- BrandSine Qua Non
- CountryUSA
- TypeWhite Wine
- Size750ml
- SKU 210000012973
Sine Qua Non Roussanne Chardonnay Omadhaun and Poltroon 1996
Sine Qua Non was officially founded in 1994 by Manfred and Elaine Krankl and rapidly garnered remarkable critical acclaim for their incredibly limited production wines made from classical Rhône Valley varieties. Omadhaun & Poltroon is a full-bodied and opulent blend of 60% Roussanne and 40% Chardonnay.
From the original release letter from Sine Qua Non "...it is a blend of Roussanne and Chardonnay. Slightly more Roussanne. The majority of the fruit for this wine came from Alban Vineyards, with a tiny amount from a vineyard in Monterey. We harvested as late as possible, not only to get the fruit completely ripe but also to bring the inherent acidity into balance. The result was fairly high sugars and consequently mighty high alcohols. But because there is such terrific acidity, this big, big wine remains lively, agile, and sprite. Just the way we like it. Once again both grape varieties were whole cluster pressed, barrel fermented at cool temperatures, and bottled by hand via gravity flow, without fining or filtration. The wine was on its lees for about 16 months without ever having been racked prior to bottling. Frankly it doesn't get much more natural than that. The wine in the bottle is like a ballet-dancing Sumo wrestler, like a poetry-reading lumberjack, like a bodybuilder in space. like a lion at full speed, like a skywriting 747, like...you get the idea."
Critical Acclaim
93 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The blockbuster whites Sine Qua Non is now producing are a blend of Roussanne and Chardonnay, with the former varietal dominating the blend in both 1996 and 1997.
The massive, dry 1996 Omadhaun Poltron's 15.2% alcohol is well-concealed beneath this full-bodied wine's glycerin and unctuous texture. The knock-out nose of honeyed citrus and rose petals is followed by a chewy, remarkably pure, dry wine oozing with the extract. I suspect it will become even more civilized with 12-18 months of bottle age, but I would opt for drinking it over the next 2-3 years.
