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Inventory updated: Fri, Jan 17, 2025 04:02 PM cst
New US Red Cellar
Today at Flickinger Wines we would like to showcase a recently acquired cellar of red wines from the United States. Do not miss out on the 2020 Leonetti Cellars Walla Walla Valley Reserve Red Wine, the 2018 Long Shadows Wineries Pedestal Merlot, the 2021 One True Vine Summer Dreams Twilight Pinot Noir or the 2020 Next of Kyn Cumulus Vyd. No. 14 Proprietary Blend. Happy Hunting!!
The following are the wines remaining from the offer sent on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. Please enter your desired quantities and click the 'Add' button.
| Producer |
Vint. |
Wine |
Price |
Qty |
Order |
| | USA Red |
| Hundred Acre |
2012 |
The Ark Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon  |
$550 |
1 |
|
| |
WA 100 (8/2015): A perfect wine is the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Arc Vineyard from Woodbridge’s property on Howell Mountain. This is an amazingly deep, rich, blueberry, blackberry and mulberry scented and flavored wine with skyscraper-like texture, remarkable intensity, again great, great purity, and the new oak completely concealed by the lavish and extravagant amounts of fruit. One hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon, as are all these wines, the Ark Vineyard is certainly another blockbuster wine with no hard edges that comes across like a flawlessly constructed dress from an haute couture house in Paris. It should drink well for 25-30 years as well.
WS 93 (10/2015): A deliciously pure and juicy style, capturing the currant and blackberry essence of Cabernet in a supple, graceful manner. Texturally harmonious, with just the right amount of sage details and dusty, earth-laced tannins. Ends on a tart note. Drink now through 2027. 1,100 cases made. |
|
|
2019 |
The Ark Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon |
$600 |
2 |
|
| |
JD 100 (12/2023): The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark Vineyard comes from a steeper, diverse site, and it's a perfect wine in this reviewer's opinion. Deep ruby/plum-hued, with incredible aromatics of red and black plums, new leather, lead pencil, and smoked tobacco, it has remarkable complexity, full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mouthfeel, and velvety tannins. It's a wine that delivers everything: richness, depth, elegance, and complexity. As with all the 2019s from Woodbridge, it's drinking spectacularly well today yet has two decades of life ahead of it.
WA 99 (5/2023): The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark Vineyard features beguiling scents of Montreal-style smoked meat backed by waves of black cherries and cassis. It's full-bodied, rich, plush and expansive on the palate, captivating for its mix of savory and fruity flavors. Offering tons of fun in the glass, this finishes long and tannic but also smoothly silky. It's a complete wine by any measure.\ |
|
| Joseph Phelps |
2013 |
Freestone Vineyards Pinot Noir |
$40 |
1 |
|
| |
WA 88 (10/2015): The 2013 Pinot Noir Freestone Vineyard is a blend from their estate vineyards Pastorale and Quarter Moon. This is treated similarly to the Chardonnay, with 13 months in one-third new French oak prior to being bottled. The wine shows delicate strawberry, pomegranate, and red and black cherry notes, a touch of plums, loamy soil nuances, a nice, juicy, medium-bodied mouthfeel and a good, fresh, ripe finish. Drink it over the next 7-8 years.
VM 90 (2/2016): The 2013 Pinot Noir Freestone Vineyards is deep, powerful and intense, with plenty of sweet red cherry, plum, new leather and spice woven together. Creamy and inviting, the 2013 shows plenty of the explosive energy and overall depth that are such signatures of the Phelps Pinots. The 22% whole clusters are pretty much buried. Antonio Galloni. |
|
|
2012 |
Quarter Moon Vyd. Pinot Noir |
$35 |
1 |
|
| |
WA 91+ (12/2014): Earthy and ruby-colored as well as crisp and fresh is the 2012 Pinot Noir Quarter Moon Vineyard. With abundant notes of blackberries and raspberries intermixed with a notion of wet pebbles that gives the wine a striking minerality as well as medium to full-bodied flavors, this tight, backward, promising 2012 Pinot will benefit from another year or so of bottle age, and should drink well for 10-15 years.
