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Screaming Eagle 2016 released – “positively stunning”
Last week, Screaming Eagle 2016 was released in the USA at $1,050 per bottle (£800). Screaming Eagle, however, is produced in small quantities and releases are often based on long term relationships and allocations. As a result, the release price has risen considerably and the wine is now being offered by merchants for $3,000 per bottle (£2,325).
In October, Lisa Perotti-Brown MW (The Wine Advocate) scored the wine a barrel range of 98-100 points. However, Perotti-Brown said that “readers can assume that the final bottled score is likely to be at the upper most end of the ranges I’ve given”.
Antonio Galloni (Vinous) was also full of praise and awarded the wine a perfect 100 points. He described the wine as “positively stunning” and “magnificent!”
Screaming Eagle is considered one of the ultimate Californian cult wines and was added to the Liv-ex California 50 index – which tracks the price movements of the last ten physical vintages of the five most actively traded California wines – back in July 2018.
Due to its status as a Californian ‘First Growth’, Screaming Eagle allocations are highly sought after and the last ten vintages average £29,700 per 12×75, although a slight premium is awarded to those with 100-points, as the chart above shows.
With merchants offering the 2016 for £27,900 in the USA, a 6% discount to the average, followers of the estate may find value in this release. However, with several years in bottle and 100-points from Robert Parker, the 2012 vintage also looks attractive.
Screaming Eagle 2017
Perotti-Brown’s tasting note also included a comment by Screaming Eagle’s winemaker, Nick Gislason, on the estate’s 2017 vintage which was affected by the October Wildfires that hit northern California. In the note, Gislason said that “the vast majority of our fruit was still on the vines maturing when the fires came, and thus, was lost to us. When the smoke finally cleared, we cut and discarded all of it. Any wine for a 2017 Screaming Eagle or Flight would be made exclusively from our tiny pre-fire harvest, is likely to be miniscule, and may not be released at all if it does not meet our quality standards”.
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.
Wine Information
Founded in 1986 by Jean Phillips, Screaming Eagle Winery and Vineyards was one of the original cult wineries. Located in Oakville, the 57-acre winery was by 1992 winning rave reviews from such critics as Robert M. Parker Jr. Heidi Peterson Barrett was the winemaker in those years and the wine became so sought-after that it was one of the first to be available only through mailing lists. Screaming Eagle makes primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, though it occasionally produces very limited amounts of Sauvignon Blanc. In 2006 Phillips sold the winery to businessman E. Stanley Kroenke, who continues to produce very limited quantities of about 400 to 600 cases a year. In 2012 the winery released Second Flight, a Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend.
Average Bottle Price
| 2023 | 2020 |
|---|---|
| 3 490€ +25.1% | 2 790€ |
This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.