 points – then the highest he'd given any American wine based on a Rhône variety. The brand has become a cult favorite since its beginnings. Small volumes mean that demand has consistently outstripped supply and, like many top Californian producers, Sine Qua Non has employed a mailing list to sell wines directly to customers. The wines fetch top prices on the secondary market, often reaching more than $1000, and occasionally much higher: in 2014, a single bottle of Sine Qua Non rosé from the 1995 vintage fetched $42,780 at auction.

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