VM 93 (1/2015): Another rich, intense Pinot, the 2012 Pinot Noir Quarter Moon Vineyard offers plenty of power, but the profile is a bit more savory and mineral-driven than in the Pastorale, with less mid-palate exuberance and plenty of persistence. Hints of rose petal, lavender and cinnamon add the final layers of nuance. Antonio Galloni. |
|
| Justin |
2016 |
Isosceles Proprietary Blend |
$79 |
2 |
|
| |
|
|
2018 |
Isosceles Proprietary Blend |
$62 |
3 |
|
| |
|
|
2020 |
Isosceles Proprietary Blend |
$59 |
12 |
|
| |
|
|
2021 |
Savant Proprietary Blend |
$55 |
1 |
|
| |
|
| Kosta Browne |
2021 |
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir |
$79 |
1 |
|
| |
| JD 94 (7/2023): Taking on more richness both visually and aromatically, the 2021 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is generous with violets, black cherry, and cola spices. Medium to full-bodied, it has ripe, sweet tannins, with notes of black tea, expansive black raspberry fruit, and toasted cedar. It offers good richness and has a classic feel with a long finish. Drink 2024-2034. Audrey Frick. |
|
|
2022 |
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir |
$89 |
2 |
|
| |
|
|
2022 |
Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir |
$75 |
4 |
|
| |
|
| Leonetti Cellars |
2017 |
Mill Creek Upland Red Wine |
$150 |
1 |
|
| |
JD 95+ (4/2020): The 2017 Mill Creek Upland is a darker, smoky, black-fruited wine loaded with notions of blackcurrants, licorice, hot asphalt, and lavender. This rich, full-bodied effort has a deep, rich, concentrated mid-palate, loads of tannins, and a great finish. It’s another long-term prospect. Located in Walla Walla and made by Chris Figgins, Leonetti Cellars is one of the benchmark estates in Washington. They produce a bevy of Bordeaux blends, with their Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve functioning as the flagship wines. They also make a tiny amount of their single vineyard releases, all of which showed brilliantly for this report. Unquestionably, these 2017s are up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. While the 2017 vintage is generally forward and approachable, that’s not the case here and these wines are going to benefit from bottle age.
VM 93+ (12/2020): Bright ruby. Inkier and more withdrawn on the nose than the Loess, with its aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice and minerals complicated by bitter chocolate and a medicinal quality; showing its Petit Verdot side today. Surprisingly dense, pliant and sweet on entry but still quite youthfully inky, medicinal and black in character, and in need of time in bottle. A seriously thick, mouthfilling wine with impressive dimension and superb penetration and power. Finishes with strong, broad, slightly clenched tannins and slowly building violety persistence. This is also easier to taste than its 2016 predecessor was a year ago but it's still a very firmly structured, painfully young wine--and more tannic than the 2017 Loess. Stephen Tanzer. |
|
|
2021 |
Reserve Proprietary Blend |
$229 |
6 |
|
| |
| WA 95+ (3/2024): The expressive and bold 2021 Walla Walla Reserve is layered with abundant dusty dark red and black fruit essences, complemented by subtle notes of brown baking spices, juicy tobacco and cedar. Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with 14% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot, this wine offers an immensely powerful and seductive nose of dusty red flowers and succulent spices. Although full-bodied and generously layered, this beauty is still tight and requires at least two more years in the bottle to reach its full potential, promising to age gracefully for over two decades. Your patience will be rewarded. Decanting is recommended. The wine rested for 22 months in a mix of new and once-filled French oak. Just under 12,000 bottles were made. |
|
|
2020 |
Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon |
$114 |
4 |
|
| |
|
|
2021 |
Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon |
$124 |
4 |
|
| |
| WA 95 (3/2024): Made with the addition of 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec, the 2021 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon is a broad, structured and generously layered wine. It exhibits a full-bodied and complex profile with juicy freshness, fine-grained tannins and a dusty essence of dark red and black fruits. Ending with a plummy finish, this wine promises to evolve and drink even better in the coming years. The wine matured for 22 months in new and once-filled French oak barrels and neutral oval botti. |
|
|
2022 |
Walla Walla Merlot |
$99 |
6 |
|
| |
| WA 93+ (3/2024): Deeply colored and extracted for a Merlot, the 2022 Walla Walla Merlot displays mocha notes with plum and blackberry compote with soft notions of brown baking spices that sway from the glass with a firm, mineral essence. Full-bodied, the palate is still tight with firm,. gripping tannins that will release with additional years in the cellar yet will remain food-friendly for the next decade. The wine spent 15 months in a mix of new and used French oak and neutral botti. |
