2003 Sine Qua Non The Inaugural Assortment Sine Qua Non, Sta. Rita Hills, California, USA
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| Country | USA |
|---|---|
| Region | California |
| Appelation | Sta. Rita Hills |
| Producer | Sine Qua Non |
| Vintage | 2003 |
| Type | Red (Dry) |
| Grape Variety | Syrah, Grenache |
| ABV | 15.8% |
100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (August 2007)
The Inaugural Syrah: The mind-boggling 2003 The Inaugural Syrah is an emotional experience to taste as well as drink. Aged 38 ½ months in French oak, it was fashioned entirely from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard, which is planted with Syrah clones #470, 174, and the Estrella River and Alban field selections. This stunning Syrah boasts a magnificent bouquet of spring flowers, blueberries, blackberries, charcoal, licorice, and roasted meats. It hits the palate with remarkable intensity, purity, and full-bodied power, but it somehow manages to dance across the taste buds with the gracefulness of a ballerina. Awesomely long, I still tasted this wine 60 seconds after I had spit it out – no easy task, even for a professional. This majestic Syrah should be a modern day legacy for Sine Qua Non, ranking alongside the other stunning Syrahs they have produced, such as the two 2002 cuvees, Just For The Love Of It and Heart Chorea. This is a nuanced, complex wine, whereas the 2004 Poker Face is more exuberant and flamboyant. It should age beautifully for 10-15+ years.
100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (August 2011)
The Inaugural Grenache: 2003 The Inaugural Grenache: The first 100% estate wine from the 11 Confessions Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills, this blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah, aged 38 months in French oak, is prodigious. A wine capable of overflowing the olfactory sensory zones as well as the palate, the wine offers up notes of wood smoke, roasted meats and sweet Asian plum sauce intermixed with soy, balsamic, blackberry liqueur and black cherries. A massive Grenache that is full-bodied and has held up magnificently to its 38 months of aging in French oak, this wine is just now beginning to enter an adolescent stage of development, where it should continue to develop additional complexity for another 10+ years. Just remarkable!
99 Antonio Galloni, Vinous (July 2014)
The Inaugural Syrah: The 2003 Syrah The Inaugural, the first wine off of Sine Qua Non's Eleven Confessions vineyard, is simply stunning. Dark, rich and magnificently layered in the glass, the Inaugural boasts captivating aromatics married to intense, voluptuous fruit, all backed up by the silkiest tannins imaginable. Hints of mocha, spice, leather and dried flowers meld into the super-expressive, lifted finish. There isn't much else left to say, except the Inaugural is magnificent.
96 Josh Raynolds, Vinous (November 2007)
The Inaugural Grenache: Bright ruby. Explosively aromatic bouquet shows an exotic array of red and dark fruits, Asian spices, incense, fresh flowers and minerals; smells like a head shop. Graceful strawberry and raspberry flavors are remarkably pure and fresh, offering a jaw-dropping combination of concentration and vivacity, and picking up anise, candied rose and baking spices with air. Clings to the palate yet seems almost weightless, finishing with amazing clarity and persistence. Really remarkable wine.