2003 Sine Qua Non Omega Shea Vineyard (Pinot Noir) California Red

2003 Sine Qua Non Omega Shea Vineyard (Pinot Noir)

93 RP

Featured Review

The top-notch 2003 Pinot Noir Omega Shea Vineyard offers up beautiful aromatics of raspberries, plums, blueberries, and flowers. This deeply fruity, medium to full-bodied Pinot boasts tremendous opulence, a sweet mid-palate, admirable purity, and a seamless finish. Drink it over the next 5-7 years. After 2003, Elaine and Manfred Krankl will no longer produce a Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir due to the logistical problems of moving fruit from Oregon to their winery in Ventura. Robert Parker

Robert Parker | 93 RP

(Krankl's last pinot from Shea Vineyard fruit) Dark red.Deep, very ripe aromas of blackberry and chocolatey torrefaction. Large-scaled and deep, with the blackberry, black cherry and black raspberry flavors carrying a strong load of chocolate, not to mention 15.5% alcohol. Finishes impressively broad and uncompromisingly dry, with very good length and decent grip. A big fellow.

Vinous Media | 91 VM

Type of Wine	California Red : Whether it's Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Zinfandel, Californian red wine producers have a lovely habit of taking a varietal and expressing its essence in a unique, never before seen way. From Napa Valley to the regions south of Los Angeles, there's a red for everyone - and it's never too late to start exploring.
Varietal	Pinot Noir : As one of the oldest grape varieties in the world, Pinot Noir has a long and storied history which began more than 2,000 years ago. This story spans form the time of ancient Roman influence to modern day trailblazing; Old World and New World grape growing. It also involves the most unlikely of “characters” from Cistercian Monks to the Holy Pope and even Hollywood actors; each playing a part in the development of the Noble Pinot Noir grape variety. For a grape that appears simple on the surface, it may be one of the most complex varietals on earth, playing a major role in the formation of some of the most profound and distinguished winegrowing regions in the world. Pinot Noir’s exact origin remains relatively unknown as it is far too ancient to have been recorded precisely. It is thought to have been cultivated in the rocky hillsides of Burgundy by Roman hands as early as the 1st Century AD. At that time, Roman agronomist Columella identified and tasted wine that very much seems to be consistent with today’s description of Pinot Noir. There are complex theories on how either the Greeks or Romans took cuttings of Vitis Vinefera (Pinot Noir) from the area of Transcaucasia (modern day Turkey, Iraq and Iran) and brought the wild vines to France. Speculation aside, what we do know is that the wine-loving ancient Romans spread their dominion far and wide, leaving grapevines in their wake. Their innovative devotion to cultivating wine in French soil set in motion, nurtured, and influenced the winegrowing culture that we very much enjoy today. Around 1000 AD, long after the dismantling of the Roman Empire, the history of Pinot Noir in Burgundy begins to have clarity, greatly due to the extraordinary record keeping of the Cistercian Order of Monks (formed from the Benedictine Order). The Cistercian Monks began gaining authority outside the area of what we know today as Dijon. Devoted to hard labor and prayer, the monks began cultivating the rocky hillsides of early Burgundy, painstakingly documenting detailed records of their vineyards. Centuries of specifying their practices, describing exactly how and exactly where vines thrived or failed and how the resulting wine tasted, the Cistercian Monks unwittingly created the world’s first harvest reports while simultaneously inventing the idea of terroir. These records and the notion that wines reflect their growing locales, permanently shaped the fundamentals of winegrowing and making terroir a critical concept. This concept really gained attention when Pope Urban V refused to return the Papal court to Rome from Avignon due to unavailability of Burgundy wines south of the Alps. The lack of commerce routes inhibiting the Burgundy wine trade did not affect the Cistercian Order of Monks as they were driven towards higher quality and excellence through religious devotion instead of monetary gain. Both the outward remarks of the Pope and diligent efforts by the monks helped place Burgundy in a class of its own. Pinot Noir would eventually spread its wings and infiltrate Champagne, Loire and Alsace, Provence, Sancerre and Languedoc, finding hospitable terroir and new purposes along the way. From bubbles to “pink” wine, it adapted to the soil, revealing the terroir through the wine itself. The early developments and manipulation of the Pinot Noir grape within France was a precursor for the inevitable. The varietal spread through Europe and eventually making a trip around the globe landing in the Willamette Valley, Oregon (planted in 1965 by David Lett). The Pinot Noir grape quickly found a niche in Willamette Valley where it shares the same latitude of 45 degrees north, experiencing similar sunlight as well as a similar cooler climate to that of Burgundy. A few years later it would be introduced to California where it found terroir hotspots in both cool and surprisingly hotter climates, thus spreading to Napa, Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, Carneros among others, birthing New World Pinot Noir winemaking. And, of course, there was the Pinot craze that occurred after the release of the movie Sideways which manifested “Pinot snobs” around America. The 2004 American comedy set the market on fire, increasing sales of Pinot Noir in the state of California by 170 percent. The varietal of Pinot Noir thrives in cool climates with terroir consisting of marl and limestone soils of extremely variable composition that mimics that of its ancestral home of Burgundy. For a grape that is notoriously difficult to grow, Pinot Noir is ubiquitous in winegrowing regions around the world, spanning 115,000 hectares. It may be a fussy grape, but when planted in the right location and climate, it reveals the qualities of its host terroir in many different manners. The Noble Pinot Noir grape has greatly impacted the world of winegrowing and making while birthing the concept of terroir; from fruit forward Pinots produced in warmer California localities to New World Oregon wines with Burgundian nuances to Rose in Provence, bubbly in Champagne to the infamous Domaine de la Romanee Conti and its eye watering prices and unrivaled quality. Pinot Noir has long lived the quiet, elegant lifestyle giving Old World winemakers and consumers an ethereal pleasure. New World winemaking has granted it the opportunity for worldwide consumption on any budget and creating the Pinot Phenom. The varietal is now enjoying the best of both “worlds.”
Country	US : As one of the most prolific and innovative wine regions in the world, America is a joy to explore. Most wine connoisseurs will agree that the nation's finest and most compelling wines are being produced today, which means that we have front-row seats to one of the most inspirational stories in wine history. While other regions tend to focus on specific wine styles and have somewhat strict rules as to which varietals you could grow, areas like California have few such restrictions in place. As a result, creative visionaries behind America's most reputable estates have been able to develop compelling, unique, and innovative styles, with a level of terroir expression that rivals even France's largest giants.
Region	California : With a history of wine production that dates back to the 18th century, California currently sits as one of the world's most prolific and reputable wine regions. With an area as vast as California, you can expect a colorful collage of terroir profiles, a series of microclimates, and micro-environments that give the wine a unique, memorable appeal. The region's produce is far from homogenized in that sense, and it would take you countless hours to sample all of it. While the region boasts scars from the Prohibition era, it went through what can only be described as a viticultural Renaissance sometime after the 1960s. At that point, California went from a port-style, sweet wine region to a versatile and compelling competitor on the world market. Today, no matter which way your taste in wine leans, you can find a new favorite producer among California's most talented. Notable sub-regions include legendary names like Napa Valley and Sonoma County, places that any wine lover would die to visit. California's quintessential warm climate allows for incredibly ripe fruit expressions, a style that provides a stark contrast to Old World-inspired, earthy classics. Even where inspiration was clearly taken from staple French appellations, Californian winemakers put their own unique spin on the wine.

