2010 Grenache Five Shooter California

Sine Qua Non fans will delight in a number of fabulous new and upcoming releases. The 2010 and 2011 reds are super-impressive for their energy and pure balance. Estate vineyards continue to come online, which means there is very little outside fruit these days at Sine Qua Non. Proprietor Manfred Krankl describes Cumulus as the warmest of his three estate sites and Eleven Confessions as the coolest. The three sites together form a pretty impressive palette from which to draw. Like most of his colleagues, Krankl suffered through a harsh 2010/2011 winter that included a severe frost. Yields are down, but quality is high. Super-high, in fact. It is quite evident that 2010 is strong for both Grenache and Syrah, while in 2011 there is a wider and more distinct qualitative gap that clearly favors Syrah. The addition of Petit Manseng to the white, the new Third Twin site near Los Alamos, ongoing experimentation with concrete and significant evolution in the Next of Kyn wines (reviewed separately) suggest Manfred and Elaine Krankl haven't slowed down much, if at all, in recent years.

Manfred Krankl continues to be intrigued by roussanne, which he likes for the texture and viscosity it brings when it's ripe.He added that "it's kind of a scary grape to work with because when it's ready it looks like hell.Most people would think that it was rotten."Krankl told me that he has become especially fond of wines from cooler vintages, and not just his own, because "even though they take some time to find their stride, they're often the most expressive examples of a site, while the richer vintages are often dominated by their ripeness."I had the chance to retaste the 2009 Upside Down grenache, which had only been bottled for a few weeks when I tried it for last year's Central Coast coverage.Although there's only 11% syrah in the blend, the wine displays a hypnotic blend of dark berry, floral and spice qualities that took me straight to the northern Rhone, via the 101.This remarkable wine is surprisingly drinkable now, but has the density to age.