2006 Sine Qua Non, Eleven Confessions Collectors Case, Sta. Rita Hills 6x75cl

Robert Parker 100/100

The soon-to-be-released 2006 A Shot in the Dark is composed of 96.5% Syrah and 3.5% Viognier from the 11 Confessions Vineyard in the cool Santa Rita Hills. Performing better from bottle than it did from barrel, this prodigious red exhibits incredibly velvety tannins, a seamless style, and no noticeable oak (which is remarkable given the fact it spent 32 months in barrel). Dense purple to the rim with an extraordinary perfume of blueberry pie, blackberries, soy, Asian spices, and hints of forest floor and charcoal, this is a complex, rich, seamless, well-balanced tour de force in winemaking. A full-bodied, exuberant, unabashedly California Syrah, it will offer stunning drinking over the next 10-15+ years. 2006 In the Cross Hairs 11 Confessions Vineyard: This is Sine Qua Non s extended barrel-aged Grenache (meaning that in most vintages since 2003, Krankl has produced two cuvees of Grenache, one aged 18-22 months before bottling, and the other one with extended barrel-aging, in this case 32 months in wood). A blend of 84% Grenache, 12% Syrah and 4% Viognier, all from the 11 Confessions Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills, this is one of the most extraordinarily elegant Grenaches Krankl has produced. It is an intellectual wine, yet it doesn t wimp out by any means. It is full-bodied and voluptuously textured, with notes of spice box, licorice and Provencal herbs, copious quantities of black currant and kirsch liqueur, stunning richness and a finish lasting close to a minute. This amazing effort confirms Krankl s meticulous and nearly obsessively detailed work in both the vineyard and the winery. Anticipated maturity: now-2022. [10/08/2010]

Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025