Distenta IV Syrah 2022

Sine Qua Non is arguably California's most cult producer . Its wines are extremely rare , produced in small quantities , sometimes only a few barrels. Needless to say , you have to join a waiting list to get your hands on them . Another important characteristic is that the estate is owned by the iconoclastic Austrian artist and restaurateur Manfred Krakl . Krakl founded the winery with his wife , Elaine, in 1994 in Ventura , California, a city an hour north of Los Angeles. Each wine tells a story , has a different name , and a unique label , created, of course, by Manfred himself.

Jeb Dunnuck – Rated 96-98:

Composed of 82.7% Syrah, 6% Grenache, 5% Petite Sirah, 3% Mourvèdre, and 3% white grape varieties, the 2022 Syrah Distenta IV is a ripe, complex, and full-bodied vintage that promises to be exceptional. It offers a profusion of blue fruit, kirsch, pepper, and spice, all enhanced by a velvety and silky palate, smooth tannins, a lack of harshness, and remarkable length. This wine shows great promise from the outset and offers a striking contrast to the fresher and more structured 2021 vintage.

Vinous (Antonio Galloni) – Rated 96+:

The 2022 Syrah Distenta IV is a powerful and taut wine. Curiously, the Syrah is also much less approachable than the Grenache in this vintage. Wine lovers will need to be patient with the Distenta IV, as it doesn't fully reveal itself, despite its remarkable textural richness. I tasted the 2022 from a sample prepared just before bottling. I expect the finished wine to be more generous. Touches of Grenache, Petite Sirah, Mourvèdre, Muscat, and Petit Manseng round out the blend.

Wine Advocate (Robert Parker) – Rated 94+: 

The 2022 Syrah Distenta IV is composed of 82.7% Syrah, 6% Grenache, 5% Petite Sirah, 3.3% Mourvèdre, and small amounts of Petit Manseng and Muscat. It was aged for 23 months in 56% new French oak barrels and fermented with 31% whole clusters. The nose opens with powerful, smoky aromas of blue fruit, with pleasant notes of fennel, anise, and white pepper that quickly intensify. The palate is full, opulent, and highly extracted, enveloped in a smooth and precise texture that leads to a taut and intimate finish, unfolding in a manner similar to the nose. Although I suspect this wine will gain depth and complexity after a year or two, the style of these wines makes their hedonistic youth particularly appealing – and there will be more than enough to make it a pleasant wine when it is released in January 2025.

In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors to California that boosted the California wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in the Sonoma and Napa region. At the start of the 20th century, there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933 Prohibition destroyed the vast majority of the California wine industry so that by 1933, only 140 wineries remained producing wine. It was only from 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition and California was primarily known for the production of fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous estates were created (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc...). In 1976, a significant event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgment of Paris". He sees the greatest French wines opposing the new American wines. This May 24, an unexpected result shakes the world of wine, since to everyone's surprise, it is the United States which wins. However, this competition remains relatively unknown to the general public. Today, there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. Even though California largely monopolizes the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world and the state of Washington offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon.