Our 11th Year !

$395

JD 100 (8/2022): The 2018 Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard comes all from the estate vineyard located on the eastern side of the Sta. Rita Hills and is even more Grenache-dominated, checking in at close to 84% Grenache with 9% Syrah, 6% Petite Sirah, and the rest Viognier. Aged a whopping 38 months in 52% new barrels, it has an insane bouquet of black raspberries, herbes de Provence, violets, mulled cherries, sandalwood, and new leather. As complex and nuanced as they come, this full-bodied beauty has awesome purity of fruit, a layered, balanced mouthfeel, sweet, fine-grained tannins, and a great, great finish. It's one of those wines that makes you run out of adjectives. One of the finest examples of Grenache to pass my lips, give it 2-3 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

2019

$325

WA 97 (6/2023): The 2019 Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard is made up of 89.4% Grenache, 5.5% Syrah, 4.1% Petite Sirah and 1% Gelber Muskateller (a.k.a. Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains). It was crafted using 35% whole clusters, matured for around 39 months in 50% new French oak barrels and demi-muids and was bottled in January 2022. Deep ruby-purple in color, it takes significant time to open and is mostly coiled and shy on day one. On day two, its aromas unfurl: cherry pie and wild berry jam scents are layered with tones of cured meat, peppercorn, bergamot and wildflowers. The full-bodied palate is seamless and ultra powdery in texture, with balancing bursts of juicy acidity that highlight pretty spice and floral tones that fan across the long finish. It deserves generous cellar time and will be long lived. 922 cases and 240 magnums were made.

2020

$375

VM 98 (8/2024): Another stellar wine in this range, the 2020 Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard is every bit as compelling as it was from barrel. A wine of exquisite aromatic presence and nuance, the 2020 is all class. It shows all the natural richness that is such a signature here while retaining gorgeous, open-knit aromatics that resonate off a rich core of fruit. Raspberry and pomegranate open first, followed by exotic, tropical fruit accents that build in the glass. This is such a distinctive wine shaped by a touch of Gelber Muskateller in the blend that adds flair. The blend is 82% Grenache, 12.1% Syrah, 3.3% Petite Sirah and 1.6% Gelber Muskateller, all from Eleven Confessions. Antonio Galloni.

WA 93 (8/2024): Supported by 13.1% Syrah, 3.3% Petite Sirah, and 1.6% Gelber Muskateller, the 2020 Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard is a barrel selection featuring the site's most concentrated blocks. It was fermented with 27% whole clusters and spent 38 months in 41% new French demi-muids. The nose is an opaque mixture of black fruits with aromas of tar, asphalt, espresso beans, touches of dried herbs and a slight menthol-tinged ethanol astringency. The texture is polished and perfectly composed around a decadent, concentrated core of juicy fruit-dominated flavors. The finish takes time to hit its stride, starting on a blocky, stunted note and gaining more dimension and length with time in the glass. With extended aeration, however, the ethanol notes of the nose become more prominent, revealing themselves on an increasingly spiritous finish, the presence of which diminishes my score.

2020

$395

2018

$359

JD 100 (8/2022): The 2018 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard is pure gold and Syrah doesn't get any better, no matter what region you're talking about. Incredible notes of ripe cherries, currants, ground black and white pepper, cured meats, and saddle leather all soar from the glass, and it's full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate. Opening up with time in the glass, it certainly offers pleasure today yet warrants 2-4 years of bottle age and will have two decades of overall longevity. Hats off to the Krankl family for another utterly magical wine.

2018

$395

2018

$435

2019

Eleven Confessions Vyd. Syrah (1.5 L)

$299

WA 99 (6/2023): The 2019 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard is elegant and perfumed and includes 13.1% Grenache, 3.3% Petite Sirah and just a splash—0.8%—each of Viognier and Muskateller (a.k.a Muscat). It was crafted with 13% whole clusters, matured in 66% new French oak for around 39 months and was bottled in January 2022. This gorgeous Syrah opens over several days and never seems to diminish. It offers pure aromas of crème de cassis, tar, salami and ringing tones of violet. The full-bodied palate is incredibly velvety in texture, and despite its concentration and powerful style, it manages noticeable freshness and detail, with that magical violet perfume echoing across the long finish. This will develop gracefully in the cellar over the next two decades or more. 968 cases and 240 magnums were made.

