2012 | Sine Qua Non | The Writing on the Wall

A massive, full-bodied effort that offers incredible depth and richness without ever seeming heavy or cumbersome, it offers up blockbuster-styled aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis, crushed rocks, beef blood and licorice.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2012 Petite Sirah The Writing on the Wall should be the greatest Petite Sirah to ever come out of California (or the world?). Made from 94% Petite Sirah and 6% Viognier and aged in 80% old hogsheads and 20% in new French oak, it’s bottled only in magnum and will be sold along with the new Sine Qua Non label art book. A massive, full-bodied effort that offers incredible depth and richness without ever seeming heavy or cumbersome, it offers up blockbuster-styled aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis, crushed rocks, beef blood and licorice.

• Vinous: The 2012 Petite Sirah The Writing on the Wall is beyond beautiful. Wonderfully delineated and nuanced, with none of the edginess or rusticity Petite often shows, The Writing on the Wall is a real stunner. Bold red cherry, pomegranate, spice and sweet floral notes are all underpinned by veins of acidity and tannin that give the wine its freshness and polish. The 2012 is 94% Petite Sirah and 6% Viognier, done with fully destemmed fruit and aged for 23 months in French oak, 20% new. Vineyard sources are 80% Third Twin, 14% Cumulus and 6% Eleven Confessions. Manfred and Elaine Krankl take Petite Sirah into a whole new realm. Unfortunately, The Writing on the Wall is also one of the rarest wines Sine Qua Non has ever made. Just 350 magnums were sold, all of them in the Sine Qua Non art label book box set. That is a real shame, as most readers will never have a chance to experience just how moving the 2012s is.

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.

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