Roman Sukley

9.8

2006 Sine Qua Non "The Raven" Series No. 5
I decided to cut my SQN French class today with all the new French named SQN labels and go slightly old school with the Raven. But instead, I found myself still mired squarely in the Northern Rhône Valley. Perhaps Manfred should have named this one “Corbeau” or “Noir Comme du Charbon” because this one has me thinking Guigal La La. As these older SQN’s age, they seem to take on more Northern Rhône characteristics. A blend of 93% Syrah, 5% Grenache, and 2% Viognier primarily from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard with small quantities from the Bien Nacido and White Hawk vineyards. Bottled after spending 22 months in oak casks. Potpourri of sweet black and blue fruits, forest floor, Asian spice, bacon fat, tar, black olives and spring flowers on the almost overwhelmingly sumptuous nose. Mind-blowing really.
On the palate, blackberry jam, cracked white pepper, cherries, cinnamon, tobacco and allspice. Opulent mouthfeel. Ethereal texture. Dense, seamless, elegant. Complex, bold, rich and layered. So much finesse. “Tres Bon”Mr. Krankl!




— 8 days ago

Eric Guido

9.2

The nose was dark and rich with crushed, spiced blackberry, plum and violet pastilles, which were perfectly offset by smoky minerals, pepper and dusty dried florals. On the palate, I found soft, creamy textures, yet not weighty. with spicy baked cherry, raspberry, and cinnamon as zesty acids added liveliness and drenching black fruits. It finished long and spicy with lingering dark fruit, spice and the slightest hint of heat. Another remakable value from #Carlisle, wow! — 8 days ago

LM Segal

9.6

Mine, so easiest to pick out blind, the last of my 6-case. Like the Chave, but more red floral, the palate loamy with mushrooms and leather, hints of cinnamon, bloody iron. Kept improving in the glass, achieving a lightness and length its case siblings never reached. I still say drink up, with a decant. Outstanding. — 6 days ago

David Shaw

9.2

Last bottle of this vintage, paired with veggie lasagna. Dense red with purple. Red fruit, fruit leather and mint notes in nose initially. Blueberry, cherry and cassis flavors with length, hints of black olive and, later, white pepper. Medium grain tannins initially with a warm finish. Tannins gradually fade away, leaving nice varietally expressive fruit profile. Tasty and fun to drink — 2 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

In Washington State for a week, first for a work conference and then to Walla Walla to taste and drink. So the local Seattle Whole Foods has this. Dark fruity nose, very clingy and savory on the palate. Acid is a bit low for my taste. Loads of soft tannin and long finish. This is a wine in search of a grilled Porterhouse. — a day ago

Chris England

9.5

A stunner of a Rôtie that’s oh so smooth & superbly elegant @ £105-£185 although I paid £70 as a bin end 😁 bargain 👍 drinking well now but tons of age here 😉 give 3 hours to open 😎

🏵 95-96 points

🍇 100% Syrah

🍷 Opaque deep ruby

👃 Fried bacon & spiced blackberry cola, rich herby earthy olive tapenade w/ red cherry sours, smoke, farmyard, peppered blueberry & wet dirty oak
.
👄 Med+ body of incredibly smooth earthy creamy blackberry & dark cherry

🎯 Long blackberry, ripe red + dark cherry & olive silky kiss — 9 days ago

LM Segal

9.7

Yes, it’s wrong to start an evening of Syrah with the WOTN. Creamy, smoky but ethereally light, with layers of dried cedar and smoked tea leaves, loamy earth. I managed to keep some of this in my glass through the night. Finish goes on forever. No reason to hold but these seem to sustain at this level forever, too! — 6 days ago

Sergio Licea

9.4

Blackberry/blueberry compote, brandied cherries, violets, tapenade, coffee beans, dried oregano, iron, green & pink peppercorns, game, jerky, smoke. Energetic rounded acid, light medium bodied, inky-juicy texture, minimal narrow smooth velvet tannins, long smoky-herbal-earthy finish. Highly aromatic, balanced rusticity/polish, secondary notes perfect for pairings. — 2 days ago

Alex Krause

9.1

Very tasty served too warm restaurant pet peeve. Reminds me why I once got so excited about cool climate Syrah - it has many of the pretty spicy savory things I love if a little softer and less cut than I'd like. Grateful I didn't spend the $175 delectable lists. Pretty tasty, but still short of killer for me. Maybe tomorrow it'll open up more. — 20 hours ago

TheSkip

9.3

My 600th note! I chose this because of the importance of this community in opening my eyes and palate to wines I would have never heard of. Encouraged by Mr @Shay A, this is a great warm climate Syrah. Full of body and red and blue fruits. There are notes of the Olive they can come through, but they’re slightly more in the background. Wonderful perfume. Very impressed. Nice job @Weston Eidson ! — 19 days ago