|
|
2018 |
Walla Walla Valley Reserve Red Wine Lightly Scuffed Label |
$229 |
2 |
|
| |
|
|
2020 |
Walla Walla Valley Reserve Red Wine |
$189 |
2 |
|
| |
| WA 94+ (3/2024): A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Walla Walla Reserve is bright, fresh and expressive. Its juicy dark red and black berry essences are followed by notes of French oak and baking spices and seductive dusty floral notes that grasp your attention. Full-bodied, firm and tight, the mouthfeel is generous yet strict. The wine continues to evolve over the long, lingering finish that has me craving flame-kissed ribeyes. |
|
| Next of Kyn |
2020 |
Cumulus Vyd. No. 14 Proprietary Blend |
$299 |
1 |
|
| |
| JD 100 (8/2023): Lastly, and a perfect wine if there ever was one, the 2020 No 14 Cumulus Vineyard comes all from the estate Cumulus Vineyard in Oak View and is based on 41% Grenache, 27% Petite Sirah, 25% Syrah, and the balance Mourvèdre and a tiny amount of Petit Manseng. Aged 30 months in just 23% new French oak, it just about jumps out of the glass with its ripe blackberries, spice, leather, sandalwood, and peppery, savory herb-driven aromas and flavors. With full-bodied richness and depth, building, velvety tannin, a stacked mid-palate, and awesome length on the finish, it's a wine I wish I could pour for every reader, it's that singular and impressive. I love it today yet see no reason it shouldn’t evolve gracefully for two decades. |
|
|
2020 |
Cumulus Vyd. No. 14 Proprietary Blend |
$439 |
4 |
|
| |
| JD 100 (8/2023): Lastly, and a perfect wine if there ever was one, the 2020 No 14 Cumulus Vineyard comes all from the estate Cumulus Vineyard in Oak View and is based on 41% Grenache, 27% Petite Sirah, 25% Syrah, and the balance Mourvèdre and a tiny amount of Petit Manseng. Aged 30 months in just 23% new French oak, it just about jumps out of the glass with its ripe blackberries, spice, leather, sandalwood, and peppery, savory herb-driven aromas and flavors. With full-bodied richness and depth, building, velvety tannin, a stacked mid-palate, and awesome length on the finish, it's a wine I wish I could pour for every reader, it's that singular and impressive. I love it today yet see no reason it shouldn’t evolve gracefully for two decades. |
|
|
2020 |
Cumulus Vyd. No. 14 Proprietary Blend |
$445 |
3 |
|
| |
| JD 100 (8/2023): Lastly, and a perfect wine if there ever was one, the 2020 No 14 Cumulus Vineyard comes all from the estate Cumulus Vineyard in Oak View and is based on 41% Grenache, 27% Petite Sirah, 25% Syrah, and the balance Mourvèdre and a tiny amount of Petit Manseng. Aged 30 months in just 23% new French oak, it just about jumps out of the glass with its ripe blackberries, spice, leather, sandalwood, and peppery, savory herb-driven aromas and flavors. With full-bodied richness and depth, building, velvety tannin, a stacked mid-palate, and awesome length on the finish, it's a wine I wish I could pour for every reader, it's that singular and impressive. I love it today yet see no reason it shouldn’t evolve gracefully for two decades. |
|
| One True Vine |
2020 |
Summer Dreams Golden Hour Pinot Noir Lightly Bin-Soiled Label |
$119 |
1 |
|
| |
|
|
2021 |
Summer Dreams Twilight Pinot Noir |
$109 |
1 |
|
| |
| JD 96 (12/2023): The 2021 Pinot Noir Twilight has a darker edge in its blackberry and darker fruits as well as notes of black tea, peppery herbs, and a kiss of earthy minerality. Medium-bodied on the palate, with good acidity and a focusing spine of both acidity and tannins, this beauty will benefit from a year or two and shine through 2031. |
|
|
2021 |
Summer Dreams Twilight Pinot Noir Scuffed Label |
$109 |
1 |
|
| |
| JD 96 (12/2023): The 2021 Pinot Noir Twilight has a darker edge in its blackberry and darker fruits as well as notes of black tea, peppery herbs, and a kiss of earthy minerality. Medium-bodied on the palate, with good acidity and a focusing spine of both acidity and tannins, this beauty will benefit from a year or two and shine through 2031. |
|
|
2021 |
Summer Dreams Twilight Pinot Noir Lightly Bin-Soiled Label |
$109 |
1 |
|
| |
| JD 96 (12/2023): The 2021 Pinot Noir Twilight has a darker edge in its blackberry and darker fruits as well as notes of black tea, peppery herbs, and a kiss of earthy minerality. Medium-bodied on the palate, with good acidity and a focusing spine of both acidity and tannins, this beauty will benefit from a year or two and shine through 2031. |
|
| Robert Craig |
2018 |
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Lightly Bin-Soiled Label |
$75 |
1 |
|
| |
VM 94 (1/2021): A powerful, driving wine, the Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is loaded with character. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, new leather, licorice, lavender and spice emerge, but only with great reluctance. Readers will have to be patient here. The Howell Mountain Cabernet emerges from Robert Craig's Summit Lake estate vineyard. Antonio Galloni.
