Sine Qua Non Sine Qua Non Eleven Confessions Vineyard Syrah 2018 750ml

The 2018 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard is pure gold and Syrah doesn’t get any better, no matter what region you’re talking about. Incredible notes of ripe cherries, currants, ground black and white pepper, cured meats, and saddle leather all soar from the glass, and it’s full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate. Opening up with time in the glass, it certainly offers pleasure today yet warrants 2–4 years of bottle age and will have two decades of overall longevity. Hats off to the Krankl family for another utterly magical wine. (Jeb Dunnuck)

The 2018 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard is slow to unfold but stunning once it opens, featuring layered aromas of cassis, coffee beans, garrigue and cracked pepper before segueing to soaring floral perfume. A blend of 82% Syrah, 10.6% Grenache, 5.3% Petite Sirah and 2.1% Viognier, it’s made entirely of estate fruit. It was fermented with 28% whole clusters and matured about 38 months in 50% new French oak. It has an opaque ruby-purple in color, and the palate is full-bodied, powerful and seamless, boasting powdery tannins and integrated acidity. It has a concentrated core of floral fruit and a tremendously long finish. It was bottled on December 15, 2021, and tasted May 24, 2022. 978 cases and 276 magnums will be released in the fall of 2022. (Erin Brooks)