Just received the “no soup for you” email from SQN.
I signed up in April of 2014.
10+ years waiting…really?
Curious as to others’ wait times.
Honestly, running out of patience.
I guess it’s good on them for their success, but this is annoying.
Not really something to get annoyed about, in my opinion. It’s a supply and demand thing. If you really want the wines, you can get them on the secondary market for close to their “retail“ price, sometimes better.
$275 a bottle? Not sure I’d be annoyed to save that kind of dough.
At least back to 2016 for me. Don’t really want it now. Have discovered so much more that I like.
Pretty much available at release prices through auction these days, yeah?
And you can get them with age as well
Sweet lactating Mary, is that what they’re charging now?
It was like $175 when I got my allocation (after a number of years). Passed, with zero regrets.
This release was $190/per. January release $275.
The $275 sticker price is for the EBA varieties, right?
Correct. 3ish years in barrel I believe.
Thanks
Search for them on winebid.com. There’s 7 pages.
Their shipping charges are steep and with taxes it adds $20-$30/bottle so you cost for the Spring release is > $200 and the EBA >$300. The 2019 Distenta 1 Syrah is on winebid for $185. Even with the auction premium, you’re only paying maybe $10 more than direct customers. And if you want something with age, the 13 Male Syrah is available for $190.
And… the most current EBA set, from 2020, which got bashed by the WA critic (93 pts!), is on there for well below cost. The worst rated EBA (before 2020) was 2011 Patine. I think it’s fine. You can buy that for about the same price I paid when I bought it directly from them 10 years ago.
Bashed with a 93?? LOL
I signed up in 2014 as well. Dropped a year or so ago as I realized these wines aren’t for me. But was still on the wait list when I dropped.
As for ‘annoyed’, producers have decisions to make in terms of how they allocate wines, and they can’t be everything to everyone. Short of expanding supply, their options are to keep the status quo, or cut allocations to existing customers in order to satisfy some slice of the new demand. That risks both alienating old customers (fewer wines as a ‘reward’ for having been loyal customers for some period of time), and annoying new ones (I’m now on the list but not getting the wines I want).
Yeah, I got my venting out of the way. I’m better now. I respect the SQN folks for how successfully they’ve run their business.
Dear Pertinacious Pursuers ~
With the dawn of another harvest soon to be upon us, one of our more unpleasant responsibilities of the year comes along with it: the task of informing our beloved waiting list that we do not have enough wine to be able to offer to all those that are interested. This isn’t done to emphasize your misfortune or rub dirt in your metaphorical wound, more so we want to communicate with you that we are aware of you and your unpleasant wait, and we want to assure you that we’re doing everything in our power to pull you out of the pit lane and move you onto the starting grid. We aren’t withholding wine from you for some type of sadistic exclusionary gratification, but our team is human and suffers the limitations that come with that. Trust us when we say that it is our deepest desire to get our wine into the hands of those that want to drink it, a never-ending task that we are constantly trying to improve upon. If the wait to purchase directly from us is too unbearable, a portion of our wines are offered through distributors worldwide and the following wines will be entering the marketplace in early 2025:
2020 Eleven Confessions Vineyard Syrah
2020 Eleven Confessions Vineyard Grenache
2021 White Distenta Ⅲ
2022 Syrah Distenta Ⅳ
2022 Grenache Distenta Ⅳ
Every bottle has had an immense amount of love poured into it through numerous hands involved in its production. Each finished flask reached its final destination as the result of an extreme amount of care by all parties involved, so if you were to serendipitously find one of these wines in your favorite wine shop or restaurant, we would strongly encourage you to try them.
We would also like to call your attention to Sine Qua Non’s two sister brands:
These projects are both significantly smaller than Sine Qua Non, and highlight the growths from two of our ranches, Cumulus and The Third Twin. While they are separate from Sine Qua Non, they are made side by side with it by the same staff under the same roof, maintaining the same high standard quality that we pride ourselv
Thank you for your continued patience, we know the wait can feel painfully long, please don 't let that discourage your interest. The entire SQN team is working to make something worthy of your pertinacity.
A grateful cheers and best wishes from a sunny corner in California,
Elaine & Manfred Krankl
if you want to try the wines, they are easily acquired in single-bottle quantities at below release prices…the list really is for fans that want assured quantities. Provenance seems assured since these trade at or below acquisition cost, so there isn’t really an active flipper market that goes through multiple hands. If you are convinced that you want to have six+ of these wines every release with the convenience of a click-through purchase process, then the list wait is worth your time. If you got on the list to see what the fuss is all about, just go buy some in the secondary market. You will pay more, on average, for being on the list than if you just go shop the secondary market at this point.
fred
There are 42 bottles of 2020 Distena II on WineBid right now!
Fred Bower…all good points. I got a Distenta I Syrah on Winebid last year ($215, $252 w/buyer’s premium) and now I see it’s down to $185/btl on Winebid. No regrets as it was the first SQN I’d had and wanted to see if it was to my liking. Discovered that I like the Andremily Reds (ALL of them) better then that SQN Distenta. Small sample size for sure, but informative nonetheless.
I’m done perseverating on the SQN wait list time thanks to the WB feedback and I will now enjoy my Andremily.
I had signed up for the Sine Qua Non list in 2013 and in July of 2023, I had received my first allocation. I was so excited. I kinda felt like I learned Santa Claus was real. I was previously on the Scarecrow list since 2012 and realized the price had doubled on the most recent offer. Since having a toddler to pay for, I felt 2x in price was a sign that it was time to move on. I plan to stick with Sine Qua Non for awhile.
Keep in mind, a WA 93 is a Suckling 100.
Gotta remember your rating conversions.