JD 1 (1/2021): The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain offers more dark currant and black cherry fruit characteristics to go with plenty of graphite, earthy minerality, and leafy herbs. More medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has solid tannins, a rounded, elegant mouthfeel, and a good finish. |
|
| Screaming Eagle |
2020 |
Cabernet Sauvignon |
$2,100 |
3 |
|
| |
| VM 96 (2/2023): The 2020 Screaming Eagle is one of the great surprises of the year. Energetic and vibrant in the glass, the 2020 offers a bit more energy than most readers are likely used to. All the elements are so well balanced. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, menthol, spice, leather and a soft touch of all fill out the layers effortlessly. In 2020 Screaming Eagle is not as immediately alluring as it so often is, so a measure of patience is warranted. Antonio Galloni. |
|
|
2020 |
Cabernet Sauvignon |
$2,500 |
3 |
|
| |
| VM 96 (2/2023): The 2020 Screaming Eagle is one of the great surprises of the year. Energetic and vibrant in the glass, the 2020 offers a bit more energy than most readers are likely used to. All the elements are so well balanced. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, menthol, spice, leather and a soft touch of all fill out the layers effortlessly. In 2020 Screaming Eagle is not as immediately alluring as it so often is, so a measure of patience is warranted. Antonio Galloni. |
|
|
2020 |
Cabernet Sauvignon |
$2,600 |
9 |
|
| |
| VM 96 (2/2023): The 2020 Screaming Eagle is one of the great surprises of the year. Energetic and vibrant in the glass, the 2020 offers a bit more energy than most readers are likely used to. All the elements are so well balanced. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, menthol, spice, leather and a soft touch of all fill out the layers effortlessly. In 2020 Screaming Eagle is not as immediately alluring as it so often is, so a measure of patience is warranted. Antonio Galloni. |
|
|
2020 |
Cabernet Sauvignon |
$3,100 |
3 |
|
| |
| VM 96 (2/2023): The 2020 Screaming Eagle is one of the great surprises of the year. Energetic and vibrant in the glass, the 2020 offers a bit more energy than most readers are likely used to. All the elements are so well balanced. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, menthol, spice, leather and a soft touch of all fill out the layers effortlessly. In 2020 Screaming Eagle is not as immediately alluring as it so often is, so a measure of patience is warranted. Antonio Galloni. |
|
|
2016 |
The Flight Proprietary Blend |
$850 |
2 |
|
| |
JS 99 (2/2019): This is the best Flight I have ever had with so much merlot character coming through with black olives, hazelnuts, brown sugar and blackberries, as well as violets. Full-bodied yet linear and very long. Extremely refined and fresh. Needs a few years to come completely together, but already so refined.
VM 98 (12/2018): The 2016 The Flight is gorgeous. Dark, brooding and closed in on itself, the 2016 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best, but it is incredibly beguiling today. Plum, black cherry, lavender, blood orange menthol, and a host of more mineral-driven notes punctuate this super-expressive wine. This is a decidedly tannic and powerful edition of The Flight. I can't wait to see how it ages. Bottled just six weeks before this tasting, the 2016 appears to have a very bright future. Time in the glass brings out some of the softer edges that will almost surely emerge with cellaring. The Flight is built on a core of older Merlot vines from the southeast corner of the estate. It is an absolutely riveting wine from Screaming Eagle. Antonio Galloni.
