Two Sides of the Same Coin: Schrader & Sine Qua Non

Today, we continue our producer spotlight series. And since the last several—Shafer Hillside Select, Dominus, and Pappy Van Winkle—all sold out within hours, we’re showcasing two wineries this week, so we hopefully don’t have to write as many “sorry, sold out” replies! The two superstars today are producers that have been just as instrumental in popularizing their respective corners of the world: Schrader Cellars with the Beckstoffer family’s world-class vineyard holdings, and Sine Qua Non with their Eleven Confessions estate vineyard (among other Central Coast locations).

Schrader Cellars fast made a name for itself since its founding in 1998, and is well on its way to a similar iconic status as Shafer. Most famous for their bevy of Beckstoffer To Kalon bottlings (especially the mag-only Old Sparky), this powerhouse producer has done perhaps the best job of anybody else in Napa Valley to showcase the diversity of To Kalon’s various parcels. Today, we’ve got an absolute embarrassment of riches from Schrader, going all the way back to 2004.

Not to be outdone, we close today’s offer with perhaps the greatest assortment of Sine Qua Non you’ve ever seen in one place. With over three dozen different wines, going back nearly a quarter of a century, with 16 different 100-pt wines, this is practically an unofficial SQN retrospective offer. Their reputation looms large over the California and Rhône variety winemaking landscapes, so there’s really not much to more say about this selection that hasn’t been said a thousand times. We will note that it’s sourced from consignors within the Domaine network, much of it stored in our warehouses since being shipped from SQN upon release.