2001 On Your Toes
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
In addition to these new releases, I was also able to taste through a number of older vintages, including the 2001 Albino, 2006 Hoodoo Man, 2003 The Inaugural, 2004 Ode to E, 1998 E Raised, 2001 On Your Toes, 2005 Nail in My Cranium and 2007 Syrah Dangerous Birds. To say I came away impressed would be an understatement. Anyone who claims this big, rich style can-t age needs to taste these wines. I opted to just list my scores for the older releases as I find Bob-s initial write-ups spot on. 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. Tel. (805) 649-8901; www.sinequanon.com
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(bottled after 39 months in new French oak; 100% syrah, about two-thirds from Alban Vineyard; 15.4% alcohol) Fresh, bright dark ruby color. Brooding, powerful, slightly roasted aromas of blackberry liqueur, mocha and truffle. Then wonderfully sweet but sappy, with complexflavors of black fruits, tar, minerals and exotic chocolate. Not at all heavy; in fact, this is fresher and lighter on its feet than the nose suggests, with the underlying minerality energizing the wine. (Krankl told me this cuvee "concentrated itself from the inside out" over the course of its time in barrel.) Wild, savory, idiosyncratic wine that finishes with outstanding building sweetness and late notes of smoke and maple syrup. With 24 hours in the recorked bottle, this showed stronger dark fruit character and gained in freshness. I was reminded of La Turque.
In addition to these new releases, I was also able to taste through a number of older vintages, including the 2001 Albino, 2006 Hoodoo Man, 2003 The Inaugural, 2004 Ode to E, 1998 E Raised, 2001 On Your Toes, 2005 Nail in My Cranium and 2007 Syrah Dangerous Birds. To say I came away impressed would be an understatement. Anyone who claims this big, rich style can-t age needs to taste these wines. I opted to just list my scores for the older releases as I find Bob-s initial write-ups spot on. Aug 2013, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
The brainchild of Manfred Krankl, Sine Qua Non (commonly known as SQN) is a cult California producer whose wines are avidly collected. The winery focuses on Rhône-inspired blends, however is famously non-conformist with each release totally unique.