My man!! Virtual high-five for you!
Thank you very much!!
Enjoyed the 2005 Atlantis Fe203 - 1b Syrah last week at FLX table in Geneva. Paired with a sous vide lamb shoulder/chimichurri and sprouted lentils. Great pairing and the wine complemented it perfectly.
Pure wet forest floor and shaved dark chocolate on the nose with a hint of blood. Tannins just starting to unfurl but surprisingly in balance with all of the alcohol on it.
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Being an Iowa Hawkeye we never have reasons to celebrate in March. At least not since my graduation year in 1980.Big Ten Championship was good though. In the last two months I have had a 2016 white blend, Deux Grenouilles, the 2010 five shooter Grenache, in the 2013 
. The was the stand out.
I also had a 2015 Saxum James Berry Vineyard which was an excellent if you happen to on that bottle.
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I was thinking about the name producers I’ve never had and could only come up with soldera and sqn. (Not including Riesling, I don’t drink it)
I recently attended a Sunday-morning tasting at Antica Terra/Lillian. It was an excellent experience despite my general aversion to drinking wine before dinner. While there, I picked up some wine that I’d previously ordered and bought a few more bottles. As a result, I’ve recently tasted the 2013 Lillian Syrah ($120), 2013 Lillian Gold Series Syrah ($135), and 2019 Lillian Syrah ($75). The winemaker, Maggie Harrison, used to work at SQN. I liked all three bottles very much, but the 2013 Gold Series was next-level great. I’m posting in this thread because the 2013 Gold Series reminded me a lot of the SQN Syrahs from the 2000s. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were overlap in vineyard sources.
I have a 3006 A Shot in the Dark lined up for tomorrow night
Jay - glad to hear you are healing and sad to hear about the next 6 months. Your doctor sounds like an evil wo/man. I have a have a 2007 Saxum JBV standing up as well. I’d be happy to drink you into oblivion with that one
I have a mag of that if I need oblivion. I decided yesterday that if I am going to have to reduce my red meat intake for 6 months as well because it is harder to digest, I want to close out the week with a BANG, so I have ordered some Flannery dry aged red meat. Elaine Krankl recommended the Shakti from the SQNs that I have, so Friday night is looking like California Reserve Rib Eye Steak with Shakti Grenache and maybe a champagne chaser - 2006 PR Churchill or 2006 Comtes.
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Here you go!
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2012 Sine Qua Non In the Abstract - USA, California, Central Coast (3/31/2022)
37% Chardonnay, 31% Roussanne, 16% Petite Manseng and 16% Viognier…brilliant shimmering gold with green tinge color…exotic reduction and floral nose…just MASSIVELY rich and oily on the palate…tropical exotics of grilled pineapple, orange marmalade, apricot…intense streak of lemon/grapefruit acidity lifts and livens…creamy white honey butter with an olive oil viscosity…hot buttered rum spice and white pepper give it a nice spice kick…surrounded by a bloom full of fresh Spring flowers…lemongrass, honeysuckle, white flowers…really not showing much age, except maybe how integrated and harmonious the wine is…LOVE the complexities of smoked sea salt and lemon wax…crushed rocks give it nice salinity…forever floral and spicy finish. This is my 5th bottle of this wine from release, all have been wonderful, but at the 10yr mark, this is drinking at its ultimate peak imo. Just about as perfect as these get! (99 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
2007 SQN “Labels” Syrah last night - no formal notes, as it was a dinner party, but definitely no harm in continuing to hold this one. Packed with dense dark fruit and a ton of spice notes, the wine still has a strong tannic backbone, and a hellova structure. Great texture and length, it paired really well with fatty prime rib. Outstanding, and a huge hit.
Awesome Eric, killer note and much appreciated! So if you only had 1 bottle (which is sadly what I’m dealing with) would you hold a little longer or do you think it’s go time right now?
Thanks again!
Hey Rich! personally, I would hold for a couple more years, but certainly not a crime to open it now. FWIW, I did decant for about 3 hours, and it become much more expressive aromatically over that time
Perfect! I’ll hang tight for a few more years if you still think that there’s some upside. Thanks brother!
I also had a Labels this week. Agree that it got better with time. I did not decant, but the last glass was the best. It has lost the baby fat that the new releases sometimes have, and is lean (in a good way) and muscular, with a lot of vibrant fruit. I’ve got a couple left—will be interesting how these are at age 20.
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Nice Mark! Def going to hold for a bit! So hard though as it’s the oldest SQN that I have in the cellar and its always staring at me 
Saturday with Flannery rib steak. Less expressive than when young. A lot going on but less apparent sweet fruit. Keep hands off for 3-5 years or more. Spicy and acidity. If this re-blossoms it will be exceptional+.
2018 Aperta White was opened to accompany grilled romaine with avocado sauce, eggplant, and salmon last night. My wife gave me the accusatory “Is that Spanish?” when she didn’t recognize the label (I enjoy Spanish wines and she does not so I usually open them when I expect she’s not joining me for a glass). I said no, SQN - California. She took the evaluation taste and gave it an “I like this”. Passing grade that.
Initially there was a peach, honey, lemon, and wax impression on the palate. The nose was largely lemon and grapefruit. Grapefruit pith joined the palate with some air time and this broadened out to absorb what was initially too much alcohol for my tastes. There is an astringency on the finish that is somewhere between grapefruit and star fruit. Maybe some kumquat shows up in there too.
I tend to open at least one of the whites within six months of arrival and this one was up to expectations but not head and shoulders above the bar. I would recommend drinking when you like your SQN whites and expect that’s about the right answer.
Cheers,
fred
2019 Distente for the Masters today…followed it for about 4 hours…tight on opening, last sip was easily the best.
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Just checking in, but no SQNs today. Most of our wine has been in storage for 18 months and we’re not getting it back for another week. Can’t wait to get my grubbies on some of the older bottles 
2015 Eleven Confessions Grenache on Wednesday and 2016 The Third Twin Nuestra Senora Del Tercer Gemelo on Thursday!! Crazy…