Résisté White Wine 2013 75cl

Scheduled to be released in November 2015, the 2013 White Wine Resiste is a sensational white from California that's made from 45% Roussanne, 26% Chardonnay, 14% Petite Manseng, 10% Viognier and 5% Marsanne that spent 19 months in 46% new French oak and the balance in concrete eggs and used barrels. Possessing rock-star levels of richness and texture on the palate, with full-bodied depth and power that never seems heavy or cumbersome, it has classic SQN white notes of buttered golden fruits, honeysuckle, honeycomb, toast and white flowers. Unctuous, full-flavored and still lively and fresh, it needs 2-3 years of cellaring and will keep for two decades.<br/>There are few greater success stories in wine than that of Sine Qua Non’s Manfred Krankl. Austrian-born and showing up penniless in Los Angeles in 1980, he went on to create one of the greatest wine estates in the world today by sheer talent and work ethic. Despite being involved in a horrific motorcycle accident in September of 2014, he’s recovering admirably and was in great spirits during my visit. Looking at his latest releases, the 2011 extended-aged cuvees all show the cooler nature of the vintage, yet had phenomenal levels concentration and firm, tannic spines. I’m not sure they’re a step up over the earlier 2011 releases, but they’re without a doubt some of the top wines in the vintage. The 2012s are big, ripe and voluptuous wines more in the style of 2009s, yet perhaps with slightly less exuberance. The real shocker was the quality of the Next Of Kyn releases. These come all from his estate vineyard located around the winery in Oak View. I was blown away by both the ’11 and ’12, with the ’12 being the greatest wine yet from the estate.<br/>