2008 B-20 Syrah – Sine Qua Non is currently sold out.
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2008 B-20 Syrah – Sine Qua Non
- Vintage: 2008
- Bottle Size: 0,75l
- Filling level: hf - high fill
- Label Condition: 1A
- Source: private collection
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Grape variety
92% Syrah
6% Grenache
2% Viognier - Alcohol percentage: 15,4% vol.
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Points:
95 May Points
93 James Suckling
95 Robert Parker -
Origin:
USA
California
Santa Barbara County
Sine Qua Non
There are 4.3 million search results on Google for SQN (= Sine qua non). However, wine connoisseurs are not interested in the legal or philosophical formula, but rather the cult wines of Sine qua non.
It is the only top winery that is not located in Napa Valley and does not produce Cabernet Sauvignon, when you think of other great wines like Screaming Eagle, Colgin, or Harlan Estate. The founder and owner is Manfred Krankl, who was born in Enns, Austria. He immigrated to California in 1980 at the age of 24. However, it would still take 14 more years before he founded his own winery in Ventura County, 120 km north of Los Angeles.
Krankl started with jobs in the hospitality industry and eventually became the manager of a very good restaurant called Campanile. A good restaurant needs good bread, so Krankl founded an in-house bakery. He also wanted house wine, good house wine. After contacting several winemakers, he eventually bottled his first wine, a Chardonnay from the 1990 vintage, in cooperation with Babcock Winery. The condition was that Krankl could be heavily involved in the winemaking process. The restaurant was doing well, but the bakery really took off. At one point, 500 people worked for La Brea Bakery, selling delicious bread within a radius of over a hundred kilometers.
Krankl sold the bakery at a good time, which allowed him to finance his own winery. As a lover of Rhône varietals, especially Grenache and Syrah, he released his first wine, a Syrah called “Queen of Spades,” in 1994. He immediately sent it to Robert Parker. He liked it. Do we need to say more? In three days, the 100 cases were sold out. SQN wines have enjoyed cult status from the beginning and are eagerly awaited by enthusiasts around the world each year. It’s not just the finesse and elegance of the wines, but also the packaging. Krankl gives each of his white and red wines a new, unusual name and designs every label with his wife Elaine.
California
Have you ever been to California? If so, do you remember the scent, the smell, when you left the airport or ship? What was the weather like? Who were the first people you encountered? Just like you, thousands of people have experienced this, whether they are tourists visiting California or immigrants who intentionally move to the “Land of Dreams.” So many great stories have started in California, and often it was immigrants who wrote those stories. Even viticulture was established in the early 19th century by “immigrants,” specifically by Franciscan monks. Many of today’s world-renowned Californian winemakers are immigrants.
On 130,000 hectares, 90% of the entire U.S. wine harvest is grown. The ratio of white to red wines is approximately 50:50. Napa Valley remains the most significant of the 50 AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), and the best wines come from the cool Bay Area: the relevant regions are Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Russian River, as well as the southern Santa Barbara and Santa Rita Hills. The Paso Robles region (with its limestone, rare in California!) should particularly be watched for Cabernet Sauvignon.
The real boom came in the 1970s. Renowned wine merchants and journalists recognized the immense potential of the relatively unknown wine-growing area and organized comparative tastings with the finest Burgundies and Bordeaux wines. These blind tastings often went in favor of the Californians — and just like that, the wines became famous. At the same time, the world’s most influential wine-loving lawyer started his business: Robert Parker Jr.
