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  • Country ranking ?

    151
  • Producer ranking ?

    18
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now - 2045
  • Food Pairing

    roasted chicken

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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98 points Vinous

 The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is stunning. A wine that is only now beginning to shed its tannin, the 2006 stands out for its vibrancy and energy. All of the classic Screaming Eagle notes are in the glass, but with a little more edge and cut than in most vintages. Sweet red berries, crushed rocks, flowers and spice box are alive in the glass. Over time, hints of sage, mint rosemary and pencil shavings add complexity. The 2006 is a decidedly cool-weather wine with less opulence than either the 2007 or 2009, but it is absolutely singing today. Another few years will only help the wine come together even more fully, but it is impossible to miss the 2006's utterly breathtaking beauty. (AG)

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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.

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Wine Information

The Screaming Eagle is the world’s most spoken about cult wine. In 15 short years, the wine, produced in miniscule quantities in a shed in Oakville, has become a wine lover’s ultimate dream to taste. It is not just its rarity that makes this wine taste different to others. It is the charmingly refined style that makes Screaming Eagle so appealing, with its satiny tannins, vivid acidity and very sophisticated fruitiness. It is not a big blockbuster wine with overextraction. Instead it is an opulent and refined wine that not only drinks well when young but also has great ageing potential.


The terroir
Located at the foot of the Vaca Mountains in Oakville, the vineyard has a multilayered soil composition that is rich in iron. The well-draining volcanic rock mixes well with clay, ensuring the right balance of stress for the vines. The daily cooling fog influence helps the grapes to keep their freshness.
“I believe these red, volcanic soils produce some of the most compelling Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc-based wines in the world.” Andrew Erickson adds.

Philosophy in winemaking
“The goal is to bring out the terroir, and the natural qualities of the fruit. As I described, the natural freshness and elegance in wine are two defining features that I want to highlight, along with the richness and minerality.” Andrew Erickson states and adds: “Most of the work that takes place is done in the vineyard; getting the appropriate crop load, the right amount of sun on the fruit, and picking when the fruit is properly ripe, and not too ripe. In the winery we try to let the wines evolve naturally while taking great care to retain the fruit character in the wine. In the end, the vineyard should be what shows, and not the hand of the winemaker.” Erickson emphasises.

Historical backround
One of the most respected real estate brokers in Napa, Jean Philips had brokered deals for Bill Harlan, the Araujos, and the Dalla Valles, among others. When she stepped on to the Screaming Eagle property in the 1980s, she knew this was a magical place and that she had to have it. The rest is history. The new owner, Stanley Kroeknie, has invested heavily in site reconstruction, as well as in plantings and the team, which includes David Abreu as the vineyard consultant. 2009 will most likely be the last harvest to be vinified in the old facilities.

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Tasting note

color

Deep, Purple and Bright

ending

Long, Flavorful and Spicy

flavors

Blackcurrant, Mint, Vanilla, Coffee, Cedar and Cigar-box

nose

Wide, Fresh, Ripe and Refined

taste

High in Acidity, Warming, High tannin, Balanced, Concentrated, Well-structured, Youthful, Full-bodied, Ripe, Fresh, Dry and Drying tannins

Verdict

Fine

Written Notes

Already some evolution evident at the rim. Very scented, flirtatious bouquet with real lift and some earthiness. There’s a hint of very dark savoury chocolate on the nose but the wine is far from heavy and sweet. Transparent and expressive with a dry finish. Very appetising yet obviously the produce of a warm season on a special terroir, like turbo charged claret. Persistent with a dry kick on the finish.

  • 96p

(includes 17% merlot) Good full red-ruby. Slightly medicinal aromas of red berries, minerals, brown spices, menthol and tobacco leaf. Pliant, generous and sweet, with lovely depth to the red berry, plum and tobacco flavors. This subtly complex wine rises and expands on the very long back end, dusting the mouth with flavor. Still a bit youthfully tight and in need of patience. A superb vintage for this wine, and a fitting swan song for the "old style" of Screaming Eagle. The cabernet franc was left out of the wine because it was "too drying," noted winemaker Andy Erickson, who made the final blend very late and bottled the wine last September.

  • 95p

This is a reserved Screaming Eagle with savory herbs and rosemary on the nose with firm, velvety tannins on the palate. Round, supple and not very expressive now even though it was decanted for two hours. The wine is still incredibly youthful and may be going through an awkward/sleeping period now. Given its structure though, this wine has a long life ahead. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon in this blend with 18% Merlot.

  • 94p
It’s still so young, and densely concentrated – and based on previous impressions of young Screaming Eagle, I found it to be a bit more powerful and rich, and also closed, than expected. I took almost one hour in the decanter for the more common cassis aromas to be expressed. At first, it was a bit closed, almost shy, although the sommelier decanted it one hour before I tasted it, but during the next hour, it really opened up! From a red fruit nose, then the roast of the lightly toasted French barrels, then the dark purple fruit explosion – wow, it’s so much going on here. Talking about fruits, there’s more blueberries than cassis in this vintage, perhaps that’s a vintage thing, or a new style. Anyhow, the overall impression is the same as in all vintages I have tasted of this extremely rare wine – the sensual and silky texture, which I believe derives from the soil, the terroir. It’s like a body builder in a silk costume. To get the best out of this beauty, I would give it some more years of bottle age, or at least two hours in a decanter. If at all you get your hand of a bottle.
  • 97p
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Information

Origin

Oakville, Napa Valley
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