Sine Qua Non 'Distenta V' Central Coast Syrah Blend 2023

Profile & Story

Sine Qua Non was founded by Elaine and Manfred Krankl, who began with their 1994 vintage - a mere four and a half barrels of Syrah they named Queen of Spades - and grew what began as a hobby into their full-time work. The winery describes an aversion to labels, dogmas, and mindless ritual, aiming instead to understand nature's often oblique ways and respond accordingly; the resulting wines are meant to be ripe and flavorful yet graceful and balanced, enjoyable on release but capable of aging into a new, more complex character over time. Sine Qua Non farms several estate vineyards along California's Central Coast, including its home vineyard near Oak View south of Santa Barbara and another near Los Alamos, using gentle, hands-on, essentially organic (though uncertified) practices across varied soils and microclimates. The estate is Rhone-focused, built primarily around Syrah and Grenache alongside Mourvèdre, Roussanne, and Viognier, along with smaller plantings of other varieties. The 2023 'Distenta V' is a Syrah-based blend from these Central Coast vineyards, released as one of the winery's small, individually named annual bottlings in keeping with its highly allocated, cult-following production model.