2008 Sine Qua Non B 20 & The Line Assortment Sine Qua Non, California, California, USA
| Country | USA |
|---|---|
| Region | California |
| Appellation | California |
| Producer | Sine Qua Non |
| Vintage | 2008 |
| Type | Red (Dry) |
| Grape Variety | Syrah, Grenache |
| ABV | 15.7% |
| Format | 2x150cl |
| Packaging | Original Wood Case |
| Duty Status | In Bond |
| Notes | 1 magnum each of B 20 Syrah and The Line Grenache |
| Provenance | Purchased by Liquid Assets from a US-based merchant; directly imported into the UK by Liquid Assets; securely stored in a climate-controlled bonded facility |
| Stock | 2 cases (in stock and available immediately) |
95 Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate (August 2011)
B20 Syrah: The 2008 Syrah B-20 is a cool, inward wine graced with layers of beautifully delineated, chiseled fruit. This is a distinctly mineral, precise style relative to the more outgoing 2009, but both are striking. Floral notes add lift as the finish turns explosive with a burst of dark fruit, tar, licorice and crushed rocks. This is one of the more understated wines readers are likely to come across from Sine Qua Non. It is gorgeous when given the time to open up. The B-20 is predominantly Syrah, with 6% Grenache and 2% Viognier. About half of the Grenache was fermented with whole clusters and the wine was aged in French oak (60% new) for 26 months. The vineyard sources are 52% Eleven Confessions, 18% Cumulus, 18% Bien Nacido and 12% White Hawk.
98 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (August 2011)
The Line Grenache: This wine was just released in April of this year, and is a blend of 87.5% Grenache, 11% Syrah, and 1.5% Viognier, with 21% whole clusters used in the Grenache component. Seventy-eight percent of it came from the 11 Confessions Vineyard and the balance from Bien Nacido and the White Hawk. It is no measly wine at 15.5% alcohol, but it displays extraordinary berry fruit and kirsch notes intermixed with lavender and other floral components. Intense, full-bodied, voluptuously textured, and stunningly pure, with no real noticeable oak (21% new French oak was used, most of it the larger demi-muids), this beauty has put on weight and is showing additional complexity since I first tasted it.