WA 97+ (5/2019): Composed roughly of two-thirds Merlot with 5% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep colored 2016 The Flight opens with bold, expressive notions of wild blueberries, warm plums and boysenberries with touches of black raspberries, spice cake, violets, dark chocolate and potpourri with a hint of menthol. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and jam-packed with energy, it has beautifully plush tannins texturing the multilayered blue and black fruits, delivering a very long, perfumed finish.
JD 96 (1/2019): The 2016 The Flight is another beauty, and it's slightly more elegant and balanced, as well as pure, than the 2015. A blend of 66% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, this vibrant purple-colored effort offers a huge perfume of blue fruits, violets, and incense that develops with time in the glass. It's medium to full-bodied, seamless, and incredibly elegant, yet has depth, intensity, and length. |
|
|
2020 |
The Flight Proprietary Blend |
$695 |
5 |
|
| |
| VM 94 (2/2023): The 2020 The Flight is classy and polished from the very first taste. Aromatic and understated, the 2020 offers a distinct feeling of classicism in its mid-weight structure. Crushed flowers, herbs and spice lead into a core of red/purplish fruit. The 2020 is a seriously impressive wine. Readers should expect a more lifted, restrained style than is the norm. Antonio Galloni. |
|
|
2020 |
The Flight Proprietary Blend Lightly Scuffed Label |
$695 |
1 |
|
| |
| VM 94 (2/2023): The 2020 The Flight is classy and polished from the very first taste. Aromatic and understated, the 2020 offers a distinct feeling of classicism in its mid-weight structure. Crushed flowers, herbs and spice lead into a core of red/purplish fruit. The 2020 is a seriously impressive wine. Readers should expect a more lifted, restrained style than is the norm. Antonio Galloni. |
|
| Sea Smoke |
2021 |
Southing Pinot Noir |
$99 |
1 |
|
| |
|
|
2021 |
Southing Pinot Noir Lightly Bin-Soiled Label |
$99 |
1 |
|
| |
|
| Sine Qua Non |
2020 |
Distenta II Grenache |
$215 |
1 |
|
| |
JD 99 (8/2023): Tasted out of bottle, the 2020 Grenache Distenta II is total blockbuster stuff that's darker and richer than the 2021. Red and black fruits, white pepper, classy leather, and spicy baking chocolate-like nuances all define the aromatics, and it’s deep, full-bodied, and beautifully balanced, with gorgeous tannins and a great finish. The blend is 78% Grenache, 9% Mourvèdre, 8% Syrah, and the rest Petite Sirah (with a splash of Viognier), and it's going to knock your socks off any time over the coming 15+ years.
WA 97 (8/2023): I first tasted the Grenache Distenta II from bottle at the beginning of 2023. It has barely budged in the interim and feels expectant, its youthfully compact character waiting patiently to blossom. It comes from all four estate vineyards: Eleven Confessions (40%), Cumulus (33%), The Third Twin (21%) and Molly Aïda (6%). A blend of 77.9% Grenache, 9.4% Mourvèdre, 7.9% Syrah, 4.3% Petite Sirah and 0.5% Viognier, it was vinified using 29% whole clusters (mainly from Grenache) and matured for around 23 months in 52% new French oak of various sizes. Medium ruby in color, it takes plenty of time to unwind in the glass, segueing from streaks of coffee, peppercorn, garrigue and bresaola to a deep core of berry fruit. The medium-bodied palate sits on a razor's edge of concentration and weight, with floral and citrus-tinged fruit, fireworks of fresh acidity and the characteristic, silky smooth texture that's so impressive in the Sine Qua Non wines. This was bottled in June of 2022 and released in January of 2023. 1,650 cases and 600 magnums were made.
