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'm not so sure if the Sine Qua Non wines of Manfred Krankl are truly indispensable when it comes to a night of fun and frivolity amongst wine lovers, but they certainly do seem to generate some excitement. Thanks to a few kind souls who had these wines just languishing in their cellars, a tasting event quickly came together. Joining the fray were: Jenna and Tom Warren, Roland Riesen, Kathy and Tom Futey, Adam Friend, Jeff King, and Dick Lamb. Our friend (and local wine merchant emeritus) Bob Eppich was happy to host the affair at his Colonial Beverage, as well as provide a fine food course to accompany each grouping of wines.

I approached the event with some consternation, stemming first from the cost of the bottles (the average cost being in excess of $100 each), and second from my own tastes which typically diverge from higher alcohol, and especially ripe styles. As to the first -- it is what it is. As to the second -- I've enjoyed some of the wineries earliest offerings, and hedonism was a required course in college...I was sure it would come back to me.

We started with one white wine, served with a delicious halibut picata. There was no decanting -- poured within an hour of the cork being pulled.

2003 Sublime Isolation (15.7%alc.) -- This is a blend of Chardonnay, Roussanne and Viognier. At the outset it showcases a blowzy floral bouquet, butterscotch, then a whiff of big time tim-berrrr! With some time its fragrances turn more toward the tropical -- banana and coconut, though the toasty wood tones still remain strong. Perhaps we caught the wine at an odd time, but in light of the listed alcohol, I was surprised at the lack of weight it exhibited in the mouth, but not so much surprised by its off putting warmth, seeming very assertive at the close. Flavors of apple, pear and toast showed up in the middle, with more of those tropical notes appearing in the prickly finish. It was unappealing not just to me (I actively disliked the experience), but the group as a whole.  Find this wine

The second grouping contained two SQN Pinot Noirs and an Austrian Zweigelt, upon which Manfred Krankl consulted. These reds were double decanted within a few hours of the event. Smoked duck breast and pate were served as a complement.

2000 A Capella Pinot Noir (14.3% alc.) -- This Pinot is produced from Shea Vineyard (Oregon) fruit and was housed in one of my all time favorite "odd ball" bottle shapes -- something akin to a bowling pin. It had an attractive (actually Pinot reminiscent) garnet hue, but did show a good bit of clearing at the rim. It had a cherry, turned earth and tobacco nose, right along with a mélange of herbs and seasonings -- mint, cinnamon, cardamom, and pepper. The nose was both interesting and appealing, though I found the palate less so. Beyond some rich cherry fruit up front, it turned lean in the center where it showed spice, but also a good bit of warmth and noticeable wood tones. There was plenty of cocoa at the close. Some in the group commented that it seemed more mature than they would have imagined. Find this wine

2003 Omega Pinot Noir (15.7% alc.) -- This was the final bottling of Shea Vineyard fruit for Sine Qua Non, thus the name -- Omega. This had a deep, dark purplish color. Scents of both maple and raspberry syrups led the way, but peppery spice and vanilla were not to be missed. It was super smooth, lush and rich...melted milk chocolate came to mind. Like the nose, the palate offers plenty of vanilla and spice...more white pepper as it closes. Find this wine

I'm not sure it expresses any real varietal character or much sense of place, but it was well balanced and does a good job of disguising its alcohol. It is a high form of the "tasty beverage" style, where descriptors like "sexy" and "viagara laced" hardly seem out of place. The pepper and the dark color made it easy for Dick Lamb to say "I'd pick it as a Syrah." Jeff King thought it more similar to a Russian River (California) Pinot than anything he had from Oregon. On another occasion when sampling this wine, I heard some express that this was the "best Oregon Pinot" they had ever had, though each of those people stated a general dislike for Oregon PN.

2000 Schwarz "W" Zweigelt (13.5% alc.) -- This Austrian red is the creation of Hans Schwarz, but since the winery's inception, Alois Kracher and Manfred Krankl have consulted. In a recent e-mail exchange with Krankl, he described their relationship as one of friendship -- "Schwarz does make the wines…and we just help him a bit with advice and ideas."

