Sine Qua Non Female Grenache 2013
-
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Manfred's 2013 Grenache Female checks in as a blend of 78% Grenache, 19% Syrah and 3% Mourvèdre that is mostly from his Eleven Confessions estate vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills, yet has smaller portions from his Cumulus, The Third Twin and Bien Nacido vineyards. Seeing just over 24 months in a mix of demi-muids, 300-liter Hog Heads and barrique, it has a sensational bouquet of spring flowers, black raspberries, black cherries, violets, licorice and camphor. Reminding me of a great vintage of Raymond Usseglio's Cuvée Imperiale, this full-bodied, elegant Grenache is impeccably balanced, has a full and layered mid-palate (which is missing from just about every other Grenache made in California), and sweet tannin on the finish. It's almost impervious to air and didn't budge an inch over the three days I followed this bottle. It will cruise for over two decades.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
I’m getting down to my last few bottles of the 2013 Grenache Female, which has been incredibly consistent and satisfying over the past 5-7 years and just about impossible to resist. A blend of 78% Grenache, 19% Syrah, and the rest Mourvèdre that’s mostly from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills, it offers a beautiful, smile-inducing perfume of black raspberries, black cherries, spring flowers, camphor, and spice that develops additional complexity with time in the glass. Impeccably balanced, full-bodied, and opulent, yet also weightless and elegant, this is a thrilling example of Grenache that could come from no one else. Feel free to drink bottles any time over the coming 15-20 years or more.
Sine Qua Non has its own winemaking facility in Ventura, California not far from the Santa Barbara vineyards where the fruit is sourced from. In the last few years Manfred and his wife, Elaine, have begun creating their own vineyards dedicated to Rhone varietals. Their winemaking philosophy is to work in very small batches, gravity flow, natural yeasts (unless a fermentation problem is anticipated), long lees aging for the whites and repeated racking for the reds to open them up. This is a modified explanation of a very dedicated and artistic approach to winemaking. The wines are simultaneously very rich and elegant, superbly balanced and thoroughly harmonious with food, never overwhelming.