Into Neck

100 points Wine Advocate

The mind-boggling 2003 The Inaugural Syrah is an emotional experience to taste as well as drink. Aged 38½ months in French oak, it was fashioned entirely from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard, which is planted with Syrah clones #470, 174, and the Estrella River and Alban field selections. This stunning Syrah boasts a magnificent bouquet of spring flowers, blueberries, blackberries, charcoal, licorice, and roasted meats. It hits the palate with remarkable intensity, purity, and full-bodied power, but it somehow manages to dance across the taste buds with the gracefulness of a ballerina. Awesomely long, I still tasted this wine 60 seconds after I had spit it out -- no easy task, even for a professional. This majestic Syrah should be a modern day legacy for Sine Qua Non, ranking alongside the other stunning Syrahs they have produced... (RP) (8/2007)

99 points Vinous

The 2003 Syrah The Inaugural, the first wine off of Sine Qua Non's Eleven Confessions vineyard, is simply stunning. Dark, rich and magnificently layered in the glass, the Inaugural boasts captivating aromatics married to intense, voluptuous fruit, all backed up by the silkiest tannins imaginable. Hints of mocha, spice, leather and dried flowers meld into the super-expressive, lifted finish. There isn't much else left to say, except the Inaugural is magnificent. (AG) (7/2014)