2019

$749

2020

$350

VM 98 (8/2024): The 2020 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard is a dark, exotic beauty. Rich, sumptuous and layered in the glass, the 2020 is classic Sine Qua Non from start to finish. Silky tannins wrap around a core of inky red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and mint, building into a stunning crescendo of aromas, flavors and textures. What a wine. The blend is 84% Syrah, 11.5% Grenache, 2.3% Petite Sirah and 2.2% Viognier and Golden Muskateller. Antonio Galloni.

WA 93 (8/2024): Fermented with 25% whole clusters and aged for 38 months in 58% new French oak, the 2020 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard contains 11.5% Grenache, 2.3% Petite Sirah and a combined 2.2% of Gelber Muskateller and Viognier. The nose is a deep, nearly impenetrable mixture of opaque fruits, chocolate cake, tar and subtle hints of savory, meaty complexity. The palate is luxurious and highly polished, with seemingly endless concentration that somehow escalates with time in the glass. The finish is expectedly thunderous, laden with gigantic dark fruit flavors flanked with exotic spice accents, vitamin-tinged acidity and rich, swelling tannins. This wine is impressive in its scope, and I have no doubt that fans of this style will find more than enough to love, but it is ultimately so sumptuous as to appear monotonous.

2020

Estonoesuna Salida (This is Not an Exit) Grenache

$385

2009

$345

WA 96 (8/2013): More open, upfront and sexy, the 2009 Grenache This is Not an Exit is comprised of 79% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 3% Viognier and 3% Roussanne that spent 31 months in roughly 35% new French oak. Showing overflowing richness, with notions of incense, spice cake, potpourri and creamy raspberry fruit, it is a full-bodied, voluptuous and decadent Grenache geared for drinking over the coming decade or so. Drink now-2023.

VM 95 (12/2013): Vivid ruby. Intense cherry and boysenberry aromas are complicated by notes of cola, violet, candied licorice and smoky spices, plus a hint of vanilla. Packed with dense, alluringly sweet dark berry compote and floral pastille flavors that are energized by zesty minerality and a jolt of white pepper. For its sheer mass this is almost shockingly elegant. Finishes with smooth tannins and excellent, spicy persistence, leaving a juicy dark berry note behind.

2014

Piranha Waterdance Syrah (1.5 L)

$695

WA 100 (9/2017): Blended of 81% Syrah, 8% Petite Sirah, 6% Mourvèdre, 4% Touriga Nacional and 1% Graciano, sourced from 34% The Third Twin, 35% Eleven Confessions and 31% Cumulus (all estate vineyards), the provocative, inky purple colored 2014 Syrah Piranha Waterdance was made using 26% whole cluster and hits the scent scene with exuberant, pure crème de cassis, blackberry cordial and blueberry coulis notes with hints of espresso, licorice, garrigue and menthol, plus a gorgeous underlying perfume of red roses. The full-bodied palate is oh-so-elegant and pretty, revealing very finely pixelated tannins that beautifully frame the almost electric intensity, culminating in an epically long, licorice and chocolate-laced finish. Too stunning for mere words and rude to even try-just drink it. 1,839 cases and 600 magnums were produced.

VM 95-97 (9/2016): A striking, vibrant wine, the 2014 Syrah Piranha Waterdance is beautifully focused and energetic from start to finish. Plum, blueberry, lavender, mint, violet and sweet spices all take shape in the glass. This is an especially nuanced, sculpted Syrah long on class and personality. There is so much to like here. The 2014 is 81% Syrah, 8% Petite Sirah, 6% Mourvèdre, 4% Touriga Nacional and % Graciano, done with 26% whole clusters, all from Sine Qua Non's estate vineyards: 35% Eleven Confessions, 34% Third Twin and 31% Cumulus. Antonio Galloni.

WS 94 (9/2017): Rich, ripe and powerfully built, with deep and expressive smoky beef, cracked pepper and currant flavors that charge like a bull toward big but polished tannins. Best from 2019 through 2025. 1,800 cases made.

