Sine Qua Non

Manfred Krankl grew up in Austria and graduated from the Hotel School in Gmunden before emigrating to the United States in 1980. After settling in Los Angeles and working a variety of hospitality jobs, he became the wine director at Campanile, the celebrated restaurant he and his wife Elaine helped establish. It was at Campanile that Krankl developed his palate and passion for Rhone wines, particularly those from the Northern Rhone and Chateauneuf-du-Pape. His early winemaking experiments began in collaboration with John Alban of Alban Vineyards, and the Krankls also produced a wine called Black and Blue with Havens Cellars. In 1994, they released their first wine under the Sine Qua Non label: Queen of Spades, three barrels of Syrah. The idea was originally that the wines could be sold through the restaurant if the project succeeded. It succeeded beyond anything they imagined.

• Krankl graduated from the Hotel School in Gmunden, Austria, before moving to the U.S. in 1980
• Served as wine director at Campanile restaurant in Los Angeles, where he developed his Rhone wine passion
• Early wines made in collaboration with John Alban at Alban Vineyards in Edna Valley
• First SQN release in 1994: Queen of Spades, three barrels of Syrah with a label Krankl designed himself
• Built the SQN winery in Oak View, Ventura County, in 1997 as production outgrew borrowed cellar space

One of Sine Qua Non's most distinctive features was the tradition of giving every wine a unique name and original label for each vintage. Krankl, a talented visual artist, created the artwork himself, working primarily in linoleum and woodcut prints, though he also uses pencil, charcoal, and photography. The names ranged from provocative to poetic: The 17th Nail in My Cranium, Poker Face, The Hussy, Twisted and Bent, In Flagrante, and Rattrapante, among dozens of others. This meant that collectors could never simply reorder 'last year's wine' because it literally did not exist under the same name. Beginning with the 2019 vintage, Krankl announced the end of unique naming due to the increasing difficulty of registering new wine names with federal authorities. The wines are now labeled Distenta (Latin for 'unlabeled'), followed by a Roman numeral indicating the sequence, with Distenta I for the 2019 releases. The labels still feature Krankl's original artwork.

• Every vintage through 2018 received a unique name and original label art, with no wine name ever repeated
• Krankl creates the art himself, primarily using linoleum cuts and woodcut prints
• Notable names include Queen of Spades, The 17th Nail in My Cranium, Poker Face, The Hussy, and In Flagrante
• From the 2019 vintage onward, wines are labeled Distenta with sequential Roman numerals due to trademark registration difficulties
• A coffee-table book, The Art of SQN, documents the label artwork and creative process

Sine Qua Non sources fruit exclusively from four estate vineyards in Santa Barbara County, each chosen for specific characteristics suited to Rhone varieties. Eleven Confessions, 22 acres in the Santa Rita Hills, was the first estate vineyard, with plantings beginning around 2001. It includes 10 acres of Syrah, 8 acres of Grenache, 3 acres of Roussanne, and 1 acre of Viognier. The cool maritime climate produces very late harvests, often extending into November, resulting in long hang time and fully developed flavors without over-ripeness. Cumulus Vineyard, also in Santa Rita Hills, covers 33 acres and serves as the Krankl family home. The Third Twin, near Los Alamos in northern Santa Barbara County, is the largest holding at 35 acres. The smallest and most specialized is Molly Aida, a 1.5-acre site in Tepusquet Canyon planted entirely to head-trained Mourvedre in the traditional Chateauneuf-du-Pape style.

• Eleven Confessions: 22 acres in Santa Rita Hills, planted to Syrah, Grenache, Roussanne, and Viognier; harvests often extend into November
• Cumulus: 33 acres in Santa Rita Hills, the Krankl family home vineyard, primarily Syrah and Grenache
• The Third Twin: 35 acres near Los Alamos in northern Santa Barbara County
• Molly Aida: 1.5 acres of head-trained Mourvedre in Tepusquet Canyon, farmed in traditional Chateauneuf-du-Pape fashion

