94 pts - Wine Advocate
["Sine Qua Non has produced some spectacular Syrahs, buying fruit from the best sources in Santa Barbara - the Alban, Stolpman, and Bien Nacido vineyards. The 1996 Against The Wall Syrah is cut from the same mold as the 1997. The color is opaque black/purple, and the nose offers a combination of cassis/blackberry jamminess intermixed with tar, pepper, and spice. Thick, massively full, yet wonderfully rich and expansive, with admirable purity and mouth-staining levels of glycerin and extract, this full-bodied, silky-smooth Syrah is deceptively easy to drink, but I suspect it will age effortlessly for 15-20 years. All the Sine Qua Non wines reviewed in this segment are bottled with virtually no fining, and rarely any filtration. - Robert Parker"]
91 pts - Vinous
["91"]