2018

Profuga Grenache

$229

JD 98 (8/2021): Tasted out of bottle, the 2018 Grenache Profuga is firmer and more focused than the 2019 and has deep, layered, full-bodied style as well as ample pepper, iron, and herbes de Provence like nuances all grounded by a massive core of cassis, kirsch, and assorted berry fruits. The 2018s from this estate are brilliant across the board and shine for their purity, focus, and precision, and this beauty is going to benefit from a few years of bottle age and keep for 15+. The blend is 77.5% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 8.3% Syrah, and the rest Petite Sirah and Viognier that saw 41% stems and 23 months in 37% new French oak.

WA 98 (8/2021): The 2018 Grenache Profuga is composed of 77.5% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 8.3% Syrah, 3.3% Petite Sirah and 0.9% Viognier. The vineyard sources are 38% Cumulus Estate, 35% The Third Twin Estate, 23% Eleven Confessions Estate and 4% Bien Nacido vineyard. Forty-one percent whole cluster was performed, predominately on the Grenache. The small proportion of Viognier was co-fermented with red grapes, but interestingly, because it ripens earlier, the white berries are frozen and added to the reds at the time of fermentation. As an added bonus, these frozen grapes help to cool and, therefore, slow the fermentation. The wine was aged for around 23 months in 37% new French oak, 57.8% used oak and 5.2% concrete. It was bottled on July 29, 2020.

VM 95-97 (8/2020): The 2018 Grenache Profuga is glorious. Sweet, nuanced and exquisitely perfumed, the 2018 possesses terrific energy and plenty of verve. A rush of ripe red/purplish berry fruit, mint, blood orange, pomegranate and cinnamon races out of the glass, with silky, polished tannins that give the wine so much pure immediacy. Readers will have a very hard time keeping their hands off this jewel of a wine. The blend is 77.5% Grenache, 10.0% Mourvèdre, 8.3% Syrah, 3.3% Petite Sirah and 0.9% Viognier taken from Cumulus, The Third Twin Estate Vineyard, Eleven Confessions and Bien Nacido which makes it nearly a pure estate wine. Antonio Galloni.

2016

Ratsel Syrah

$249

WA 96+ (8/2018): Produced entirely from estate fruit, the 2016 Syrah Rätsel 16 offers up a brooding bouquet of smoky blackberries, French roast, cassis liqueur and subtle grilled meat, with only hints of all the savory complexity it will show down the line. On the palate, it's full-bodied, layered and chewy, with a rich chassis of velvety structuring tannins, a deep, super concentrated core of fruit and a long, sapid finish. Like the Grenache Dirt Vernacular, it's quite expressive and giving in profile by comparison with the firmer, more structural 2015s from Sine Qua Non, but its more brooding profile makes me suspect it has more potential upside with some time in bottle. It's a blend of 81% Syrah, 7% Mourvèdre, 5% Petite Sirah, 2.5% Grenache and 4.5% Viognier that was fermented with 47% whole cluster. 1791 cases and 600 magnums were produced.

JD 96-99 (10/2018): A not yet bottled blend of 81% Syrah, 7% Mourvèdre, 5% Petite Sirah, and the rest Viognier and Grenache, fermented with 47% whole clusters, the 2016 Syrah Rätsel 16 is an inky colored beauty that has another level of depth and richness over the 2015. Black raspberries, cassis, white pepper, white chocolate, and hints of bacon fat give way to a full-bodied, seamless, elegant wine that has terrific freshness and purity, ultra-fine tannin, and a huge finish. Not too dissimilar from the 2014s, which have the same supple, sexy, and approachable style, it should drink reasonably well right out of the gate and cruise for 15-20 years in cool cellars.

VM 95-97 (9/2018): The 2016 Syrah No Name Yet is another wine that shows just how fabulous the 2016 vintage is. Powerful, dense and resonant, the 2016 is a wonderfully complete wine. Hints of smoke, tobacco and grilled herbs are woven throughout a core of inky dark fruit, but it is the wine's total sense of balance and harmony that I keep coming back to. The 2016 is going to need at least a few years to come into its own, but it is a stunningly beautiful wine. Dollops of Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Grenache and Viognier round out the blend. The 2016 was done with 47% whole clusters and will see about 47% new French, but none of that really matters when sitting in front of this gorgeous and moving Syrah from Elaine and Manfred Krankl. Antonio Galloni.

