2018 | Sine Qua Non | Eleven Confessions Vineyard Syrah

The 2018 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard is dark, sensual and layered, with tremendous freshness and energy backing a core of dark red/black fruit, chocolate, mocha, licorice and spice.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2018 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard is slow to unfold but stunning once it opens, featuring layered aromas of cassis, coffee beans, garrigue and cracked pepper before segueing to soaring floral perfume. A blend of 82% Syrah, 10.6% Grenache, 5.3% Petite Sirah and 2.1% Viognier, it's made entirely of estate fruit. It was fermented with 28% whole clusters and matured about 38 months in 50% new French oak. It has an opaque ruby-purple in color, and the palate is full-bodied, powerful and seamless, boasting powdery tannins and integrated acidity. It has a concentrated core of floral fruit and a tremendously long finish.

• Vinous: The 2018 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard is dark, sensual and layered, with tremendous freshness and energy backing a core of dark red/black fruit, chocolate, mocha, licorice and spice. The 2018 spent a whopping 38 months in French oak, 50% new, all of which it handles with aplomb. Elaine and Manfred Krankl were among the first to believe in the potential of Rhône varieties in the Sta. Rita Hills. Their 2018 from the estate vineyard is a total knock-out.

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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