SINE QUA NON

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

The Wine is a pleasant orchestra made up of 82.0% Syrah, 10.6% Grenache, 5.3% Petite Sirah and 2.1% Viognier... The wine is super dark, but - as always - still brilliant and rich. It is just gorgeous in both the nose and mouth. Lush, lush, lush and creamy. Did I say lush? E thought it was mind blowingly supple and expansive and inviting. It pleased the heck out of me. I did think it was pretty darn rich (no doubt) but balanced and very complete. There is some lovely garrigue. A thoroughly extravagant wine. My final thought: Change nothing, be happy. | Manfred Krankl for SQN Wines

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. | 100 points, Jeb Dunnuck for jebdunnuck.com