2006

Raven Syrah #3

$325

WA 96 (8/2009): The 2006 Raven Series Syrah, a blend of 93% Syrah, 5% Grenache, and 2% Viognier that spends just under two years in French oak. Offering a dense purple color, gorgeous fruit, and a sweet perfume of graphite, blackberries, blueberries, charcoal, licorice, tar, and new oak, it is a dense, full-bodied, well-endowed, beautifully layered, pure Syrah that should drink well for 10-15 years.

WS 95 (6/2009): A delightful mix of big aromas and a gentler texture, this shows rich, bold blackberry jam, pepper, mineral and sage notes that are elegant and supple on the palate, ending with a chicory edge. Drink now through 2014. From California.

VM 94 (12/2009): ( includes 5% grenache and 2% viognier) Opaque purple. Succulent, mineral-driven dark berry and kirsch, with strong graphite, iron and black olive notes arriving with air. Vibrant mineral qualities add urgency to deep, sweet black and blue fruit flavors and lend an incisive character to the long, spicy finish. Picked up silky tannins with air but not at the expense of the suave fruit.

2014

Shakti Grenache (1.5 L)

$725

JD 97 (8/2017): One of the more elegant, ethereal releases from this incredible address, the 2014 Grenache Shakti checks in as blend of 88% Grenache, 6% Mourvèdre, 4% Petite Sirah and the rest Touriga Nacional that was fermented with 42% whole clusters and aged 21 months in just 6% new French oak, with the balance in neutral barrels. Its ruby/purple semi-opaque color is followed by a thrilling bouquet of black raspberries, black olive tapenade, leafy herbs, pepper and spring flowers. It’s not a small wine by any measure, yet it’s graceful, lively and elegant on the palate, with a full-bodied mouthfeel, sweet, polished tannin, no hard edges and a gorgeous finish. Drink this beautiful Grenache anytime over the coming 15+ years. I loved the 2013s from Manfred Krankl, and these are reminiscent of the 2010s (as are the 2015s). The 2014s are more plush and sexy, with a forward style that’s already impossible to resist. The 2015 reds were all tasted as barrel samples, and these show the firm, structured style of the vintage and I suspect are going to require bottle age to show at their best. I’ve also included the “The Third Twin” releases here, and it, like the Next Of Kyn releases, are released under a separate label and focus on the estate The Third Twin vineyard located outside of Los Alamos.

VM 95-96 (9/2016): The 2014 Grenache Shakti wraps around the palate with sumptuous fruit. Dark red cherry, plum, mocha, spice and new leather flesh out as this totally seductive Grenache from Sine Qua Non. Striking aromatics, super-expressive, bright fruit and silky tannins are some of the signatures in a delicious, delicate Grenache that is totally alluring. I suppose the 2014 is not the most structured or complex Grenache ever from Sine Qua Non, but it is a total pleasure bomb. The blend is 88% Grenache, 6% Mourvèdre, 4% Petite Sirah and 2% Touriga Nacional, done with 42% whole clusters. Vineyard sites are 51% Cumulus, 21.5% Eleven Confessions, 18% Third Twin and 9.5% Bien Nacido. I tasted the 2014 from tank just prior to bottling. Antonio Galloni.

WS 90 (7/2017): Dark and brooding, this showcases ripeness and intensity, offering notes of licorice, smoky pepper, beef and dried currant. Tannins frame the finish. Drink now through 2023. 1,150 cases made.

2010

Stockholm Syndrome Grenache

$850

WA 100 (8/2014): The current release of the estate vineyard (a.k.a. the extended barrel-aged cuvee), the 2010 Grenache Stockholm Syndrome is an incredible effort that I couldn’t find a fault with. A blend of 75% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 2% Roussanne and 1% Viognier, all from the Eleven Confession Vineyard, it spent just under 30 months in 22% new and 78% used French oak prior to bottling. Locked and loaded, it knocks it out of the park with its cassis, licorice, smoked duck, spice-box and exotic herb-styled bouquet. The palate follows suit and while it has the expected depth and richness of the estate, it’s seamless, elegant and lively, with perfect balance, ultra-fine tannin and a finish that just won’t quit. It doesn’t get any better and count yourself lucky if you can latch onto a couple of these. It will thrill for 15-20 years.

