Sine Qua Non Deux Grenouilles 2016
Other White Blends
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
Sold Out - was $209.97
Ships Thu, May 2
You purchased this 2/5/21
0
Limit Reached
You purchased this 2/5/21
Product Details
Varietal
Producer
Vintage
2016
Size
750ML
ABV
15.5%
Features
Collectible
Boutique
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Deux Grenouilles is another brilliant white from this estate. Based on 36% Roussanne, 29% Chardonnay, 23% Viognier, and the balance Petite Manseng and Muscat, brought up 48% new French oak (the balance is in neutral oak and concrete eggs). This rich, full-bodied, incredibly elegant white offers up a smorgasbord of buttered citrus, orange blossom, flower oil, and honeyed minerality. Despite being a full-bodied, powerful wine, it stays fresh and graceful, with terrific freshness and acidity. It needs a decant if drinking any time soon and should keep for a decade or more.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Deux Grenouilles White bursts with expressive aromas of apricot preserve, yellow plums, dried flowers, orange rind and Acacia honey. It's a deftly judged blend of 36% Roussanne, 29% Chardonnay, 23% Viognier, 9% Petite Manseng and 3% Muscat, and the exotic aromatic contributions of the Viognier and Muscat don't drown out the subtle expressions of the other varieties. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, fat and lavish, with considerable satiny texture, juicy acids and a sapid, even savory finish that I suspect reflects the Petite Manseng component. It's a rich and dramatic white that should drink well on release and could well be very interesting with time in the bottle. The Deux Grenouilles was produced entirely from estate fruit with the exception of Chardonnay from Bien Nacido Vineyard, and it was vinified in 26% concrete eggs, 26% used barrels and 48% new oak.
Sine Qua Non was created after the 1994 harvest of a Bien Nacido Syrah named “The Queen of Spades”. Winemaker Manfred Krankl feels strongly that each vintage is a completely unique wine and thus he gives each wine a unique name. He also creates the artwork for each new label himself. Previously, Manfred had made wines with Bryan Babcock and John Alban and still sources much of his fruit from Alban’s vineyard. The basic white wines have always been a white blend of Chardonnay, Roussanne and Viognier and a red wine based on Syrah plus Grenache. Sometimes there are small quantities of Rose and a Grenache-based red.
Sine Qua Non has its own winemaking facility in Ventura, California not far from the Santa Barbara vineyards where the fruit is sourced from. In the last few years Manfred and his wife, Elaine, have begun creating their own vineyards dedicated to Rhone varietals. Their winemaking philosophy is to work in very small batches, gravity flow, natural yeasts (unless a fermentation problem is anticipated), long lees aging for the whites and repeated racking for the reds to open them up. This is a modified explanation of a very dedicated and artistic approach to winemaking. The wines are simultaneously very rich and elegant, superbly balanced and thoroughly harmonious with food, never overwhelming.
ATO513962_2016 Item# 513962