The 2022 Distenta IV Grenache from Sine Qua Non, Manfred and Elaine Krankl's cult winery in Ventura County. It is a ripe, generous Grenache-led blend from their own vineyards.
About This Wine
This is 78% Grenache with 10% Syrah, 7.3% Mourvèdre, about 3% Petite Sirah and small amounts of Muscat and Petit Manseng. The fruit comes in roughly equal parts from Eleven Confessions, The Third Twin and the Next of Kyn vineyard. It was aged for 23 months in French oak, only 16% new, which keeps the focus on fruit. 2022 was a warm, ripe vintage for the Krankls, and the wine was released in early 2025. Jeb Dunnuck gave it 98 points and the Wine Advocate 94.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Black raspberry, kirsch, crushed pepper, herbes de Provence and sandalwood.
- Palate: Full-bodied and velvety, with a dense but juicy core of red and dark fruit and fresh acidity.
- Finish: Warm and lasting, turning more blue-fruited and spicy with air.
Serving & Food
Use a large red glass and 16 to 18°C; if you open it in the next few years, an hour in a decanter helps. It should drink well into the mid-2030s. Moroccan lamb tagine, spiced aubergine or grilled merguez sausages suit its pepper and herbs.
How to Enjoy
Fans of rich Grenache and California Rhône blends. A generous bottle for a dinner with friends.
Product Details
Producer: Sine Qua Non
Wine: Distenta IV Grenache
Country: USA
Region: California (Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties)
Vintage: 2022
Grape Variety / Blend: 78% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 7.3% Mourvèdre, plus Petite Sirah, Muscat and Petit Manseng
Ageing: 23 months in French oak, 16% new
ABV: 16.1%
Volume: 750mL
About the Winery
Manfred Krankl grew up in Austria and came to wine through the Los Angeles restaurant trade, running the wine side of Campanile and helping to found La Brea Bakery. He and Elaine started Sine Qua Non with a tiny 1994 Syrah called Queen of Spades, and each release since has carried its own name and a label designed by Manfred. Most bottles go to a mailing list with a long wait.
Bought-in fruit from growers such as Alban and Bien Nacido made the early wines. From 2001 the Krankls built up their own sites: the Eleven Confessions vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills, Cumulus beside their Oak View home, and The Third Twin near Los Alamos. Crops are very small, picking often runs late into autumn, and long French oak ageing is the norm.