VM 96 (7/2014): The 2010 Grenache Stockholm Syndrome has an explosive energy to it that takes hold of the senses and never lets up. A distinctly dark side of Grenache comes through in an intense, opulent, full-throttle wine endowed with superb intensity and tons of fruit. Hints of over ripeness appear, especially on the finish, but that isn't enough to detract from the pure pleasure the 2010 delivers.

VM 94 (12/2013): (made from fruit grown in the Krankl's Eleven Confessions vineyard; 75% grenache, 22% syrah, 2% viognier and 1% roussanne; 15.7% alcohol): Brilliant ruby. Vibrant aromas of fresh blueberry, smoky Indian spices and minerals, with a sexy floral overtone. Then rich and pliant in the mouth, with sappy blue fruit and floral pastille flavors that come off surprisingly lithe for the wine's power. Finishes spicy and very long, with fine-grained tannins fading into the wine's plush fruit.

2005

Strapless Rose

$1,450

2014

Testa dei Cherubini Grenache (3.0 L)

$2,900

JD 99 (10/2018): As with the extended aged Syrah release, the 2014 Grenache Testa Dei Cherubini (80% Grenache, 15.5% Syrah, and the rest Petite Sirah and Viognier) comes all from the estate Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills and spent just under 38 months in 25% new French oak, with the balance in neutral barrels (varying sizes). Layers of black raspberry, cassis, white chocolate, white flowers, and Asian spices flow to a full-bodied, supple, powerful Grenache that has silky, silky tannins, a seamless texture, no hard edges, and a finish that won’t quit. It’s already approachable, yet in my experience, this extended elevage results in a very stable wine, and I suspect this beauty will have another two decades of longevity.

WA 98+ (8/2018): The 2014 Grenache Testa dei Cherubini saw fully 37.5 months in wood, some 25% new, but its influence is imperceptible; the wine is strikingly pure and vibrant. Krankl commented that the longer the wines spend in barrel, the more slowly they seem to evolve in bottle. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of juicy red cherries, peonies and plums, it's initially quite reserved, becoming more expressive with air. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, layered and very concentrated, with strikingly fine-grained, revolved tannins, juicy acids and impressive length and depth. Like the 2015 Le Chemin Vers l'Heresie also reviewed in this report, it's remarkably pure and integrated and ranks as one of the finest Grenache bottlings I've tasted from Sine Qua Non. It's also one wine that will clearly benefit from bottle age, no matter how tempting it may be when it's released in November of this year. The blend includes 15.5% Syrah, 4% Petite Sirah and a tiny 0.5% of Viognier, and 895 cases, 228 magnums and 30 double magnums were produced.

VM 98 (9/2018): The 2014 Grenache Testa dei Cherubini, from Sine Qua Non's Eleven Confessions vineyard, is positively explosive on the palate. Even so, the 2014 is precise and beautifully delineated, with striking nuance and terrific freshness to balance things out. The blend is 80% Grenache, 15.5% Syrah, 4% Petite Sirah and 0.5% Viognier that spent 38 months in 600-liter French oak barrels. Antonio Galloni.

2019

The Working Man Syrah

$399

2012

The Writing on the Wall Petite Sirah (1.5 L)

$4,495

VM 98 (8/2015): 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. Antonio Galloni.

WA 97-100 (8/2014): 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. It should age for decades.

USA White

Sine Qua Non

2021

Distenta III White Wine

$209

WA 93 (8/2024): The 2021 White Wine Distenta III blends 33% Chardonnay, 27% Viognier, 24% Gelber Muskateller, 12% Roussanne and 4% Petit Manseng, the latter pair co-fermented. It hails mainly from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard, with inclusions from The Third Twin and Cumulus. It spent 23 months in 52% new French puncheon and demi-muids. The nose is extremely floral and exuberant, with honeyed, exotic aromas of stone fruit, citrus oil, pine needles, mint and noticeable alcohol after increased aeration. The palate is weighty and oily, centered around a decedent core of polished stone fruit flavors underpinned by tangy acidity. The finish is texturally clean and focused but gradually develops to reveal distracting, spirituous sensations.