I liked the nose with its assemblage of earth, espresso, anise, minerals and mint. Jenna Warren (far left with Kathy Futey) relayed her impression as "coffee grounds and smoked meats." The palate featured dense, fleshy, dark fruit backed by mint and dried herb. It did leave an odd powdery wake as the smooth wine rolled through the mouth. It seems long in its finish, but with a little tannic bite. Almost the entire group nodded favorably in regard to this wine...not at all out of place in the lineup.  Find this wine

The Syrahs were served in a flight of four. They were double decanted more than four hours before the event. Roasted beef tenderloin and mashed potato was the food selection.

All but the Marauder (100% Syrah) have small, but varying amounts of Grenache and Viognier in their blends. The Alban vineyard is a primary fruit source for these wines, but Bien Nacido, Stolpman, White Hawk and Shadow Canyon are also employed through the years. More technical information on these Syrahs is available here.

1999 Marauder (14.2% alc.) -- My first sniff yielded some tapenade joined later by a good measure of earth, peppermint, violet, and dark chocolate. It was somewhat thick and slightly chewy in the early going, but in the grand scheme it presented itself with elegance. It had pleasantly sweet black fruit, lots of dried herb (not off putting at all), and a light dosage of pepper at the close. Find this wine

2000 In Flagrante (14.9% alc.) -- In the first few minutes in the glass, it came across with swampy nuance and the pungent fragrance of freshly cut wood. In a short time these were replaced by a more appealing assortment of ripe black fruit, smoky bacon, pencil lead and lavender. Creamy cassis led the way when it came to flavor, but nice accents of bacon, and herbs rounded out the profile. This was the first wine of the night that showed any real tannins -- a firm grip was apparent. The finish is long and sustained with plenty of herb and peppery spice. This was my favorite of the Syrah based wines. Find this wine

2001 Midnight Oil (14.8% alc.) -- This was a different sort of animal, in that it featured a big blast very ripe raisined fruit, coupled with relatively aggressive tannins. It was the most overtly fruity wine in the group, but it lacked some of the finesse and polish that the others shared...clumsy in comparison. With a bite of the beef, the tannins were held at bay, and the "coffee with lots of cream" and clove aspects emerged on the palate. Some at the table noted a reductive/burnt rubber aspect in the nose, but I did not find this especially prominent. Find this wine

2002 Just for the Love of It (15.3% alc.) -- This much ballyhooed bottling (touted as a "100 pointer" in some circles) had very impressive concentration of fruit -- not so thick as others, but rich, intense and very focused throughout. It had just traces of the herbal core found in the other three, but it showed more peppery spice. Though lengthy, the brown sugar/cinnamon/spicy finish suffers from a little too much warmth -- not hurtful, but perceptible. Fragrances of ripe black fruit, roasted coffee and dark chocolate never seem to falter, as they delivered a sultry perfume.  Find this wine

Looking at these four I noticed a trend of more herbal tones from older to younger, and more spice in the opposite direction. I was impressed with the Syrahs' relative balance, as well as their ability to disguise any overt sense of the alcohol. No doubt, they are powerful wines, but they maintain a sense of grace and proportion.

I asked Manfred about "balance." Though this is a very subjective notion, I was interested in how he perceived the concept and hoped to achieve it in his Syrahs. He graciously agreed to let me share his thoughts on the subject...

"The question of “balance” in a wine is of course one, if not THE critical question (at least to me) and thus almost impossible to answer. It also means many different things to many different people. Plus there are style preferences… with differing “balance” profiles etc. etc.

