Benchmark Wines by

Screaming Eagle

The Winery

Screaming Eagle

"A winemaker never, never changes the character of a wine. The character comes from the grapes."
- Michel Rolland, consulting winemaker

Jean Phillips, a former real estate agent, bought the 57 acre Oakville vineyard in 1986 which was planted to a mix of varieties, most of which Phillips sold to various Napa wineries except 1-acre, approximately 80 vines of Cabernet Sauvignon, which she kept for herself. Heidi Peterson Barrett, who became Screaming Eagle's first winemaker, joined the team for the 1992 vintage.

The entire vineyard was replanted in 1995 to three varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Cabernet Franc. The 1992 vintage, released in 1995, through a combination of very low production numbers and highly positive reviews (wine critic Robert Parker awarded the wine 99 points), resulted in Screaming Eagle becoming one of the most celebrated and expensive wines in the Napa Valley.

In March of 2006, the estate was sold to Charles Banks and Stanley Kroenke. Kroenke is now the sole owner of the property. The annual production ranges from 400 to 750 cases (between 5,000 and 9,000 750ml bottles). The vineyards are managed by David Abreu. The current winemaker is Nick Gislason with the world-renowned Michel Rolland as a consultant.

www.screamingeagle.com

2008
Out of Stock
750ml
AP98
JS97
WCI96
V96
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Tasting Notes

JS97
This has a wonderful balance to it. It shows intense aromas of flowers and dark fruits with hints of incense and sandalwood. Changes all the time. Then goes to currants and flowers. Full and firm with a wonderful core of silky tannins that are polished and beautiful. Dark chocolate, vanilla bean, and dark fruit. Solid and firm. You could easy drink this but it has structure for aging as well.
V96
Dark ruby-red. Aromas of crushed blackberry, liquid stone, licorice pastille, violet and graphite. Wonderfully sappy and energetic, with berry, licorice and stone flavors dominating. This extremely suave, sweet cabernet boasts terrific intensity and precision. Finishes with lush tannins and outstanding persistence. Screaming Eagle will eventually include 10% to 12% cabernet franc, noted winemaker Andy Erickson. Both this vintage and the young 2009 have pHs around 3.7. This wine was a bit disorganized when I tasted it from barrel a year ago but it has turned out splendidly.

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