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2017 Sine Qua Non Tectumque - USA, California, Central Coast (8/22/2020)
Wow…this is in pure balance right out the gate! Rich and full bodied with no alc edge…creamy peach and apricot jam…tropical orange fruits…white pepper/dried honey spice, waxy honeycomb, exotic florals, dried pineapple rings. Pretty subtle and gentle(for sqn)…very classy, yet can bring it when the party starts raging. Love the soft waxiness texture and the crushed rock salinity in this! One of the best young SQN whites I’ve had to date! (97 pts.)
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2015 Sine Qua Non Grenache Le Chemin Vers L’Heresie - USA, California, Central Coast (8/22/2020)
Rich and powerful, yet velvety with sexy prettiness. Needs air to calm some heat and get balanced…then shows fantastic red licorice and kirsch liqueur…white pepper spice, floral exotics…whole cluster funk…just gorgeous pureness of fruit…sexy long legged woman in a red dress! Will only get better. (95 pts.)
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Thanks for the notes, Buzz! I was just sitting here debating when to open a bottle of Tectumque. Maybe I will soon.
Glad to see that you’ve bounced back well!
How do you feel this compares with other SQN whites? Is it more accessible in its youth versus other whites (Lightmotif, Resiste, etc.)?
Last couple years(16/17) seem to show more of a restrained style for them, and pretty well balanced to start. Usually you might get some heat and intense spice on release, then in about 7 or so years the balance is perfect. Maybe the Petite Manseng and Muscat are doing this? Less viognier in the blend lessens the alc heat? Flavors are very similar though. Here are some of my recent notes in the last couple years…
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2017 Sine Qua Non Tectumque - USA, California, Central Coast (8/22/2020)
38% Roussanne, 31% Petite Manseng, 18% Chard, 9% Viognier, 4% Muscat. Wow…this is in pure balance right out the gate! Rich and full bodied with no alc edge…creamy peach and apricot jam…tropical orange fruits…white pepper/dried honey spice, waxy honeycomb, exotic florals, dried pineapple rings. Pretty subtle and gentle(for sqn)…very classy, yet can bring it when the party starts raging. Love the soft waxiness texture and the crushed rock salinity in this! One of the best young SQN whites I’ve had to date! (97 pts.)
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2009 Sine Qua Non On The Lam - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (12/7/2019)
48% Roussanne, 34% Chardonnay and 18% Viognier from the Eleven Confessions and Bien Nacido vineyards. At the 10 year mark, a tremendous showing! EVOO viscosity…shimmering gold and green metallic color…nose explodes with butter rum spice, apricot jam, candied pineapples, match strike, exotic white honey butter, honeysuckle florals. Rich and creamy, again, evoo viscosity in the mouth…yet a citrus freshness that gives it a good acidic tang and cut through the richness. SO complex and layered with amazing flavors as the nose…as well as lychee florals, white pepper spice…a honeycomb waxiness, slight char of wood…amazing length and balance…not weighty at all. WOW…so so sorry to see this last bottle go…but what an exit! (97 pts.)
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2016 Sine Qua Non Deux Grenouilles - USA, California, Central Coast (12/9/2018)
36% Roussanne, 29% Chardonnay, 23% Viognier, 9% Petite Manseng, 3% Muscat. Open in bottle for 2hrs…starts out slow and muted, really puzzling at first…but after another hour it opens…showing wonderful rich fruits of apricot, peach, sautéed apples…waxy and viscous, yet crisp and fresh with citrus acidity and crushed geology. Plenty complexities and amazing florals…exotic honey butter, peach blossom, orange zest, lychee, flower bouquet, Muscat florals are evident. A restrained(for sqn) style, geared more towards the florals…sneaky chalk, smoked vanilla bean, and spice on the lingering, mouth coating finish. Another fantastic SQN white! (95 pts.)
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2015 Sine Qua Non Entre Chien et Loup - USA, California, Central Coast (2/5/2018)
42% Chardonnay, 40% Roussanne, 7% Petite Manseng and 7% Viognier, 4% Marsanne…Explosive nose of flowers, hay bale/herbs, honey, buttered rum spice, apricot marmalade…RICH and full-bodied in the mouth…creamy with olive oil viscosity, yet lifted with ample citrus acidity and crushed granite and limestone chalk. The wine just cascades over the palate in a balanced calm matter. No alc heat at all, classic sqn balance. Once again, the depth and complexity are out of this world…that dried hay/herb note on the nose and palate is intriguing…some flint smoke, honeycomb wax, and tropical marmalade…a finish of refreshing citrus and spice, lasting for minutes. Another amazing white from the K’s! (97 pts.)
