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96 points Wine Spectator
Sharply defined, this hits all the right notes, with ripe, supple, seductive and detailed plum, berry, cherry, floral and spice flavors woven together. Picks up mineral, cedar, tar and anise on the long, elegant finish. (11/1999)
93 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Saturated ruby-red color. Complex aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, currant, marzipan, licorice and honeysuckle. Very rich and dense, but quite tightly wound; cassis, mint and tobacco flavors blossomed with aeration. Very long, firmly tannic finish. This wine was lusher and more expressive after 24 hours in the recorked bottle, showing a roasted coffee bean quality, with no loss of shape or freshness. Screaming Eagle has been remarkably consistent in recent vintages, and is one of a relative handful of California cabernets that conveys a strong sense of site specificity. (12/1999)
Wine Description
The Story
“First and foremost, I will be perpetuating the fresh, delicate style of wine that has been the Screaming Eagle hallmark since 1992. Across two winemakers before me (Heidi and Andy), that style has stayed remarkably consistent, which is part of the uniqueness of this ranch. The character of the vineyard really asserts itself. What will be new is the discovery of the young vine plots, and the ways that we can farm them individually to get the best site expression possible. It is a winemaker’s dream to be able to truly understand and manage a vineyard acre by acre and spend an enormous amount of time out there with the vines,” Nick Gislason, Winemaker.
One would not say that Screaming Eagle offers value versus price, but like Romanee-Conti it exists in another league. There is so little produced, with most of the production remaining in the US to be consumed domestically, that the global market clammers for whatever it can secure. Screaming Eagle is spectacular wine, a massive, fruit forward beast, with incredible dark fruits and power: it is a wonderful, special and breath-taking wine to drink.