Sine Qua Non
"One of the most artistic/creative and brilliant winemakers on planet earth!" Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
Ventura, California
sinequanon.com
In 1993 the husband and wife team of Elaine and Manfred Krankl founded Sine Qua Non. The entire operation is very low tech, very hands on, and its goal is to produce wines that are full bodied, full flavoured, full of character, and revealing a sunny California disposition, but at the same time remain agile, lively…indeed spirited and elegant.
“Manfred is a true artist”
“Manfred is a true artist, not only in the traditional sense but philosophical as well. He does what he sees fit. And lives his life and makes wine they way he wishes. (…). He goes against the grain in a lot of things in the wine world. For example, the Austrian designs all of his labels himself as well as selects the bottles and all the other packaging. And, “it changes every year because each wine is different.” The names of his wines change every year as well, for the same reason.”
James Suckling, Wine Spectator, Feb 2007
“Sine Qua Non has emerged as one of the world’s greatest wineries over the last decade, and low yields are part of the reason.”
The Wine Advocate, June 2008
“He makes truly amazing wines.”
“Austrian immigrant Manfred Krankl pushes California wines to the outer limits of style and the upper reaches of quality. (…) Wine is replete with eccentrics, risk takers and mavericks. But the iconoclastic Krankl is in a league of his own. An astute winemaker and businessman, with a knack for showmanship, he first came to wine as a restaurateur and has since charted his own course. Along the way, he has brushed aside many of wine’s traditions. But for all his theatrics, quirky wine names and exotic blends, he has SQN anchored where it matters most. He makes truly amazing wines.”
James Laube, Wine Spectator, June cover story 2010
“…his Sine Qua Non wines have achieved blue chip status in the auction market.”
“For their rarity as well as their quality, SQN releases have appreciated well. A wine passion inspired by the seemingly unlimited viticultural potential of his adopted state of California and by dedicated vintners he met there led Los Angeles restaurateur Manfred Krankl on a winemaking odyssey that began in 1994 with 150 cases of Syrah. Today, his Sine Qua Non wines have achieved blue chip status in the auction market.”
Nick Suarez, Wine Spectator, June 2010
“(…) Strip aside the funky winery, the puzzling labels and the elaborate, philosophical shaggy dog stories in Sine Qua Non’s newsletters, and at the bottom of it all: Manfred Krankl has bottled some beauties. Among other things, seven of his wines have rung up perfect 100 scores from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate. To put that in some perspective, Bordeaux icon Château Lafite-Rothschild has notched only four 100s, châteaux Haut-Brion and Latour three apiece – and their ratings reach back to vintages in the 1940s. (…).”
Richard Nalley, Forbes Magazine, Sept 2008
Sine Qua Non ‘The Line’ Grenache
96-98+ points (2008 vintage)
"(...). Many vineyards had significant frost issues in 2008, and those who waited to harvest fared better. Manfred Krankl did not finish picking until the end of November, which no doubt explains the extraordinary purity, richness, and aromatic and flavor complexity found in this wine Although slightly more muted aromatically than his other Grenache cuvees, when the wine hits the palate, there is tremendous density and power as well as an inner core of steely richness, and a flavor profile and length that build incrementally. It is not the sort of wine you pick up and are wowed by. But the more you think about it, as well as the longer it sits in your mouth, the more nuances and aspects emerge. This should be another superb example of Grenache from the New world's number one practitioner of that varietal."
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, August 2010
97+/100 points (2008 vintage)
“The 2008 Grenache The Line explodes onto the palate with a rush of dark fruit, licorice and leather. It is a plush, muscular wine endowed with endless layers of flavor that build towards the multi-dimensional, eternal finish. I especially like the way the wine gains freshness and vibrancy as it sits in the glass. This is a striking, breathtaking wine from Sine Qua Non. The 2008 is a bigger, more powerful wine than its 2009 equivalent. In 2008 the blend is 87.5% Grenache, 11% Syrah and 1.5% Viognier. Roughly 21% of the wine (Grenache only) was fermented with whole clusters. The vineyard sources are 68% Eleven Confessions, 20% Cumulus, 9% Bien Nacido and 3% White Hawk. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018.”
Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate, August 2011
Sine Qua Non ‘B 20’ Syrah
94-96+ points (2008 vintage)
“(…) (91% Syrah, 6% Grenache, and 3% Viognier) will probably spend 24+months in barrel. (…) this 2008 requires introspection. Its opaque purple color is followed by tightly knit aromas, but like the 2008 Grenache, it unfolds incrementally in the mouth. There is abundant freshness as well as tremendous intensity and richness, but everything is tightly coiled in the mouth, and this wine begs for more barrel aging. This loaded, intense red will be one of the finest 2008s made in the Central Coast, and again, will confirm Krankl’s obsessive decision to pick in late November in order to achieve perfect ripeness.”
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, August 2010
