Sine Qua Non

Manfred Krankl was born and raised in Austria, graduated from the Hotel School in Gmunden, and emigrated to the United States in 1980. He settled in Los Angeles and worked through a string of hospitality posts before co-founding Campanile in 1989 with chefs Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel, where he served as managing partner and wine director. His exposure to Rhone wines in that role shaped the palate that drove his later winemaking. The 1994 inaugural release, Queen of Spades, was four and a half barrels of Syrah sourced from Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley. Subsequent early wines, including Roussanne is Coming and the 1995 Tant Pis, were produced in collaboration with John Alban at Alban Vineyards in Edna Valley. The first dedicated SQN winery was an industrial warehouse in North Ventura, which served as the production base for many years before the purpose-built winery on the Cumulus estate in Oak View was completed in 2012.

• Krankl emigrated from Austria to the United States in 1980 and co-founded Campanile restaurant in Los Angeles in 1989 with Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel, serving as wine director and managing partner
• The 1994 inaugural Queen of Spades was four and a half barrels of Syrah sourced from Bien Nacido in Santa Maria Valley
• Subsequent early bottlings such as Roussanne is Coming and the 1995 Tant Pis were produced with John Alban at Alban Vineyards in Edna Valley
• Original winery in an industrial warehouse in North Ventura; the dedicated winery on the Cumulus estate in Oak View was completed in 2012

Every Sine Qua Non bottling through the 2018 vintage carried a unique name paired with original label artwork created by Krankl himself. He works primarily in linoleum and woodcut prints, with charcoal, pencil, and photography also appearing across the catalog. Names range from provocative to playful: The 17th Nail in My Cranium, Poker Face, The Hussy, Twisted and Bent, In Flagrante, Atlantis Fly Trap, and dozens more. Because no name has ever been repeated, collectors cannot reorder by familiar label. Beginning with the 2019 vintage, the winery shifted to releasing wines as the Distenta series, identified by sequential Roman numerals, citing increasing difficulty in registering unique wine names with federal authorities. The label artwork tradition continues under the Distenta naming.

• Each release through 2018 carried a one-time name and original Krankl-made artwork, never repeated
• Krankl works primarily in linoleum and woodcut prints, with charcoal, pencil, and photography in his repertoire
• Notable named wines include Queen of Spades, The 17th Nail in My Cranium, Poker Face, The Hussy, and In Flagrante
• From the 2019 vintage onward, wines are released as the Distenta series with sequential Roman numerals

Sine Qua Non sources from four estate vineyards across Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Eleven Confessions in the Sta. Rita Hills was planted in 2001 to 22 acres on a 33-acre site, planted to Syrah, Grenache, Roussanne, and Viognier, with Petite Sirah and Pinot Noir blocks added later. Cumulus in Oak View, south of Santa Barbara near Ojai, is the home vineyard where the winery sits; the first block was planted in 2004 and additional blocks followed in 2008, with roughly 12.5 planted acres of Syrah, Grenache, Roussanne, Petite Manseng, Touriga Nacional, Mourvedre, and Petite Sirah. The Third Twin was purchased in spring 2010 near Los Alamos, with original Syrah and Petite Sirah plantings dating to 2000 and an additional block added in 2011. Molly Aida, the smallest holding, is a roughly two-acre site at 1,800 feet in Tepusquet Canyon planted entirely to head-trained Mourvedre in a traditional bush vine style, with first harvest in 2015. The Krankls also draw from Bien Nacido on a contracted basis.

• Eleven Confessions: Sta. Rita Hills, 22 planted acres on a 33-acre site, planted 2001, Syrah / Grenache / Roussanne / Viognier with later Petite Sirah and Pinot Noir blocks
• Cumulus: Oak View, Ventura County, roughly 12.5 planted acres planted 2004 and 2008, home of the winery and exclusive fruit source for Next of Kyn
• The Third Twin: near Los Alamos, purchased spring 2010, original 2000 Syrah and Petite Sirah plantings plus a 2011 block
• Molly Aida: Tepusquet Canyon, roughly two acres at 1,800 feet elevation, head-trained Mourvedre with first harvest in 2015

Krankl's winemaking is deliberately small-scale and resists fixed formulas. Annual production runs to approximately 3,500 cases, the ceiling he describes as compatible with the personal attention each cuvee demands. Reds are built around Syrah and Grenache, typically bottled as separate vineyard or blend expressions rather than co-fermented, though Mourvedre and Petite Sirah appear in select cuvees. White wines are typically Roussanne-led blends with Viognier and sometimes Chardonnay. The fruit comes from cool to moderate Santa Barbara and Ventura County sites that allow long hang times without sacrificing freshness. Oak aging uses a mix of new and seasoned French barrels, with proportions varying by vintage character. The winery has explicitly stated it does not work from a recipe year to year, reinforcing the philosophy that each vintage is treated as a singular work.

• Annual production runs to approximately 3,500 cases, the practical ceiling for fully hands-on winemaking
• Red wines focus on Syrah and Grenache, typically bottled as separate cuvees rather than co-fermented blends
• White wines are Roussanne-led blends, often with Viognier and occasional Chardonnay
• French oak aging in varying proportions of new and seasoned barrels, calibrated to each vintage's character

Sine Qua Non has earned multiple perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate across its Syrah and Grenache bottlings, with critic reviews under Parker and his successors placing it among the most consistently celebrated California producers of the modern era. SQN Syrahs were among the first American Syrahs to attract serious auction and collector activity, and secondary-market prices for older or rare named bottlings routinely run into the high hundreds or low thousands of dollars per bottle. All wines are sold through a long-standing mailing list, and admission can take many years from the wait list. Initial allocations are small, often a few bottles of Syrah, with the possibility of expanding to fuller cases over time. There is no tasting room and no direct winery sales. The reputation cluster of Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, and Sine Qua Non has become a shorthand for California's pinnacle cult tier.

• Multiple perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate across Syrah and Grenache bottlings
• Among the first American Syrahs to generate meaningful auction-market trading volume
• Sold exclusively via mailing list; admission via wait list can take many years
• Sister labels include Next of Kyn, the Krankls' own second label from Cumulus fruit, and a separate Third Twin label