Krankl's winemaking is resolutely hands-on and non-formulaic. He describes the maximum output of roughly 3,500 cases, or about 140 standard sixty-gallon barrels, as the absolute ceiling for a process that requires personal attention at every stage. The reds are built around Syrah and Grenache, typically bottled separately rather than blended, though Mourvedre and Petite Sirah appear in certain cuvees. White wines blend Roussanne, Viognier, and occasionally Chardonnay into rich, layered bottlings. SQN wines tend toward power and concentration but maintain a core of freshness from the cool Santa Barbara County vineyard sites. Oak aging uses a mix of new and seasoned French barrels, with the proportion and duration varying by vintage. Krankl has stated that he does not follow a recipe from year to year, reinforcing the philosophy that each vintage is a singular creation.

• Annual production capped at approximately 3,500 cases (140 barrels), the maximum for fully hands-on winemaking
• Red wines focus on Syrah and Grenache, usually bottled as separate cuvees rather than blended together
• White wines blend Roussanne, Viognier, and sometimes Chardonnay
• French oak aging with varying proportions of new wood depending on vintage character
• No fixed recipe or formula: each vintage is treated as a unique, unrepeatable expression

Sine Qua Non has earned 14 perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, a tally matched by very few producers worldwide. Among the wines that achieved perfect scores are the 2003 The Inaugural, the 2014 Syrah Piranha Waterdance, the 2014 Grenache Shakti, the 2015 Syrah Trouver L'Arene, and the 2013 Grenache Jusqu'a l'os. SQN Syrahs were among the first American Syrahs to generate significant trading volume and collector interest in the global wine auction market. Prices on the secondary market routinely reach several hundred to over a thousand dollars per bottle, with rare vintages and large formats commanding substantially more. The combination of tiny production, unique labeling, consistently extraordinary quality, and near-impossible access has made SQN one of the defining cult wines of the modern era, mentioned alongside Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, and Domaine de la Romanee-Conti.

• 14 perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
• Notable 100-point wines include 2003 The Inaugural, 2014 Piranha Waterdance (Syrah), 2014 Shakti (Grenache), and 2015 Trouver L'Arene (Syrah)
• Among the first American Syrahs to achieve significant auction market trading volume
• Secondary market prices range from several hundred to over a thousand dollars per bottle
• Frequently grouped with Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate as the pinnacle of California cult wine

The only way to purchase Sine Qua Non at release is through the winery's mailing list, which has roughly 1,475 members. Prospective buyers join a waiting list that currently stretches approximately six to seven years before receiving their first allocation. Once admitted, new members typically start with a small allocation, often three bottles of Syrah, with the possibility of expanding to the full six-bottle original wooden case (three Syrah and three Grenache) over time. The mailing list releases happen twice per year, and members must accept their allocation to retain their position. Release prices generally range from around $200 to $350 per bottle, a fraction of what the same wines command on the secondary market. There is no tasting room, and the winery does not sell wine at the door. This extreme scarcity is not a marketing strategy but a natural consequence of the tiny production and Krankl's insistence on personal oversight of every aspect of winemaking.

• Wines sold exclusively through a mailing list of approximately 1,475 members
• Waiting list to join the mailing list is roughly six to seven years
• Initial allocations typically start at three bottles of Syrah; full allocation is a six-bottle OWC (three Syrah, three Grenache)
• Release prices range from approximately $200 to $350 per bottle, far below secondary market values
• No tasting room or direct winery sales outside the mailing list

In addition to the main SQN label, the Krankl family produces wines under two related labels. Next of Kyn is the project of Manfred and Elaine's son, Sven Krankl, who works with fruit from the family's estate vineyards to produce his own Rhone-variety wines. The Third Twin is a separate label that takes its name from the estate vineyard near Los Alamos and offers wines at a slightly different price point, though still in very limited quantities. Both labels share the same commitment to quality and personal winemaking that defines the parent estate, and both are offered to the SQN mailing list.

• Next of Kyn is produced by Sven Krankl, Manfred and Elaine's son, using estate fruit
• The Third Twin label is named after the 35-acre vineyard near Los Alamos
• Both labels are offered through the SQN mailing list and share the family's hands-on winemaking approach