VM 96 (9/2023): The 2020 Grenache Distenta II is a dense, powerful wine. A blast of dark cherry, plum, espresso, menthol, licorice and cloves hits the palate. This rich, heady Grenache delivers the goods. In a vintage that was so hard for Grenache, Elaine and Manfred Krankl found the way to craft a memorable wine. All this needs is time. Antonio Galloni. |
|
|
2020 |
Distenta II Grenache |
$235 |
2 |
|
| |
JD 99 (8/2023): Tasted out of bottle, the 2020 Grenache Distenta II is total blockbuster stuff that's darker and richer than the 2021. Red and black fruits, white pepper, classy leather, and spicy baking chocolate-like nuances all define the aromatics, and it’s deep, full-bodied, and beautifully balanced, with gorgeous tannins and a great finish. The blend is 78% Grenache, 9% Mourvèdre, 8% Syrah, and the rest Petite Sirah (with a splash of Viognier), and it's going to knock your socks off any time over the coming 15+ years.
WA 97 (8/2023): I first tasted the Grenache Distenta II from bottle at the beginning of 2023. It has barely budged in the interim and feels expectant, its youthfully compact character waiting patiently to blossom. It comes from all four estate vineyards: Eleven Confessions (40%), Cumulus (33%), The Third Twin (21%) and Molly Aïda (6%). A blend of 77.9% Grenache, 9.4% Mourvèdre, 7.9% Syrah, 4.3% Petite Sirah and 0.5% Viognier, it was vinified using 29% whole clusters (mainly from Grenache) and matured for around 23 months in 52% new French oak of various sizes. Medium ruby in color, it takes plenty of time to unwind in the glass, segueing from streaks of coffee, peppercorn, garrigue and bresaola to a deep core of berry fruit. The medium-bodied palate sits on a razor's edge of concentration and weight, with floral and citrus-tinged fruit, fireworks of fresh acidity and the characteristic, silky smooth texture that's so impressive in the Sine Qua Non wines. This was bottled in June of 2022 and released in January of 2023. 1,650 cases and 600 magnums were made.
VM 96 (9/2023): The 2020 Grenache Distenta II is a dense, powerful wine. A blast of dark cherry, plum, espresso, menthol, licorice and cloves hits the palate. This rich, heady Grenache delivers the goods. In a vintage that was so hard for Grenache, Elaine and Manfred Krankl found the way to craft a memorable wine. All this needs is time. Antonio Galloni. |
|
|
2021 |
Distenta III Grenache |
$190 |
6 |
|
| |
WA 93 (8/2024): Based around the Eleven Confessions Vineyard with inclusions from The Third Twin and Cumulus, the 2021 Grenache Distenta III includes 8.4% Syrah, 7.4% Mourvèdre, and 3.2% Petite Sirah with dollops of Petit Manseng and Muscat. The nose here is on the focused and precise side of the roster, driven by vibrant but ripe, extravagant red fruits and aromas of fennel, black pepper and underbrush with touches of alcoholic heat. The palate echoes this relative elegance with a rich yet energetic texture that leads to an herbal, initially latent and reticent finish that expands with further aeration. Again, as found throughout this roster, the wines are undeniably impressive and even admirable in their singular nature. Still, it is impossible to ignore the wine's intrusive alcoholic payload and how this affects its overall balance.
VM 96-99 (9/2023): The 2021 Grenache Distenta III is one of the most refined wines I have tasted from Sine Qua Non. Floral aromatics make a strong first impression. There's plenty of SQN richness, but also less overt opulence than most vintages. I tasted this from a tank sample just prior to bottling. The 2021 is simply magnificent. I can't wait to taste it from bottle. Antonio Galloni. |
|
|
2021 |
Distenta III Grenache |
$215 |
2 |
|
| |
WA 93 (8/2024): Based around the Eleven Confessions Vineyard with inclusions from The Third Twin and Cumulus, the 2021 Grenache Distenta III includes 8.4% Syrah, 7.4% Mourvèdre, and 3.2% Petite Sirah with dollops of Petit Manseng and Muscat. The nose here is on the focused and precise side of the roster, driven by vibrant but ripe, extravagant red fruits and aromas of fennel, black pepper and underbrush with touches of alcoholic heat. The palate echoes this relative elegance with a rich yet energetic texture that leads to an herbal, initially latent and reticent finish that expands with further aeration. Again, as found throughout this roster, the wines are undeniably impressive and even admirable in their singular nature. Still, it is impossible to ignore the wine's intrusive alcoholic payload and how this affects its overall balance.
