Roman Sukley

10

2004 Sine Qua Non "Ode to E" Central Coast Grenache.
Gearing up for a major snowstorm here in Chicago. A great reason to pull the cork on greatness. On one of the best Grenache wines I’ve ever tasted. Heck, maybe THE best. If not first in it’s class, it definitely doesn’t take long to call the roll. Certainly one of my favorite wines, period. I love everything about it including the label: “A Love Forever In Bloom, Face With Tracks Of Life’s Attacks, Tattooed Scars Of History, Weathered Crust, Full Of Lust For That Rose Of Love For E.” The wine? The nose is a dreamy aromatic symphony of roses and raspberry compote. Also incense, pepper, graphite and a touch of smokey something off in the background somewhere. Beautiful. The palate is blast of sweet dark berry liqueur with that pepper and Asian spice creeping in on the backside. So lush. So complex. The finish? Intense, rather spicy and never ending. Never ending! As with all things Krankl, mind boggling balance between depth, complexity, raw power and utter weightless elegance. Simply put: Perfect. However you choose to define it. I think my favorite definition of perfection is from Coach Gary Gaines: “Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didnt let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasnt one more thing you could've done.” Well Manfred can certainly look us all in the eye on this one! — 2 days ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

Dark ruby red. Qutie floral on the nose with tons of bacon fat and dark fruits. Medium tannins (6/10) with a medium body. Quite rich and plush on the attack with plums, black cherries and some minerality. A little dry in the long finish. Drink till 2021.

Crowd pleaser for sure. — 2 months ago

James Forsyth

9.3

Plush, delicious, dark profile with purple fruit but a nice acid bite - dare I say a hint of blood orange. Gorgeous Syrah. — 16 days ago

Mike R

9.7

Omg good - prefect construction with some intriguing blackberry seed and purple plum notes that desperately wanted to jump out of the glass. Believe it or not only decanted for 45 mins - created an utter explosion of flavor and power - the wine absolutely amazed me with the intensity and deep flavor

It’s a big wine and it’s not “ready” by scientific standards, but boy oh boy was this thing singing in prefect pitch already with its electric blueberry, blackberry, purple plum and river rock spices - this surreal bombastic wine is reflecting both youth and a seeming modern stylistic character I have not experienced from a previous Manfred wine I have tried

Whatever your preference, it’s hard to deny the expert construction of this particular wine. Captivating, driven, complex, and pure. The only thing missing from this at the moment is some finesse, which I have confidence it will gain over the next few years. Ideally, wait until after 2022++. 98-100 points.

A huge contrast with the 2013 Next of Kyn No.7, which was all balled-up with nowhere to go all night; hyper-vigilantly tannic and on-guard. The 2014 was just as big, but had the presence of amazing flavor to back up its intensity and fortitude. — 22 days ago

with David

Julia Geisler

9.2

I’m not one for horse racing but I’d think of this as the equivalent of an enthusiastic and overly-optimistic thoroughbred, strong start out of the gate but he never really picks up more momentum so he just stays in the middle of the pack and nips at everyone around him. I’ll call him spicy. — 16 days ago

with Shea, Matt and 2 others

Rob Mullen

9.2

Picked up this 2008 beauty from Joe Davis in Lompoc over the winter break. He makes amazing Old World Syrah and Pinot Noir that I just adore. Drinking perfectly now, tannins almost fully resolved, leather, dark berries, just the right amount of funk :) — a day ago

Scott Soren

9.5

Gets a high rating because it’s right in my wheelhouse. Extracted sun baked Syrah. Cherry and black currants on the Smokey nose. Long tails on the glass lead to a beautiful Syrah. Paso Robles continues to impress me more and more. As a Rhône guy, they are making some of the best juice money can buy. Love ❤️ — 11 days ago

Virgil Smaltz

9.6

Cherry, plum - wow - what an amazing Syrah! — a day ago

with Monica

David Castricone

9.6

SQN is “essential.” Developed well over the course of the night. Tremendous depth. Palate-coating blueberry pie, smokehouse, spices. Great bottle now, will be rewarded with year or two of cellaring. — 20 days ago

TheSkip

9.2

Much more balanced than I recall from vintages past. Definitely more savory notes. Quite enjoyable. — 19 days ago