Sine Qua Non The 17th Nail in My Cranium 2005

Sine Qua Non The 17th Nail in My Cranium 2005

Sine Qua Non is one of California's most famous wine producers. Based just north of Los Angeles in Ventura County, and with most of its vineyards in Santa Barbara, it eschews the usual image of top California wine as being only from Napa Valley. That is not the only thing eschewed at Sine Qua Non – the exact wine is rarely made more than once, turning the idea of the American icon wine on its head.

The cult winery specializes in Rhône grape varieties, with most of the red wines based on Syrah and Grenache. White wines are typically based on Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier and are also modeled after Rhône wines. While most of Sine Qua Non's vineyards are in Santa Barbara, the home vineyard (and the winery) is in Oak View. Many of the wines are labeled under the more generic California and Central Coast AVAs, rather than the specific AVAs in the vineyards, giving more freedom when it comes to blending.

Critical Acclaim

100 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2005 Syrah The 17th Nail In My Cranium, is a blend of 96.5% Syrah and 3.5% Viognier which is aged 38 months prior to bottling. (I always wonder what Marcel Guigal would think of a wine like this which seems to tip its hat in the direction of Cote Rotie and then goes into high gear and clearly says, "I'm just something very different, but thanks for even thinking of that appellation while smelling and tasting me.") Black as a moonless night, the 2005 17th Nail reveals a stunning nose of spring flowers intermixed with creme de cassis, blackberries, charcoal, graphite, and hints of lard and barbecue spices. Dense, with an endless (and I mean endless) finish, remarkable purity, and layer upon layer of flavor, but no sense of heaviness or flabbiness, this prodigious Syrah should evolve for 15 or more years.

98 Wine Spectator

Fantastic spice aromas lead to notes of freshly ground black pepper, beef carpaccio, rich blackberry and roasted coffee, giving this an exotic mix of flavors. Dense, concentrated, structured and tightly focused, striking a balance between the broad array of flavors and the firm tannins. Drink now through 2018. 398 cases made.

Our top priority is for you to be delighted with your purchase from start to finish and exceed your expectations. Please don't hesitate to call or email us with any questions.

We offer loss & theft protection options at checkout for the ultimate peace of mind* See full shipping policy for terms & conditions.

All shipments require an adult signature on delivery. Please make sure an adult 21 or older will be available to sign for your package. We recommend shipping to a business address when possible.

For large corporate/studio/VIP gift orders to multiple addresses, you've come to the right place. Large studio & corporate orders have been our specialty for over 50 years. We also offer an easy Excel large order template- click here to download it. 

We ship packages Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Express (overnight & 2 day) are usually shipped the same-day if placed by Noon Pacific time.. Please call for priority overnight services. We're happy to accommodate whenever possible.

Ground orders are usually packaged and shipped within 1-3 business days after the order is placed, Monday through Thursday, excluding holidays. 

 This is a summary of our shipping & Delivery policy

View our full Shipping & Delivery policy here