SINE QUA NON

2018 Estate Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard | Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County California 750 ml

Not a wallflower either. Thank God because Grenache is only great or rightfully delicious when it is fully developed. Clearly this was. A cuvee of 83.7%Grenache, 9.1% Syrah, 6.0% Petite Sirah and 1.2% Viognier....Tasted at home with E over two days. Really very dark for Grenache, but brilliant and almost lacquered looking. Pretty. Deep and rich and very layered. There is an extremely deep, beautiful core to that beauty. Quite muscle-toned for Grenache and very, very impressive. I could add more white to bring more high tones and fragility. On the 2nd day that notion was much less felt and I simply wrote...very, very impressive wine with a lot of power, but also a lot of grace. Leave it as is .Don't mess with it. | Manfred Krankl for SQN Wines

The 2018 Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard comes all from the estate vineyard located on the eastern side of the Sta. Rita Hills and is even more Grenache-dominated, checking in at close to 84% Grenache... Aged a whopping 38 months in 52% new barrels, it has an insane bouquet of black raspberries, herbes de Provence, violets, mulled cherries, sandalwood, and new leather. As complex and nuanced as they come, this full-bodied beauty has awesome purity of fruit, a layered, balanced mouthfeel, sweet, fine-grained tannins, and a great, great finish. It's one of those wines that makes you run out of adjectives. One of the finest examples of Grenache to pass my lips, give it 2-3 years and enjoy over the following two decades. | 100 points, Jeb Dunnuck for jebdunnuck.com