2010 Stockholm Syndrome Syrah
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Tasting notes
The 2010 Syrah Stockholm Syndrome is an incredible blend of 96% Syrah, 3% Roussanne and 1% Viognier, it was fermented with 16% whole cluster before spending just under 42 months in 100% new French oak. It offers a brilliant, soaring bouquet of kirsch liqueur and crème de cassis characteristics intermixed with notes of Peking duck, exotic spices, pepper, and dried flowers. Deep, full-bodied, and powerful, yet also graceful, perfectly balanced, and light on its feet, it’s still youthful and vibrant, with present tannin, and has another two-plus decades of longevity ahead of it. I’ve been lucky enough to have numerous bottles of this elixir since release and it’s never failed to reaffirm my belief that it’s one of the all-time Great Syrahs of the world.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
The 2010 Syrah Stockholm Syndrome is a monumental effort that will stand toe-to-toe with the greatest Syrahs in the world. A blend of 96% Syrah, 3% Roussanne and 1% Viognier, it was fermented with 16% whole cluster before spending just under 42 months in 100% new French oak. It offers an incredible array of sweet dark fruits, cassis, white chocolate, licorice and hints of bacon fat that meld perfectly with its full-bodied, seamless, layered and impeccably put-together palate. Given the wealth of fruit here, it’s amazing how this stays light, graceful and elegant, without ever seeming over the top in any way. While there’s no shortage of tannin here, they’re sweet and integrated, so feel free to enjoy this rock-star effort anytime over the coming two decades or more. 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
Lavender, violets, smoke, menthol and new leather are some of the many notes that inform the 2010 Syrah Stockholm Syndrome. A huge, seamless wine, the 2010 boasts magnificent richness and a totally voluptuous personality. The powerful finish dazzles with its combination of fruit, acidity and minerality. (AG) 97+
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.