2012 The Writing On The Wall Petite Syrah
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Tasting notes
The 2012 Petite Sirah The Writing on the Wall is beyond beautiful. Wonderfully delineated and nuanced, with none of the edginess or rusticity Petite often shows, The Writing on the Wall is a real stunner. Bold red cherry, pomegranate, spice and sweet floral notes are all underpinned by veins of acidity and tannin that give the wine its freshness and polish. The 2012 is 94% Petite Sirah and 6% Viognier, done with fully destemmed fruit and aged for 23 months in French oak, 20% new. Vineyard sources are 80% Third Twin, 14% Cumulus and 6% Eleven Confessions. Manfred and Elaine Krankl take Petite Sirah into a whole new realm. Unfortunately, The Writing on the Wall is also one of the rarest wines Sine Qua Non has ever made. Just 350 magnums were sold, all of them in the Sine Qua Non art label book box set. That is a real shame, as most readers will never have a chance to experience just how moving the 2012s is.
Critic scores
Average Score
The Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2012 Petite Sirah The Writing on the Wall should be the greatest Petite Sirah to ever come out of California (or the world?). Made from 94% Petite Sirah and 6% Viognier and aged in 80% old hogsheads and 20% in new French oak, it’s bottled only in magnum and will be sold along with the new Sine Qua Non label art book. A massive, full-bodied effort that offers incredible depth and richness without ever seeming heavy or cumbersome, it offers up blockbuster-styled aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis, crushed rocks, beef blood and licorice. It should age for decades. These latest releases from Sine Qua Non and Next of Kyn are at the pinnacle of wine, and it’s simply impossible to taste through these and not be blown away. While I think the star of the show at the moment is the 2010 vintage, the 2011s aren’t far behind, and the 2012s should rival them as well. In addition, to give you an idea how these wines age, don’t miss the recent 2004 retrospective on these wines that was published at eRobertParker.com. We finished the tasting with Manfred’s Next of Kyn releases, and these are the strongest set of wines yet to come out under this label. The focus here is exclusively on his estate Cumulus Vineyard planted around the estate in Oakview. Tel. (805) 649-8901; www.sinequanon.com
The 2012 Petite Sirah The Writing on the Wall should be the greatest Petite Sirah to ever come out of California (or the world?). Made from 94 Petite Sirah and 6 Viognier and aged in 80 old hogsheads and 20 in new French oak, it’s bottled only in magnum and will be sold along with the new Sine Qua Non label art book. A massive, full-bodied effort that offers incredible depth and richness without ever seeming heavy or cumbersome, it offers up blockbuster-styled aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis, crushed rocks, beef blood and licorice. It should age for decades. (JD)
About the producer
The brainchild of Manfred Krankl, Sine Qua Non (commonly known as SQN) is a cult California producer whose wines are avidly collected. The winery focuses on Rhône-inspired blends, however is famously non-conformist with each release totally unique.