2017 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard

It’s hard to get to the top. But it’s harder to stay there. Elaine and Manfred Krankl continue to make some of the most compelling wines in California. There is a bit more larger format oak in play, a greater use of whole clusters, and perhaps most importantly, minimal reliance on outside fruit than there was when I first started tasting here years ago, and yet the Sine Qua Non wines deliver the same richness and personality they always have. Readers should be aware that the Krankls are moving on from their practice of giving each wine a different name in each vintage, as the process for trademarking names had become too tedious and time-consuming.