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2008 Sine Qua Non Kolibri - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (8/1/2017)
My last bottle, open in bottle for 4hrs…69% Roussanne and 31% Viognier…last had this in 2011, noticed some heat, and wasn’t up to the high standards. This bottle at age 9 is going out in style! Beautiful youthful aged shimmering gold with green hue… rich and buttery mouthful of pitted orchard(apricot, peach) fruit, as well as baked apple. The acidity is still intense, nice cut through the rich fruits. Still shows some heat though, little cocktail fume at times, noticeable but not offensive. Exotics abound! Smoked hazelnuts, white honey butter, flint strike…as well as the florals…honeysuckle, jasmine, agave. This is a great age for these wines…and letting them come to room temp from the fridge is key. Always a pleasure! (94 pts.)
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2013 Sine Qua Non Résisté - USA, California, Central Coast (2/15/2017)
Little shy at first, but does open up with a little warmth…rich with butterscotch, hot buttered rum spice, oodles of pitted orchard fruit marmalade…fresh and tropical lemon citrus and pineapple, waxy…pretty flower/honeysuckle florals. No fume noticed this time…seems to be integrating nicely! LOVE these whites! (95 pts.)
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2014 Sine Qua Non Lightmotif - USA, California (12/3/2016)
47% Roussanne, 21% Chardonnay, 14% Petite Manseng, 11% Viognier and 7% Marsanne, from 41% Eleven Confessions, 30% Cumulus and 29% Bien Nacido…brilliant shimmering gold with more fresh pressed evoo color to it than I’ve ever seen in their white. Another fantastic broken record here…has all the Rhone white classics…peach pitted orchard, tropical fruits…a mix of marmalades…oily citrus, smoked lemon grass. Although a hugely rich wine, there is a pillow softness on the palate that lingers for awhile before the spice notes liven the finish. Plenty minerality and pretty flowers round out a helluva wine! I wonder if the “softness” will make for shorter term ager? (97 pts.)
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2012 Sine Qua Non In the Abstract - USA, California, Central Coast (9/12/2016)
Checking in on this guy again…open in bottle for an hour…integrating nicely, even seems a little richer than the last…the massive acid is tamed as well…still, BIG and rich mouthful of Rhone-ness here…ripe pitted fruits, tropical exotics…grilled pineapple, orange marmalade. Wonderful spices in this…hot butter rum, white pepper, dried honey…florals are exotic and pretty…honeysuckle, lemon grass, white flower…added complexities of smoke, lemon wax, crushed rocks. Big wine here…everything is loaded…but has great balance…and seems to be a good candidate for 10yr+ aging. Hard part is trying to hold on to some that long…Awesome! (97 pts.)
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2013 Sine Qua Non Résisté - USA, California, Central Coast (2/19/2016)
This rarely happens……but drinking the remainder of a second bottle of this, 2 days later! First bottle was a PnP….this second bottle, after 2 days, has a better integration, seems richer…more butterscotch, butter rum spice…bigger spice kick….no fume of alc….fresh citrus, yet reminds me more of a sqn white with at least 7yrs on it. A better drink than day one. SO….age these things for 7+yrs…or open and wait a couple days for max pleasure! (96 pts.)
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2013 Sine Qua Non Résisté - USA, California, Central Coast (12/2/2015)
45% Roussanne, 26% Chardonnay, 14% Petite Manseng, 10% Viognier and 5% Marsanne……rich and lifted right out of the gate….creamy and oily buttered fruits(tropical, pitted) but also very bright and tingly with citrus acidity of lemon, grapefruit, pineapple fruit…that P Manseng is key here! Seems a little tamer than most of the whites right out of the gate……more on the subtle side…a really nice balance here. Fantastic flavors and florals……peach tea, exotic white honey, dried pineapple ring, subtle pepper and hot buttered rum spice kick…white flowers and honeysuckle. Minerality is there as well…crushed rocks…good salinity to the ripe fruit…slight flint strike. Reminds me a little of the Petition with more freshness. Another super TASTY SQN white here…….LUV them! (95 pts.)
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