Sine Qua Non Stock Syrah 2012

The 2012 Sine Qua Non Syrah Stock, a step up from the Grenache, is a blend of 84 percent Syrah, 7% Grenache, 6% Petit Sirah, and the balance Viognier and Mourvedre, fermented with 32 percent entire clusters and matured in slightly over half new French wood. It has a full-bodied, unctuous, complex, yet always graceful and delicate feel on the palate, with notes of blackcurrants, cassis, smoked meats, ground pepper, and wild herbs. It’s nicely built, with ideal overall balance, and it retains the vintage’s open-knit character while also revealing plenty of underlying structure, which is currently obscured by the wine’s generous fruit.