To me there are three things that are CRITICALLY important in making wines (there are many more, but these have great prominence in my thinking and my actions):

a.) That the wine has a certain California quality/style. That means that the wine(s) will inevitably be fuller, richer, denser, heftier, more alcoholic than their European and/or French counterparts…although 2003 was certainly a very California vintage in France. If they were not, we would go against our inherent nature and that would be bad I feel.

b.) Although the wines should express, unashamedly, their California-ness as described above, they should still have “balance” or be properly proportioned might be a better way to put it. This means the various components of a wine should be in some form of harmony and/or properly proportioned. Muhammad Ali had a very well defined, “balanced,” well proportioned body and style. Although he was a heavyweight, with lots of power and punch, he was not grotesque looking, but rather maintained a grace and agility that was rather uncommon. Were one to put his muscle on Sugar Ray Leonard it would have looked really odd and disproportionate on him. Forgive the somewhat obscure comparison here.

c.) That the wine is allowed to express the particular vintage condition. I never seek to make a wine that is just like previous wines...”just better”…but rather to try and coax out of it what the vintage was putting forth and then shape it into the best tasting wine I can.

Now…how does one achieve that? I couldn't really say… beyond the fact that one has to work very much from the gut, from instinct, from emotion if you will and hope one guesses right AND to work very meticulously, uncompromisingly and very gently. All very easily said and of course said by virtually every winemaker, but not so often practiced to its fullest meaning. "

The dessert wines were served together, all opened a short while before pouring.

1999 DBS (Dried Berry Selection) 375 ml (13% alc.) -- Viognier from the Alban Vineyard -- There was plenty of apricot, butterscotch and flowers in the bouquet and also a tinge of "vinyl shower curtain" as it trails away. This was not as thick and unctuous as the Vin de Paille or Strawman, but it was certainly quite concentrated and intense. There was plenty of apricot and peach sweetness to coat one's mouth, and even a little discernible acidity to help its focus. It had a smooth, seamless quality about it. Find this wine

1999 Vin de Paille 375 ml (7.9% alc.) -- Semillon from the Brander Vineyard in Los Olivos -- It is golden in color, and seemed more like a syrup when it rolled into the glass. A little cloud of quince, apricot jelly, and light herbs rose above the glass and refused to move... something clean and crisp as well -- the closest I could come to describing it was "celery hearts." The wine was very thick and unctuous in the mouth. It showed long, smooth waves of the finest dried apricot, and candied lemons... never seeming cloying, yet not quite seeming to resolve. It has worlds of concentration, yet almost no apparent acid. As appealing as it was for all its intense, dripping fruit, it would be that much better with a bit of "cut."  Perhaps that is an impossibility in this style? Find this wine

Tom Warren did not believe we had enough splendor on the table, so he slipped out to the car and returned with...

2002 The Strawman (a.k.a. Vin de Paille) 375 ml -- (7.2% alc.) -- Semillon from Brander Vineyard -- Right away, I detected that same celery aspect that I found in the VDP... not off putting (seeming fresh, actually), but certainly interesting. These fragrances had a more tropical bent -- pineapple, guava, and an exotic floral essence -- quite captivating. It was very syrupy, thick, and smooth... the olfactory profile carrying over to the palate. The concentration of fruit and intense sugars were somewhat monumental. Where it seemed a little plump up front, it was bolstered by a tiny charge of acid at the close, making it seem complete. Find this wine

I asked Manfred about my perceived lack of acidity in the wines -- the VDP and Strawman in particular. Some of his thoughts --

"VIN DE PAILLE (wine of straw in French) is so called because traditionally the fruit is dried on straw mats until the grapes are complete raisins.
RAISINS!!!!  Thus one essentially makes wine from raisins, which means it always turns out to be the thickest, richest, densest, highest Brix wine and THAT is its purpose.  A hundred years ago it was used as a medicine sometimes for colds or the flu. Consumed by the spoonful.

The acids are slightly lower than they would be in European VIN DE PAILLE counterparts - but not much and not always - [the Europeans] may not have the density and/or residual sugar – a whopping 35% in 1999 [VDP] and almost unheard of 48.2% in 2002 [Strawman] - although we actually have a healthy 7+% acidity, it appears a bit less because of it. Of course I fully understand that this may not be everyone's cup of mud, but I at least wanted to provide a bit of background and context."

Perhaps the extreme concentration and mighty sugars will make these wines fascinating over the years, but they do seem to scream drink me now, so why not listen to them? I'm not sure I can say I love the style, but at the same time I find these three dessert wines intriguing and compelling.

LM

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