2004 | Sine Qua Non | Poker Face Syrah

The nose is a melange of dark berries and dark red fruits augmented by a smoky meatiness and spice cabinet. On the palate, the wine is full bodied, with a port-like creaminess, expressing - without doubt - powerful fruits. It finishes with a very good length.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Starting off the Syrah-based wines, the 2004 Poker Face (Syrah) is aging beautifully. A blend of 96% Syrah, 2.5% Mourvedre and 1.5% Viognier (from the Eleven Confessions, White Hawk, Alban, Bien Nacido, and Alta Mesa vineyards) that was aged in 80% new French oak, it offers up a perfumed, fresh bouquet of sweet blackberry liqueur, creme de cassis, spring flowers and licorice that gives way to a full-bodied, seamless, gorgeously textured feel on the palate. Rich and decadent, it has notable, yet beautifully integrated acidity and stays remarkably fresh, detailed and even elegant. It still needs a lengthy decant to shine, and will continue to thrill over the coming decade or so.

• Jeb Dunnuck: The 2004 Sine Qua Non Syrah Poker Face is a phenomenal wine that shows rich, decadent fruit with black currant, blackberry and subtle blueberry notes backed up by vanilla and integrated, toasty oak aromas. Full bodied and amazingly precise, the palate is perfectly balanced, elegant, rich and amazingly long. Despite all of the upfront fruit in this wine, the structure and back-end level of concentration is rock solid. This was decanted for an hour and then drank over the evening with dinner and while it lacks some complexity on the nose at the moment, the depth and richness of the fruit mixed with the lightness and perfection on the palate is a stunning mix.

Producer Information

Sine Qua Non was created after the 1994 harvest of a Bien Nacido Syrah named “The Queen of Spades”. Winemaker Manfred Krankl feels strongly that each vintage is a completely unique wine and thus he gives each wine a unique name. He also creates the artwork for each new label himself. Previously, Manfred had made wines with Bryan Babcock and John Alban and still sources much of his fruit from Alban’s vineyard. The basic white wines have always been a white blend of Chardonnay, Roussanne and Viognier and a red wine based on Syrah plus Grenache. Sometimes there are small quantities of Rose and a Grenache-based red. Sine Qua Non has its own winemaking facility in Ventura, California not far from the Santa Barbara vineyards where the fruit is sourced from. In the last few years Manfred and his wife, Elaine, have begun creating their own vineyards dedicated to Rhone varietals. Their winemaking philosophy is to work in very small batches, gravity flow, natural yeasts (unless a fermentation problem is anticipated), long lees aging for the whites and repeated racking for the reds to open them up. This is a modified explanation of a very dedicated and artistic approach to winemaking. The wines are simultaneously very rich and elegant, superbly balanced and thoroughly harmonious with food, never overwhelming.

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