Was expecting heavy metal given the gigantic bottle and got completely the opposite - elegant if a bit thin but with no edge on the finish....very nice — 6 years ago
Yowza! Lost it in an Uber but got it back in time to drink at Metropolitan Grill with a gigantic steak. Very old world, restrained even. Oak was perfectly integrated and fruit was going strong. Has another decade in it no problem. — 7 years ago
Raspberry compote, creme de violette, a handful of wet soil with crushed twigs and leaves. Balance and structure like the work of a romantic carpenter building his dream house. Like a semi-lucid dream where a warm, hazy sky is breaking like a glow stick into twilight hues and you’re on a beautiful old double decker steam train with a rooftop standing area. You’re whizzing by vibrant green fields of gigantic flowers, their petals flapping slowly in the wind like sheets drying on a line. Old oak trees growing fruits in colours that don’t exist yet. Glowing fireflies just above your head like painterly orange astronomy. In the dream it’s New Years Eve but in the dream everyday is New Years Eve and you could very well spend everyday alone with your dream power. — 8 years ago
Still absolutely gigantic and wound up, taking a whole day to give dried flowers and blackberry jam in addition to its massive, tongue-stripping, tannic backbone. Structure to lay down for another 25 years, easy. A bit hard to approach and intense now. — 3 years ago
Black currant, cedar, tar, cigar box, coffee, vanilla. Quite a complex nose. The palate is very concentrated with a strong acid backbone, and some dark and dense matter with black currant and somehow dusty tannins that kick everything up. The finish is very long and very wide with some bitterness popping up, black currant, and a pinch of salt. We paired this baby with a gigantic beef T-bone. Perfect pairing. It's still very young and needs time. Not a 9 because it's still too young — 7 years ago
A gigantic back-palate fantasia!! — 8 years ago
1999 Sine Qua Non “Ox” Pinot Noir from the wonderful Shea Vineyard in Yamhill County, Oregon. 14% alcohol. I’ve always loved the simple label on this gigantic bottle with the cavernous punt. And I was all ready to wax poetic about the romance of opening one of these older SQNs as, based on a couple of recent tastings, I was told that this bottle is well over the hill. Well, that just ain’t so. At least not with this bottle which has been lovingly stored since release. Now I’m not going to try and convince you that the “Ox” is at its peak, but the old girl still has some tricks up her sleeve. Crystal clear, bright, medium garnet appearance. A little bricky on the edges. Smokey notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, truffles and clove on the nose. Quite vibrant palate of sweet strawberries and cola as well as spice box with a hint of vanilla, toast and that clove. A touch earthy. Nice acidity. Super silky mouthfeel. Short, but decent smokey finish with a bite reminiscent of Sweet Tarts candy. Tangy! Extremely enjoyable! Well made is well made. Chapeau Mr. Krankl! — 9 years ago


2015 vintage. Last tasted November 2021. FFN (fantastic effing nose). Still dry as hell. Still gigantic blueberries in the nose and flavors. Yes, the toffee and the (black) coffee hither and yon. A year and a half makes a difference as this drinks a tad more unified now. Looking for best drinking result? Dü it after 2028 till 2035. 4.10.23. — 3 years ago
78% syrah and 18% mourvedre (no grenache). This has similarities to the K syrah that I like but maybe a little more tannic and bitter. Enjoyable. 96 points RP, $119.99. Pretty gigantic alcohol, 15.6%. — 4 years ago
Dsgd 12/1/17 - how does one put this wine into words... it’s sheer complexity and unrivaled structural perfection. Its nose has caramel, mahogany, citrus, berries, flowers all packed into so many layers. The wine changes with air and temperature revealing all things interesting. They attack is so well balanced, as is the entire wine. It’s a black LBD of a wine with sequins all over. Not gigantic but also fully expressive, it sits on a throne of champagne royalty. — 6 years ago

Dark red in color. Gigantic fruit on the nose. I get cherry and strawberries. Hits the palate like velvet and is so refined, with just enough power. Tastes like candy! Extremely nice finish! You can't find a better wine at this price point!!!! — 8 years ago
Daniel M
This some great barolo right there. Rose petals, tar, cherry, almond, a bit of heat too. This is super inviting. The palate is long, acid driven, with lovely cherry notes all along and a lively mouthfeel. There are some almond and earthy notes too. Then comes the excitement, a gigantic drying tannic wall that comes in and disrupts completely a mouthfeel that will now show fruit, umami and that drying layer all over a long, long,long finish. — a year ago