The cult Cabernet of all cult Cabernets!
2009 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville...$2,199.98 per bottle
(lowest price on Wine-Searcher is $2,550)
Once again, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon pays homage to the 2007, but the aromas and flavors seems to be just a touch brighter, which might just be a function of the wine's age. A wine of remarkable precision, the 2009 is totally dialed in from start to finish. Layers of intensely sweet, perfumed fruit are woven together with remarkable elegance and sheer polish. Today, the 2009 isn't quite as radiant as it has been in the past, and seems headed for a stubborn phase. It is still striking, though. Even if a bit less exotic than the 2007, the two wines share a silkiness and overall sense of textural finesse. A translucent, weightless finish rounds things out in style. The 2009 is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot.
Rated 98/100 Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
A stunningly seamless effort, rich and elegant, this delivers perfumed black currant aromas that are supple and graceful, building and gaining with subtle tannins, laced with loamy earth. A dash of black licorice marks the long finish. Drink now through 2028. 750 cases made.
Rated 97/100 The Wine Spectator
The 2009 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon (87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot) displays a slightly peppery nose, but ratchets up the level of concentration with pure black currant and black cherry fruit as well as licorice and lead pencil shavings. This beautiful, dense, full-bodied 2009 is exceptionally elegant, pure and seamless. Drink it over the next 20-25 years. Under the ownership of Stan Kroenke, this vineyard has been replanted and a new cellar has been constructed. The production of Screaming Eagle has remained between 700-1,000 cases, and a second wine, the Second Flight, includes 520-800 cases. The introduction of a second wine is an attempt to keep Screaming Eagle at its mythical level of quality. This vineyard, situated on the valley floor at the Oakville Crossroads across the road from the Rudd Estate, encompasses 60 acres, but only a small percentage is used for these two cuvees. Based on the three vintages I tasted, it appears the Second Flight wines include much less Cabernet Sauvignon and more Merlot than the flagship Screaming Eagle.
Rated 96/100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
2016 Screaming Eagle The Flight.....$798.99
This is the best Flight I have ever had with so much merlot character coming through with black olives, hazelnuts, brown sugar and blackberries, as well as violets. Full-bodied yet linear and very long. Extremely refined and fresh. Needs a few years to come completely together, but already so refined.
Rated 99/100 James Suckling
The 2016 The Flight is gorgeous. Dark, brooding and closed in on itself, the 2016 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best, but it is incredibly beguiling today. Plum, black cherry, lavender, blood orange menthol, and a host of more mineral-driven notes punctuate this super-expressive wine. This is a decidedly tannic and powerful edition of The Flight. I can't wait to see how it ages. Bottled just six weeks before this tasting, the 2016 appears to have a very bright future. Time in the glass brings out some of the softer edges that will almost surely emerge with cellaring. The Flight is built on a core of older Merlot vines from the southeast corner of the estate. It is an absolutely riveting wine from Screaming Eagle.
Rated 98/100 Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
Composed roughly of two-thirds Merlot with 5% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep colored 2016 The Flight opens with bold, expressive notions of wild blueberries, warm plums and boysenberries with touches of black raspberries, spice cake, violets, dark chocolate and potpourri with a hint of menthol. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and jam-packed with energy, it has beautifully plush tannins texturing the multilayered blue and black fruits, delivering a very long, perfumed finish.
Rated 97+/100 The Wine Advocate
The 2016 The Flight is another beauty, and it's slightly more elegant and balanced, as well as pure, than the 2015. A blend of 66% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, this vibrant purple-colored effort offers a huge perfume of blue fruits, violets, and incense that develops with time in the glass. It's medium to full-bodied, seamless, and incredibly elegant, yet has depth, intensity, and length.
Rated 96/100 Jeb Dunnuck
Once again, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon pays homage to the 2007, but the aromas and flavors seems to be just a touch brighter, which might just be a function of the wine's age. A wine of remarkable precision, the 2009 is totally dialed in from start to finish. Layers of intensely sweet, perfumed fruit are woven together with remarkable elegance and sheer polish. Today, the 2009 isn't quite as radiant as it has been in the past, and seems headed for a stubborn phase. It is still striking, though. Even if a bit less exotic than the 2007, the two wines share a silkiness and overall sense of textural finesse. A translucent, weightless finish rounds things out in style. The 2009 is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot.
Rated 98/100 Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
A stunningly seamless effort, rich and elegant, this delivers perfumed black currant aromas that are supple and graceful, building and gaining with subtle tannins, laced with loamy earth. A dash of black licorice marks the long finish. Drink now through 2028. 750 cases made.
Rated 97/100 The Wine Spectator
The 2009 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon (87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot) displays a slightly peppery nose, but ratchets up the level of concentration with pure black currant and black cherry fruit as well as licorice and lead pencil shavings. This beautiful, dense, full-bodied 2009 is exceptionally elegant, pure and seamless. Drink it over the next 20-25 years. Under the ownership of Stan Kroenke, this vineyard has been replanted and a new cellar has been constructed. The production of Screaming Eagle has remained between 700-1,000 cases, and a second wine, the Second Flight, includes 520-800 cases. The introduction of a second wine is an attempt to keep Screaming Eagle at its mythical level of quality. This vineyard, situated on the valley floor at the Oakville Crossroads across the road from the Rudd Estate, encompasses 60 acres, but only a small percentage is used for these two cuvees. Based on the three vintages I tasted, it appears the Second Flight wines include much less Cabernet Sauvignon and more Merlot than the flagship Screaming Eagle.
Rated 96/100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
2016 Screaming Eagle The Flight.....$798.99
This is the best Flight I have ever had with so much merlot character coming through with black olives, hazelnuts, brown sugar and blackberries, as well as violets. Full-bodied yet linear and very long. Extremely refined and fresh. Needs a few years to come completely together, but already so refined.
Rated 99/100 James Suckling
The 2016 The Flight is gorgeous. Dark, brooding and closed in on itself, the 2016 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best, but it is incredibly beguiling today. Plum, black cherry, lavender, blood orange menthol, and a host of more mineral-driven notes punctuate this super-expressive wine. This is a decidedly tannic and powerful edition of The Flight. I can't wait to see how it ages. Bottled just six weeks before this tasting, the 2016 appears to have a very bright future. Time in the glass brings out some of the softer edges that will almost surely emerge with cellaring. The Flight is built on a core of older Merlot vines from the southeast corner of the estate. It is an absolutely riveting wine from Screaming Eagle.
Rated 98/100 Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
Composed roughly of two-thirds Merlot with 5% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep colored 2016 The Flight opens with bold, expressive notions of wild blueberries, warm plums and boysenberries with touches of black raspberries, spice cake, violets, dark chocolate and potpourri with a hint of menthol. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and jam-packed with energy, it has beautifully plush tannins texturing the multilayered blue and black fruits, delivering a very long, perfumed finish.
Rated 97+/100 The Wine Advocate
The 2016 The Flight is another beauty, and it's slightly more elegant and balanced, as well as pure, than the 2015. A blend of 66% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, this vibrant purple-colored effort offers a huge perfume of blue fruits, violets, and incense that develops with time in the glass. It's medium to full-bodied, seamless, and incredibly elegant, yet has depth, intensity, and length.
Rated 96/100 Jeb Dunnuck
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