Producer	Sine Qua Non : Manfred Krankl may be just as quirky and artistic as the wines he creates at Sine Qua Non. From his unique blending of varietals, to the imaginative wine names that grace the unique and often sly, psychologically dark labels, Krankl’s unusual approach to winemaking is viewed as artisanal as well as unorthodox. However unpredictable he may be, the consistency of quality wine production has allowed Sine Qua Non to establish a very special niche in today’s wine world. One in which the famed Robert Parker stated that Manfred Krankl is, “One of the most creative and multidimensional winemakers on planet earth.” Great praise has come frequently for Sine Qua Non since its inception, which Krankl states was coincidental. His wines have earned multiple 100- point ratings from Robert Parker; though, Krankl finds his new “insider-y” fame humorous. His comfort level with all the weirdness has taken on the afterglow of shrewd marketing tactics. Nothing seems usual about the operation here, where each vintage brings a slew of wines that may be structured entirely different from the previous year. Varietals change, as do the label artwork, but the quality remains consistent. Krankl is non-conforming to traditional winemaking nor marketing and will not allow the market to dictate his approach. He was once consulted by a business man who encouraged him to use the same label on each vintage so consumers could identify his wines, to which Krankl replied, “hell no.” His ability to artistically design wines that truly express the varietals is unprecedented and though he has been mentioned along with other California Cult producers such as Screaming Eagle and Harlan, Sine Qua Non does not reside in Napa Valley. The winery hails from Santa Barbara, Central Coast and deems itself a Rhone Ranger of California, as a majority of their wines are made from Syrah and Grenache. Krankl’s love of the Rhone varietals is evident in his bottlings and isn’t ashamed of his neglect of Cabernet Sauvignon which reigns king in California. He concedes that “Cabernet can be great, sure, but its’ not sexy. It makes me think of Masterpiece Theatre.” A staunch stance on a varietal that has brought California into the apex of winemaking. But then again, nothing about Krankl is ordinary, nor are the wines of Sine Qua Non. Krankl has never had the desire to be the world’s greatest wine producers or to produce big wines laden with alcohol which are so prevalent in America. Nor has he had the ambition to be the largest, as his annual production is a mere 3,500 cases. His vision was to craft a wine that is not purely intellectual, that has sex appeal, juicy and full bodied, liveliness, agility and grace, but isn’t a fruit bomb, or overly alcoholic. What is accomplished at Sine Qua Non is so incredible, so impressive, inventive and complex that it is difficult to describe the portfolio of wines, the varietals harvested and the intricate manner in which they are produced. Each bottle of Sine Qua Non is a piece of art and perhaps that is the subliminal message sent by Krankl himself who uses winemaking as his canvas. Much like a classical piece by impressionist, Claude Monet, Sine Qua Non must be witnessed personally to fully understand and appreciate.