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2010 Sine Qua Non Five Shooter (Syrah)

2010 Sine Qua Non Five Shooter (Syrah)

98+ RP

Featured Review
The 2010 Syrah Five Shooter is straight up gorgeous. A massive wine that somehow holds everything together, it offers a wild array of cassis, blackberry, white chocolate, underbrush and pepper that flows to a full-bodied, layered Syrah that has masses of fine tannin and enough substance to evolve for decades. A blend of 85% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 3% Petite Sirah, 5% Roussanne and 2% Viognier that was fermented with 20% whole cluster and aged 22 months in 59% new French oak, it opens up beautifully in the glass and should be decanted if drinking anytime soon. Drink 2015-2030. About as good as it gets across the board, these singular, incredible wines are the result of an obsessive attention to detail at all stages of the wine making process. There is no secret or hidden magic going on here. The incredibly talented and down-to-earth Manfred Krankl simply walks the walk as opposed to only talking about attention to detail or offering up the standard, wine is made in the vineyard comments. Looking at the vintages focused on here, 2009 has produced a decadent, voluptuous style that offers up thrilling levels of fruit as well as an approachable, heady richness that-s hard to resist. While they possess ample depth and structure, I would drink these before either the 2010s or 2011s. The 2010s here are stunning and have everything; gorgeous fruit, awesome concentration and incredible purity. While the most age-worthy of the recent vintages, they're a spectacular drink even today. The 2011s, which were all tasted out of barrel, have additional freshness and focus over the 2010s. They have solid concentration and overall balanced profiles that should allow them to cruise in the cellar. Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Robert Parker | 98+ RP

Critic Reviews

The 2010 Syrah Five Shooter is straight up gorgeous. A massive wine that somehow holds everything together, it offers a wild array of cassis, blackberry, white chocolate, underbrush and pepper that flows to a full-bodied, layered Syrah that has masses of fine tannin and enough substance to evolve for decades. A blend of 85% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 3% Petite Sirah, 5% Roussanne and 2% Viognier that was fermented with 20% whole cluster and aged 22 months in 59% new French oak, it opens up beautifully in the glass and should be decanted if drinking anytime soon. Drink 2015-2030.

About as good as it gets across the board, these singular, incredible wines are the result of an obsessive attention to detail at all stages of the wine making process. There is no secret or hidden magic going on here. The incredibly talented and down-to-earth Manfred Krankl simply walks the walk as opposed to only talking about attention to detail or offering up the standard, wine is made in the vineyard comments. Looking at the vintages focused on here, 2009 has produced a decadent, voluptuous style that offers up thrilling levels of fruit as well as an approachable, heady richness that-s hard to resist. While they possess ample depth and structure, I would drink these before either the 2010s or 2011s. The 2010s here are stunning and have everything; gorgeous fruit, awesome concentration and incredible purity. While the most age-worthy of the recent vintages, they're a spectacular drink even today. The 2011s, which were all tasted out of barrel, have additional freshness and focus over the 2010s. They have solid concentration and overall balanced profiles that should allow them to cruise in the cellar.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RP
I have tasted the 2010 Syrah Five Shooter on numerous occasions, and it has never been anything less than stellar. A stunning, expressive bouquet melds into layers of dark fruit, black pepper, sage, menthol, minerals and spices, all supported by intense graphite and melted road tar undertones. The wine seems to gain intensity with time in the glass, leading to a huge, explosive, saline-infused finish. The 2010 Syrah Five Shooter is a stunner from Sine Qua Non. The blend is 85% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 5% Roussanne, 3% Petite Sirah and 2% Viognier, with a total of 20% whole clusters, that spent 22 months in French oak barrels, about 59% new.

Vinous Media | 98 VM

Wine Details for 2010 Sine Qua Non Five Shooter (Syrah)

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 Shiraz/Syrah : Something magical occurred when two ancient French grapes procreated and the varietal of Syrah entered the world of winegrowing. The exact time period of its inception is still undetermined; however, the origin of Syrah’s parentage confirms it was birthed in the Rhone Valley. DNA testing performed by UC Davis has indicated that Syrah is the progeny of the varietals Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche, both of Rhone origin. Syrah dominates its native homeland of Northern Rhone and has become one of the most popular grape varietals in the world.

Syrah, Shiraz and Petite Sirah have often been confused and misunderstood, some consumers believing them to all be the same grape, while others thinking the opposite. Petite Sirah is actually the offspring of Syrah and Peloursin and though related, is an entirely different grape variety. Its official name is Durif, for the name of the French nurseryman who first propagated the varietal in the 1880s; it is called Petite Sirah in California (due to the resemblance of Syrah, but smaller berries). Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape. Producers in Australia have been labelling Syrah as “Shiraz” since James Busby first introduced the varietal to the continent. The Scottish viticulturist brought Syrah from France to Australia in the middle of the 18th century and labelled the cuttings as “Sycras” and “Ciras,” which may have led to the naming. Most California vintners label their bottlings as Syrah and of course in French style and tradition, the name of the village or area the grape is cultivated dictates the label name.

The Syrah grape is at home in Northern Rhone where the climate is cool and the terroir is filled with gravel, schist, limestone, iron, granite and sandy soils. It thrives on rocky, hilly terrain with a southern exposure, due to its need for sunlight. Syrah is a very vigorous grape with a spreading growth habit. The berries are small to medium oval shaped blue-black and tend to shrivel when ripe.

Today, Syrah is one of the most popular and widely planted grape varietals in the world, covering almost 190,000 hectares across the earth’s surface. It is the only red grape variety permitted by AOC regulations in the appellations of Hermitage and Cote-Rotie, where it has breathed life into some of the most tremendous wines on the planet. Languedoc-Roussilon has the most surface area planted in France with 43,200 hectares dedicated to Syrah. The varietal is used for blending in Southern Rhone, Provence and even Bordeaux. Syrah has spread worldwide from Australia to California and South Africa to Spain creating the ‘New World’ hype of the varietal. Since the 1990’s, Syrah winegrowing and production has increased exponentially; for example, in 1958 there were a mere 2,000 hectares planted in France. By 2005 that number increased to over 68,000 hectares and today it is well over 70,000. The same holds true for California, Australia and other ‘New World’ producers that have jumped “all in.” World-wide there are approximately 190,000 hectares of Syrah currently being cultivated.

The allure of Syrah has taken the world by storm, but is important to note where the hype began. Long before Syrah was being stamped with ‘New World’ or of ‘cult status,’ the tremendous quality of Hermitage was being written about in Thomas Jefferson’s diary. Today, the grape variety can be grown, fashioned, named and enjoyed in a myriad of ways, but the quality of Syrah grape remains the same – incredible.

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.

Overview

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.

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