2001 Sine Qua Non "On Your Toes" California Syrah (lightly torn label)

The virtually perfect 2001 On Your Toes is 100% Syrah (aged 39 months in new oak) from three vineyard sources, White Hawk, Alban, and Stolpman. I have already consumed two bottles of this extraordinary wine and, amazingly, the oak is less noticeable than in SQN’s Syrahs bottled after a normal elevage of 24-26 months in wood. It boasts a gorgeous blue/purple color to the rim as well as exceptional aromas of pure creme de cassis and blackberries intertwined with acacia flowers, licorice, and delicate, subtle toast notes. In the mouth, it is pure silk. An opulent, voluptuously-textured offering that cascades over the palate with no hard edges and nothing out of place, it is a brilliant tour de force in winemaking that can be drunk now or cellared for more than a decade. (RP)