VM 96-99 (9/2023): The 2021 Grenache Distenta III is one of the most refined wines I have tasted from Sine Qua Non. Floral aromatics make a strong first impression. There's plenty of SQN richness, but also less overt opulence than most vintages. I tasted this from a tank sample just prior to bottling. The 2021 is simply magnificent. I can't wait to taste it from bottle. Antonio Galloni. |
|
|
2021 |
Distenta III Grenache |
$299 |
3 |
|
| |
WA 93 (8/2024): Based around the Eleven Confessions Vineyard with inclusions from The Third Twin and Cumulus, the 2021 Grenache Distenta III includes 8.4% Syrah, 7.4% Mourvèdre, and 3.2% Petite Sirah with dollops of Petit Manseng and Muscat. The nose here is on the focused and precise side of the roster, driven by vibrant but ripe, extravagant red fruits and aromas of fennel, black pepper and underbrush with touches of alcoholic heat. The palate echoes this relative elegance with a rich yet energetic texture that leads to an herbal, initially latent and reticent finish that expands with further aeration. Again, as found throughout this roster, the wines are undeniably impressive and even admirable in their singular nature. Still, it is impossible to ignore the wine's intrusive alcoholic payload and how this affects its overall balance.
VM 96-99 (9/2023): The 2021 Grenache Distenta III is one of the most refined wines I have tasted from Sine Qua Non. Floral aromatics make a strong first impression. There's plenty of SQN richness, but also less overt opulence than most vintages. I tasted this from a tank sample just prior to bottling. The 2021 is simply magnificent. I can't wait to taste it from bottle. Antonio Galloni. |
|
|
2021 |
Distenta III Syrah |
$224 |
5 |
|
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VM 98 (8/2024): The 2021 Syrah Distenta III is another magnificent offering in this great vintage. A wine of penetrating depth and vibrancy, the 2021 explodes onto the palate with copious dark fruit, new leather, licorice and spice. It possesses statuesque energy and pedigree to burn. The Distenta III is one of my favorite recent SQN wines. The blend is 81.7% Syrah, 11.3% Grenache, 3.3% Mourvèdre, 2.1% Petite Sirah and 1.6% Muscat and Petit Manseng. Antonio Galloni.
WA 95+ (8/2024): Just over half of the 2021 Syrah Distenta III was sourced from The Third Twin Vineyard, with roughly equal parts Cumulus and Eleven Confessions making up the balance. It includes 11.3% Grenache, 3.3% Mourvèdre, 2.1% Petite Sirah and small portions of Muscat and Petit Manseng. The nose is meaty and savory, showing aromas of cured meats, pepperoncini and barbecue smoke aromas melded with rich, creamy, toasty new oak aromas. The palate is extraordinarily extracted and powerful, filled to the brim with sumptuously sweet concentration, which cascades into the decadent, staining finish. Despite the immense power and flashiness here, it leaves something to be discovered, continuously unfurling in the glass while remaining generally balanced. Integrating its alcohol more effortlessly than its Grenache-based counterparts, this is a highlight of the Sine Qua Non lineup. |
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2018 |
Eleven Confessions Vyd. Grenache |
$395 |
3 |
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| 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. |
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2020 |
Eleven Confessions Vyd. Grenache |
$375 |
1 |
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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. |
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2020 |
Eleven Confessions Vyd. Grenache |
$395 |
3 |
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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. |
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2018 |
Eleven Confessions Vyd. Syrah |
$359 |
1 |
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| 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. |
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2018 |
Eleven Confessions Vyd. Syrah |
$395 |
4 |
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| 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. |
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2018 |
Eleven Confessions Vyd. Syrah |
$435 |
2 |
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| 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. |
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2019 |
Eleven Confessions Vyd. Syrah |
$299 |
3 |
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| 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. |
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2020 |
Eleven Confessions Vyd. Syrah |
$350 |
5 |
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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. |
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2020 |
Eleven Confessions Vyd. Syrah |
$385 |
3 |
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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. |
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| Sojourn Cellars |
2021 |
Nightwing Vyd. Pinot Noir |
$69 |
4 |
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2021 |
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir |
$45 |
5 |
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| Twomey Cellars (Silver Oak) |
2008 |
Merlot |
$39 |
1 |
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| Kosta Browne |
2021 |
Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir |
$65 |
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Sold Out
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| Long Shadows Wineries |
2018 |
Pedestal Merlot |
$56 |
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Sold Out
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| Sine Qua Non |
2020 |
Distenta II Syrah |
$215 |
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Sold Out
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