VM 94 (8/2024): The 2021 White Wine Distenta III is a wild, exotic white. Ginger, passion fruit, spice and lemon confit are all woven together in the glass. Extended lees-stirring of 8-12 months really builds texture. The 2021 is rich and creamy but not at all heavy. Intensely perfumed overtones extend the finish. The Distenta III is a gorgeous wine in every way. The blend is 33% Chardonnay, 27% Viognier, 24% Gelber Muskateller, 12% Roussanne and 4% Petit Manseng. This is the first vintage with a high percentage of Muscat, an approach that is so successful here. Antonio Galloni.

1999

Mr. K The Ice Man Gewurztraminer (375 ML)

$299

2001

Mr. K The Ice Man Gewurztraminer (375 ML)

$299

2001

$159

WA 97 (8/2004): While richer, sweeter, and more unctuous than the Iceman, 2001 Mr. K The Noble Man (Chardonnay), a Trockenbeerenauslese look-alike, possesses nervy, vibrant acidity that is hard to imagine in a wine of this mass and richness. The residual sugar is 255 grams per liter, with an amazing 11.1 grams per liter of acidity, and 11.7% finished alcohol.

VM 94-95 (8/2005): (for 375 ml.; made from air-dried grapes from Alban Vineyard; 350 grams per liter of r.s., 12.8 grams of acidity and 7.8% alcohol) Deep orange-gold. Aromas of orange peel, clove, menthol and white raisin, with a whiff of Benedictine. Thick and spicy but less glyceral than the chardonnay owing to its huge acidity. And yet I find this less bright than the chardonnay. flavors dominated by the cherry/almond/marzipan family, with hints of honey, raisin, caramel and nuts. Finishes extremely long, with saline and white raisin hints.

2003

$179

WA 94 (8/2006): The 2003 Mr. K. The Nobleman, a 100% Chardonnay made from botrytised fruit, possesses 278 grams of residual sugar per liter and 9.9 grams of acid per liter. There are a whopping 537 cases of half bottles. While deep golden-hued and honeyed, with brilliant unctuosity, thickness, and richness, it takes third place when ranked against its two sweet siblings. Readers should think of it as a Chardonnay Trockenbeerenauslese.

VM 93 (8/2007): Sine Qua Non’s 2003 Mr. K The Noble Man (100% botrytised Chardonnay) was one of the most remarkable sweet wines I have ever had. Despite its size and richness, it offered notable complexity and an engaging, unique personality. I loved it. Antonio Galloni.

2005

$175

WA 98 (6/2008): Made from 100% Chardonnay from the Alban Vineyard, the 2005 Mr. K. The Nobleman possesses 235 grams of residual sugar per liter as well as exceptional acid levels. This incredibly rich, sweet white is almost like the Quintessence bottlings from Alsace’s Domaine Weinbach. Its mind-boggling purity, balance, intensity, and sweetness are balanced by the wine’s zesty acidity. An amazing achievement fashioned from 100% botrytised fruit, it will keep for 20 or more years.

2006

$179

WA 95 (8/2009): The 2006 Mr. K. The Nobleman Chardonnay (200 grams of residual sugar per liter) reveals phenomenal fresh, lively acidity as well as wonderful honeyed peach, marmalade, tropical fruit, and creme brulee characteristics. It is a Trockenbeerenauslese-styled wine that is a fitting tribute to the effusive and much revered Alois Kracher.

VM 94 (12/2009): (200 grams per liter residual sugar with 10.2 g/l (!) acidity) Bronze-gold color. Smoky pit fruit and orange marmalade aromas are complemented by spicecake and white pepper. Deep, sweet and creamy in texture, offering weighty pit fruit liqueur flavors and mounting spiciness. Clings to the palate with impressive sweetness but the overall impression is of spice and energy.

2006