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The May 2025 Auction: Part 5
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1 / 2Lot 509
Estimate: $650
OC.
This auction has ended. Bidding is closed.
Collection name
Reviews
100JD
"Another killer wine, and one that tops out on my scale, the 2018 Syrah . . . checks in as 93% Syrah, 2% each of Grenache and Mourvèdre, and the rest 3% Roussanne that saw just 22% stems and spent 20 months in 68% new French oak. Dense purple-hued, with awesome notes of smoked black fruits, smoked game, ground pepper, beef blood, spice, and violets, this beauty is full-bodied and elegant, with a perfect mid-palate and a great, great finish. Only the second release from this winery, this incredible Syrah seemingly has one foot in California with its ripe, sexy fruit and one foot in the Northern Rhone with its gamy, meaty, peppery, and wildly complex style. While it doesn’t have the same weight as say Sine Qua Non, Alban, or Andremily, it’s flawlessly balanced, insanely complex, and has a style all its own . . . . Don’t miss it! While the name has been changed from Faethm to Fingers Crossed due to trademark issues, the quality of the wines here is still through the roof, and this estate is unquestionably one of the up and coming superstars of California. Run by Nicolas and Julia Krankl (Nicolas is the son of Sine Qua Non’s Manfred Krankl), Fingers Crossed produces rich, powerful wines that display a beautiful sense of freshness and elegance, incredible complexity, and, as I hope the reviews here show, world-class quality. But these are not Sine Qua Non copycats – they have their own style, slightly more Old World-styled and with notable stem influence, yet they still deliver serious amounts of classic California fruit. As with all great wines, they have singular characters. I was able to follow these bottles for multiple days, and they only improved, so give them plenty of air, or better yet, a handful of years in a cold cellar."
Region
Red
Country
Score
"Another killer wine, and one that tops out on my scale, the 2018 Syrah . . . checks in as 93% Syrah, 2% each of Grenache and Mourvèdre, and the rest 3% Roussanne that saw just 22% stems and spent 20 months in 68% new French oak. Dense purple-hued, with awesome notes of smoked black fruits, smoked game, ground pepper, beef blood, spice, and violets, this beauty is full-bodied and elegant, with a perfect mid-palate and a great, great finish. Only the second release from this winery, this incredible Syrah seemingly has one foot in California with its ripe, sexy fruit and one foot in the Northern Rhone with its gamy, meaty, peppery, and wildly complex style. While it doesn’t have the same weight as say Sine Qua Non, Alban, or Andremily, it’s flawlessly balanced, insanely complex, and has a style all its own . . . . Don’t miss it! While the name has been changed from Faethm to Fingers Crossed due to trademark issues, the quality of the wines here is still through the roof, and this estate is unquestionably one of the up and coming superstars of California. Run by Nicolas and Julia Krankl (Nicolas is the son of Sine Qua Non’s Manfred Krankl), Fingers Crossed produces rich, powerful wines that display a beautiful sense of freshness and elegance, incredible complexity, and, as I hope the reviews here show, world-class quality. But these are not Sine Qua Non copycats – they have their own style, slightly more Old World-styled and with notable stem influence, yet they still deliver serious amounts of classic California fruit. As with all great wines, they have singular characters. I was able to follow these bottles for multiple days, and they only improved, so give them plenty of air, or better yet, a handful of years in a cold cellar."
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The fourth-largest wine producer in the world, led by California. American fine wine is defined by ripe, expressive fruit and a spirit of innovation, with Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon among the most sought-after wines globally.
Syrah (Shiraz) produces dark, powerful reds with black fruit, pepper and smoked-meat notes. It yields elegant, perfumed wines in the northern Rhone and bold, rich styles in Australia.