Sine Qua Non
Lightmotif Roussanne Blend
California, USA
This California white blend is very tasty, and is drinking beautifully now.
Deep gold in color.
Full bodied with medium plus acidity.
Showing red and green apples, light oak, Mediterranean spices, bitter herbs, earth, light vanilla, caramel and black pepper.
Long finish with almonds and limes.
Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Crisp and engaging.
This 9-year-old still has lots of acidity to take it another 5 to 10 years. A Delicious wine.
Robert Parker 97 points.
Good by itself as a sipping wine.
A blend of 47% Roussanne, 21% Chardonnay, 14% Petite Manseng, 11% Viognier and 7% Marsanne. Aged for 19 months in concrete eggs, French oak and stainless steel vats.
15.4% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$250.
This California white blend is very tasty, and is drinking beautifully now.
Deep gold in color.
Full bodied with medium plus acidity.
Showing red and green apples, light oak, Mediterranean spices, bitter herbs, earth, light vanilla, caramel and black pepper.
Long finish with almonds and limes.
Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Crisp and engaging.
This 9-year-old still has lots of acidity to take it another 5 to 10 years. A Delicious wine.
Robert Parker 97 points.
Good by itself as a sipping wine.
A blend of 47% Roussanne, 21% Chardonnay, 14% Petite Manseng, 11% Viognier and 7% Marsanne. Aged for 19 months in concrete eggs, French oak and stainless steel vats.
15.4% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$250.
Powerful essence of freshly sun-baked hay infused with ripe melon, notes of caramelized pineapple. Richly built and round, doesn’t fit in any typical box for a white but simply breathtaking. 🙏 Jeff!
Powerful essence of freshly sun-baked hay infused with ripe melon, notes of caramelized pineapple. Richly built and round, doesn’t fit in any typical box for a white but simply breathtaking. 🙏 Jeff!
Mar 27th, 2021
One of the great white wines that I have enjoyed in the past year, the 2013 Sine Qua Non ‘Lightmotif’ White Wine is a magical release designed to keep your high beams on, while pushing the pedal to the metal on the autobahn. An extraordinary aromatic experience awaits with very pretty white rose and shades of honeyed cantaloupe that combine with the beeswax and deep Golden Delicoous apple tones that all meld in the glass. While showing remarkable richness, the wonderful tension of the wine remains despite the obvious warmth of the vintage. Ripe melon and perfumed lychee flavors mingle with vanilla cream and shades of hazelnut on this dazzling palate. The exceedingly long finish accentuates this exceptional bottling that is drinking marvelously now but has many years of drinking enjoyment to come. Drink 2020-2033- 96
One of the great white wines that I have enjoyed in the past year, the 2013 Sine Qua Non ‘Lightmotif’ White Wine is a magical release designed to keep your high beams on, while pushing the pedal to the metal on the autobahn. An extraordinary aromatic experience awaits with very pretty white rose and shades of honeyed cantaloupe that combine with the beeswax and deep Golden Delicoous apple tones that all meld in the glass. While showing remarkable richness, the wonderful tension of the wine remains despite the obvious warmth of the vintage. Ripe melon and perfumed lychee flavors mingle with vanilla cream and shades of hazelnut on this dazzling palate. The exceedingly long finish accentuates this exceptional bottling that is drinking marvelously now but has many years of drinking enjoyment to come. Drink 2020-2033- 96
Feb 27th, 2020
14’ SQN Lightmotif. Close to a PnP, small decanting/30 min in the glass certainly helps. Serving this at cellar temperature is the way to go.
Rich, medium + bodied powerhouse of a wine. Dense & tropical fruits. Lingering layers & acidity that will take this wine to possible another level. Drinking now, possibly better in a year or three!?!
14’ SQN Lightmotif. Close to a PnP, small decanting/30 min in the glass certainly helps. Serving this at cellar temperature is the way to go.
Rich, medium + bodied powerhouse of a wine. Dense & tropical fruits. Lingering layers & acidity that will take this wine to possible another level. Drinking now, possibly better in a year or three!?!
How do you describe these wines? It’s hard to! Waxy and butterscotch like that I get with high end older chards, but the acidity here along with those notes was crazy. Salted popcorn, caramel, Burt’s Bee’s scent on the nose.
How do you describe these wines? It’s hard to! Waxy and butterscotch like that I get with high end older chards, but the acidity here along with those notes was crazy. Salted popcorn, caramel, Burt’s Bee’s scent on the nose.
Apr 28th, 2018
SQN, white. A pot pouri of flavors. Very exotic, but quite dry. Beguiling. Perfect balance. Light on its feet. Very fruit-forward.
SQN, white. A pot pouri of flavors. Very exotic, but quite dry. Beguiling. Perfect balance. Light on its feet. Very fruit-forward.
Apr 27th, 2018
SQN Lightmotif. 47% Roussanne, 21% Chardonnay, 14% Petite Manseng, 11% Viognier and 7% Marsanne that spent 19 months in a combination of concrete eggs, new French oak, neutral barrels and a tiny portion in stainless steel. Golden color Super rich, multi-layered profile. Peaches, pineapple, white flowers and burnt toast (in a good way). Wonderful texture as is typical for Roussanne. Pure silk mouthfeel. Lingering finish. 3 hour decant. This will continue to improve with some cellar time, but tough to resist pulling the cork now.
SQN Lightmotif. 47% Roussanne, 21% Chardonnay, 14% Petite Manseng, 11% Viognier and 7% Marsanne that spent 19 months in a combination of concrete eggs, new French oak, neutral barrels and a tiny portion in stainless steel. Golden color Super rich, multi-layered profile. Peaches, pineapple, white flowers and burnt toast (in a good way). Wonderful texture as is typical for Roussanne. Pure silk mouthfeel. Lingering finish. 3 hour decant. This will continue to improve with some cellar time, but tough to resist pulling the cork now.
2 people found it helpfulNov 18th, 2016
Such a cool wine! All the best white flavors in one glass
Such a cool wine! All the best white flavors in one glass
1 person found it helpfulApr 1st, 2017
Honestly, I was disappointed. Perhaps because it was paired against the Swift and Marcassin. Mild lemon zest, stronger grass and liter box. This was the dog of the night, relatively speaking for a 100 point collectors dinner.
Honestly, I was disappointed. Perhaps because it was paired against the Swift and Marcassin. Mild lemon zest, stronger grass and liter box. This was the dog of the night, relatively speaking for a 100 point collectors dinner.
May 24th, 2017
15.4% alc.
I can't recall the blend but believe this is primarily Chardonnay.
Full-bodied with viscosity and Rousanne-like waxy notes.
A great wine but it is also (a bit too?) easy to be impressed by the hype of the producer so this is a review of the general quality, nothing else.
Have heard that the SQN whites age beautifully so will save the rest of my stash and revisit in the future hoping for upside potential.
15.4% alc.
I can't recall the blend but believe this is primarily Chardonnay.
Full-bodied with viscosity and Rousanne-like waxy notes.
A great wine but it is also (a bit too?) easy to be impressed by the hype of the producer so this is a review of the general quality, nothing else.
Have heard that the SQN whites age beautifully so will save the rest of my stash and revisit in the future hoping for upside potential.