100pts Vinous

Tasted just before bottling, the 2023 Syrah Distenta V has all the makings of a masterpiece. Beguiling aromatics of exotic spice, violets, blueberries and crushed rocks soar from the glass, leading into a wine of staggering elegance and expressiveness. Juicy yet refined, it already shows remarkable completeness, with a suave balance that promises even greater things in bottle. The blend is 85.8% Syrah, 5.5% Grenache, 3.7% Petite Sirah, 3.3% Mourvèdre, 1.3% Petit Manseng and 0.4% Muscat, vinified with 11% whole clusters. Nearly half of the fruit comes from the Third Twin Vineyard in 2023, which imbues the Distenta V with brightness and verve.

100pts The Wine Palate

The 2023 Syrah Distenta V is blended with 85.8% Grenache, 3.7% Petite Sirah, 3.3% Mourvèdre, and dollops of Petit Manseng and Muscat. It was matured for 23 months in French oak, 63% new, and 11% whole clusters were employed. Very deep purple-black in color, the nose is a little shy to start, opening out to a beguiling perfume of roses, tar, juicy black cherries, and warm plums, plus hints of lavender and damp soil. Full-bodied, the palate is bright and shiny with fragrant floral notes accenting the intense, crunchy black fruit layers, textured with firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and perfumed.

98pts Jeb Dunnuck

The 2023 Syrah Distenta V comes from the estate’s The Third Twin, Cumulus, and Eleven Confessions vineyards and is a blend of 85.8% Syrah, 5.5% Grenache, 3.7% Petite Sirah, 3.3% Mourvèdre, and the rest white varieties. Fermented with 11% whole clusters and aged 23 months in 63% new French oak, it displays a deep purple hue and offers dark blackberries, cracked pepper, violets, flowers, and leather. This is a darker, focused, peppery, full-bodied style that’s beautifully balanced with the fresher, focused character of the vintage.

Tasting Notes

Very deep purple-black in color, the nose is a little shy to start, opening out to a beguiling perfume of roses, tar, juicy black cherries, and warm plums, plus hints of lavender and damp soil. Full-bodied, the palate is bright and shiny with fragrant floral notes accenting the intense, crunchy black fruit layers, textured with firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and perfumed.

Pairs with Beef Stews, Roast Pork, Grilled Lamb, Game. Drinking Window is 2026–2045

Winemaker Notes

Sine Qua Non was created after the 1994 harvest of a Bien Nacido Syrah named “The Queen of Spades”. Winemaker Manfred Krankl feels strongly that each vintage is a completely unique wine and thus he gives each wine a unique name. He also creates the artwork for each new label himself. Previously, Manfred had made wines with Bryan Babcock and John Alban and still sources much of his fruit from Alban’s vineyard. The basic white wines have always been a white blend of Chardonnay, Roussanne and Viognier and a red wine based on Syrah plus Grenache. Sometimes there are small quantities of Rose and a Grenache-based red.

Sine Qua Non has its own winemaking facility in Ventura, California not far from the Santa Barbara vineyards where the fruit is sourced from. In the last few years Manfred and his wife, Elaine, have begun creating their own vineyards dedicated to Rhone varietals. Their winemaking philosophy is to work in very small batches, gravity flow, natural yeasts (unless a fermentation problem is anticipated), long lees aging for the whites and repeated racking for the reds to open them up. This is a modified explanation of a very dedicated and artistic approach to winemaking. The wines are simultaneously very rich and elegant, superbly balanced and thoroughly harmonious with food, never overwhelming.

Blend

85.8% Syrah, 5.5% Grenache, 3.7% Petite Sirah, 3.3% Mourvèdre, 1.3% Petit Manseng, 0.4% Muscat