Sine Qua Non 2007: Labels Syrah and Pictures Grenache

Manfred Krankl was born in Austria. Following an education capped by a degree from the Hotel School in Gmunden, Austria, in 1980, Manfred Krankl moved and settled in Los Angeles, California where he met his future wife and partner Elaine.

In Los Angeles, Manfred Krankl worked a myriad of jobs before starting his tenure as the director of wines at Campanile in 1989. At the same time, Manfred Krankl began conducting his first experiments as a wine maker. His initial efforts were produced in partnership with other, younger, but already established efforts. The first two releases were from the 1990 vintage.

Sine Qua Non was officially founded in 1994, by Manfred and Elaine Krankl, within a few years, Sine Qua Non began making the benchmark wines for Rhone wine varietals produced in California. 

The first official release from Sine Qua Non, “1994 Queen of Spades” is one of the most collectible and expensive wines made in the history of California. Produced from 100% Syrah, a whopping 100 cases were produced.

There is no winery on earth that competes with what Manfred and Elaine Krankl have done at Sine Qua Non for creativity. Since 1990, Manfred Krankl has produced unique wines in every vintage he has produced before and after creating Sine Qua Non.

Not only do all of the wines have different blends year after year, but each wine has a unique name, label and bottle shape. The wine and the bottles are hand crafted works of art. Each label created and designed by Manfred Krankl. 

Sine Qua Non is a wine many Rhone wine fans claim is an essential element in their cellar. Some collectors say the wines are indispensable. This makes sense when you consider that Sine Qua Non is an archaic, Latin legal term which is loosely translated into an essential action, condition, or ingredient, that without which, something cannot be. This is clearly the case because Sine Qua Non holds the record for the highest price paid for a single bottle of a contemporary wine as well as for the most expensive bottle of California wine.

In May, 2014, one bottle of the 1995 “Queen of Hearts,” a rose’ wine sold at an auction for the astronomical sum of $37,200! That price is even more incredible when you consider the buyer also paid a buyer’s commission bringing the total to almost $ 45,000 for one bottle of wine! That amazing record was soon broken when a second bottle was sold two weeks later for $ 58,075, smashing the previous record! Not much of this was produced. In fact only one barrel of wine was made, which yielded a whopping 25 cases. The wine was sold directly to some very lucky customers on the Sine Qua Non mailing list. 

Following the record setting price for both bottles of Sine Qua Non rose’ wine, as only Manfred Krankl can and would do, as a bonus to his mailing list customers, in the next release of Sine Qua Non, Krankl offered the 2013 rose’ “And an Eight Track’ for the grand sum of one cent! That’s right. Customers taking their full order were offered the rose’ for just one penny. That is only one example of why Elaine and Manfred Krankl are such class acts.

The majority of the Sine Qua Non production is sold through a mailing list with a wait list of several thousand thirsty fans.

Sine Qua Non has used a variety of vineyard sources over the years, mostly from the Santa Maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Rita Hills. In their formative years, Sine Qua Non entered into farming contracts and purchased grapes. Today, much of their fruit comes from their own vines planted in the Santa Rita Hills Appellation. In 2001, they planted their 22 acre vineyard, named Eleven Confessions Vineyard to 10 acres of Syrah, 8 acres of Grenache, 3 acres of Roussanne and 1 acre of Viognier. Today, the Eleven Confessions vineyard is the source for fruit used for the extended aging bottles.

Their vineyards are more than a place for growing grapes. It is also quite the pet menagerie. Depending on where you are, you can easily find horses, cows, turkeys, donkeys, cats and dogs.

The Wine Cellar Insider