2018 | Sine Qua Non | Aperta

The rich, full-bodied palate is built with exciting tension, delivering a satiny texture and layers upon layers of apple, citrus and melon-inspired flavors with a spicy/savory undercurrent.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The nose opens with alluring notions of honeycomb, toasted almonds, orange blossoms, musk melons and poached pears with surfacing scents of lemongrass and preserved ginger. The rich, full-bodied palate is built with exciting tension, delivering a satiny texture and layers upon layers of apple, citrus and melon-inspired flavors with a spicy/savory undercurrent. Minerals and toasted nuts emerge on the long, long, long lingering finish. This is an astonishingly complex dry white, which I anticipate will age gracefully like an epic white Burgundy. Readers should note that this wine was decanted three hours prior to tasting, and it opened considerably over the one to two hours that I had it in the glass. During its first 4-6 years in bottle, I would certainly recommend decanting it for a least an hour prior to serving.

• Jeb Dunnuck: Held back in barrel longer than usual (24 months) and based on 38% Chardonnay, 25% Viognier, 22% Roussanne, and the rest Muscat and Petit Manseng, the 906 case 2018 Aperta is incredibly exotic (it reminds me of the La Dorian Condrieu from Guigal) with notes of tangerine, flower oil, apricots, and toasty nuances. With good acidity, full-bodied richness, and just flat-out gorgeous purity as well as balance, this singular white will benefit from just a year in bottle and I suspect evolve gracefully for a decade.

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.

DISCLAIMER** This is a single item listing unless otherwise noted in the description. Retailer advises either in stock or in route to their location. Usually ships within one to four business days. Longer processing times may occur especially around holiday(s). Some items may become backordered or delayed without notice due to demand & will ship out upon arrival. Overseas 700ml products typically have longer processing/transit times. You can always verify product availability by calling 1-888-548-0333. Please refer to our cancellations & returns agreement or reach out to our support team at help@caskcartel.com for any additional questions.

Our dedicated team specializes in creating personalized shopping experiences. If you’re looking for a specific item or collection that isn’t appearing on our marketplace, please reach out to us at concierge@caskcartel.com or fill out the product inquiry form and one of our dedicated team members will be in touch.  Whether it’s a product you’ve experienced while traveling or a rare, hard to find item you’ve been searching for, we have an established global network of retailers with the ability to locate and source the rarest and hardest to find products.