SINE QUA NON

2021 Distenta III Syrah | Ventura, California 750ml

81.7% Syrah, 11.3% Grenache, 3.3% Mourvedre 2.1% Petite Sirah 1.6% Whites

Great, great color. Quite dark - no surprise I guess, but still a warm feeling to stare at it. A lot of work...for a long time... to get to appreciate it in a glass. Color is clearly not the most important aspect to the wine - to ANY wine - but it is some indicator of something good. In the nose there are tones of coffee grounds, rhubarb, red plums, toffee, boysenberry, mashed up strawberry skins (a little over the top...I know), cigar-box and even some chalk and dusty cookie crumbs. The mouth, the palate, is super soft, but not flabby, but rather still structured and very fanned out. Sort of like 2019 (if memory serves correctly), but with a touch more sexy flesh. There are plenty of tannins, but they are broad and satiny!!! We also got some mild Asian spices. The wine gets more and more lush the longer it sits in the glass. More palate enveloping too. Yahoo!!! | Manfred Krankl for Sine Qua Non

...looks to be another insanely good Syrah from Krankl...its deep purple hue is followed by classic, cool climate Syrah notes of smoked black fruits, iron, black olives, and meaty, peppery nuances. With incredible purity, full-bodied richness, and perfectly integrated tannins and acidity, it will have 15-20 years of prime drinking. It's an absolutely magical Syrah in the making. | 97-99 points, Jeb Dunnuck for jebdunnuck.com