Caymus, Bonneau and more

Dinner at a friend's home.

2018 Sylvain Pataille Marsannay Rosé Fleur de Pinot - very nice red fruits, definitely some minerality. Good depth on the palate.

2007 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape - drank 45 minutes after decanting. Silky tannins here. A little fruit but not a lot. Certainly no sweet vanilla like before. Not too open and relatively closed, with some leather.

1995 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - drank 45 minutes after decanting. Very fruit on the nose at first. Around 1½ hours after decanting this was smoky and not too much sweet fruit. Later on minty and became sweet-ish on the palate.

2002 Sine Qua Non Mr. K The Noble Man, from half-bottle - very sweet, very grapey, a little nutty, honeydew melon. Very rich and viscous on the palate.

Salon and Cali reds

Drinking at home.

1988 Salon - yeasty, nice and caramelized on the nose, with lots of marmalade. Soft on the palate and definitely mature.

2000 Sine Qua Non In Flagrante - 88% syrah, 10% grenache, 2% viognier. Starting drinking 1 hour after decanting. Very, very fragrant nose, with a little burnt rubber, lots of forest and pine needles, and a little smoky. Surprisingly lean on the palate, soft and smooth, but not much fruit or sweetness on the palate. After two hours in the decanter, the nose really opened up and became really fragrant. Almost 3 hours in this got even beter, with really beautiful cedar notes, almost elegant and not quite floral. Still lively even after 5 hours.

2007 Colgin Herb Lamb Vineyard - started drinking 1 hour after decanting. Nose was much more muted than expected with some minty notes. Pretty concentrated on the palate. Much more open some 2 hours and 15 minutes after decanting, with bigger nose of mint, a bit more fruit, and smooth on the palate now.

8 Sine Qua Non

Dinner at Caprice.

2013 Sine Qua Non Résisté - 45% roussanne, 26% chardonnay, 13.5% petit manseng, 10.5% viognier, 5% marsanne.  This was much more rounded and riper than expected.  Nose was nice and caramelized, and there was sooo much depth on the palate.

2003 Sine Qua Non Omega - 100% pinot noir.  Opened 45 minutes before serving.  Sweet and fruity, definitely ripe but not quite jammy.  A little smoky with some grilled meats.  One hour and 45 minutes after opening this was soooo beautiful and alluring.  Wow!

2007 Sine Qua Non Dangerous Birds Grenache - 88% grenache, 10% syrah, 2% viognier.  Served 3½ hours after opening.  Minty nose and not too in-your-face.  After 4 hours this was more open and aromatic.

2009 Sine Qua Non Turn the Whole Thing Upside Down - 84% grenache, 11% syrah, 5% mourvedre.  Opened about 3 hours and 15 minutes before serving.  More minty and certainly more open, with good concentration.  Seemingly a more "simple" wine compared to Dangerous Birds.

2009 Sine Qua Non The Thrill of Stamp Collecting - 93% syrah, 4.5% grenache, 2.5% viognier. Opened almost 4 hours before serving.  Much more metallic compared to the other two syrahs as it's much younger, a little more sharp on the nose.  More concentrated and very sweet on the palate.

2001 Sine Qua Non Midnight Oil - 96% syrah, 2.5% grenache, 1.5% viognier.  Opened 3 hours before serving.  Much more jammy, smoky, minty, with toasty oak.  Soooo smooth around 4 hours after opening.

1998 Sine Qua Non E-raised - "predominantly syrah, with a spritz of viognier and a dash of grenache".  Opened almost 4 hours before serving.  Notes of leather, smoke, and a little game meats.  This was soooo nice, very smooth and drinking so well.

2000 Sine Qua Non Suey, bottle No. 254, in half bottle - 100% roussanne.  Pop and poured.  Soooo fucking awesome with lots of honeydew melon and honey.  Amazing palate, rich with such depth.

Full post on dinner is here.

SQN duo

Dinner at Lotus Bistro at the Ladies Recreation Club.

1996 Sine Qua Non Omadhaun and Poltroon - slightly more roussanne than chardonnay. Decanted and served. Very, very sweet on the nose, caramelized for sure and definitely ripe on the palate, but still got the acidity.  The chardonnay was very obvious.  Got better with the second pour, really sweet like sugar cane.  After 1½ hours it was even better.  At 2 hours in it was also a little metallic, along with Chinese licorice.  Sweet and so fragrant.  Really fantastic after 2½ hours.

2012 Sine Qua Non In the Abstract - 37% chardonnay, 31% roussanne, 16% petite manseng, 16% viognier. Decanted and served.  More funky nose with tropical notes, beautiful, toasty notes coming out, with some bubblegum.  After 1 hour in decanter it was sweet and beautiful.  After almost 2 hours there were also some metallic notes.

4x Sine Qua Non

Dinner at La Ruée vers l'or in Tokyo.

1996 Sine Qua Non Omadhaun and Poltroon - right off the bat this showed good amount of toasty oak, very fragrant, with lemon, fruity, and floral notes.  A hint of marmalade, with straw and a little sweet grass.  Definitely very ripe and sweet on the palate.  An hour after opening, showed caramelized sugar and vanilla.  Two hours after opening it was still really toasty with lots of buttery corn, which faded a little to show some leather notes even later.  This Roussanne and Chardonnay blend was just incredible.

1996 Sine Qua Non Against the Wall - served 1 hour after decanting. A little chalky on the first whiff, kinda dirty. Unfortunately this never went away for the rest of the evening. A little savory mineral, then showed coconut and vanilla oak. Later on more savory again with soy sauce. Very smooth on the palate. Second pour showing some cooked fruit, a little more smoky and a little leather. Unfortunately this probably suffered from some bottle shock as it was only allowed to rest for 2 days after a flight.

2006 Sine Qua Non The Raven No. 1 Grenache – served 1½ hours after decanting. Soooo powerful, so sweet and rich. The alcohol was so sharp it burned the hairs of one’s nose. Minty and a little dried herbs on top of the sweet fruit, like a young Bonneau one would taste in the master’s cellar, but cleaner. Almost a little pine needle with black pepper. Love how it tastes on the palate. A little coffee after 2 ½ hours and still really sweet. An amazing wine.

2006 Sine Qua Non The Raven No. 3 Syrah – served almost 2 hours after decanting. Lots of iron, ripe and sweet fruit. Amazingly minty with herbs, incredibly almost seemed like cool fruit. Totally awesome. After 3 hours showed some mocha. A monumental wine that begs to be aged for another few decades.

This was such a fun evening! The food was delicious and extremely good value. The wines… well, there’s never any doubt to me that the Krankls make incredible wines, and if it weren’t for the ’96 Against the Wall, it would have been a perfect lineup tonight. I look forward to drinking H-man’s 2006s in 10 years time!