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Sine Qua Non Syrah Subir Eleven Confessions Vineyard 2016  - First Bottle

Reviews

100 Jeb Dunnuck -
Meaning "Rise" in Spanish, the 2016 Syrah SUBIR is the estate release that's all from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. It's 89.7% Syrah with the rest Grenache, Petite Sirah, and Viognier that was 56% destemmed and spent a full 38 months in 82% new French oak. There are few wines that can spend close to four years in barrel and still emerge with freshness and purity, yet this estate seems to produce wines that do it with ease. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as a heavenly array of crème de cassis, white chocolate, blackberries, unsmoked tobacco, and peppery spice, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless texture, incredible depth of fruit, and that rare mix of power and elegance that's that hallmark of truly great wines. This was a great vintage for the Central Coast, and this is a true gem of a wine that tops out on my scale. While it's going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age, it offers incredible pleasure today as well. It will have 20+ years of longevity.
99 Robert Parker's Wine Avocate -
The 2016 Syrah SUBIR (meaning to rise or go up) is a single-vineyard wine—a barrel selection from the Eleven Confessions estate vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills. "This vineyard is by far our coolest," Manfred said. "Sometimes we don’t harvest this vineyard until November. The wines from here have a lot of structure and presence. The soil is a heavy clay, so the wines can be pretty muscular." I asked Manfred what he considers when he is looking to make a single-vineyard expression. "I pick out the wines that can have longer barrel aging," he replied. "The wine has to be meaningfully dense and balanced. I try to make the selection early on, when the wines go into barrel, to decide which barrels they will go into. I take thicker barrels from Seguin Moreau so that the wine evolves longer and slower." A blend of 89.7% Syrah, 4.6% Grenache, 2.5% Petite Sirah and 3.2% Viognier, this wine was made using 44% whole cluster. It was then reared for 38 months in barrel. Eighty-two percent of the wine was aged in new, French oak, while the remainder was aged in used barrels (one to five years old). Very deep purple-black, it comes bounding out of the glass with precociously profound notes of baked blackberries, plum preserves, blueberry pie, tilled earth and lilacs plus tobacco leaf, wild sage, truffles and espresso nuances. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is tautly structured, strutting a firm backbone of rounded tannins and fantastic freshness supporting the muscular, tightly wrapped layers, finishing with epic length and loads of minerally fireworks. 932 cases, 228 magnums and 30 double magnums were made.
98 Vinous -
The 2016 Syrah Subir, from Elaine and Manfred Krankl's Eleven Confessions ranch, is a powerhouse. It is the rare Sine Qua Non wine that demands cellaring. Swaths of tannin wrap around a core of inky dark fruit. Hints of spice, lavender, mint and dried herbs emerge with coaxing, but the 2016 is in no mood to show all of its cards yet. Subir is 89.7% Syrah, 4.6% Grenache, 2.5% Petite Siraha and 3.2% Viognier, vinified with 44% whole clusters. It is projected to spend 38 months in oak, 82% new.

Technical Details

  • Blend89.7% Syrah with the rest Grenache, Petite Sirah, and Viognier
  • WinemakerManfred Krankl
  • CountryUS
  • RegionCalifornia Central Coast
  • AppellationSta. Rita Hills
  • VineyardEleven Confessions Vineyard
  • Aging/Cooperage38 months in 82% new French oak
  • Alcohol15.8%

Sine Qua Non Syrah Subir Eleven Confessions Vineyard 2016

Syrah Blends  |  US
JD100, WA99, VN98

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About the Producer

Sine Qua Non has become an international sensation and one of the most collected California wines. Manfred Krankl started with a vision and a whole lot of passion and turned it into an incredible success. They now own four rather diverse Estate vineyards: Eleven Confessions in Santa Rita Hills, Cumulus in south Santa Barbara, The Third Twin in Los Alamos and Molly Aida in Tepusquet Canyon planted to head trained Mourvedre. Without a doubt SQN produces some of the most interesting wines we taste every year.