Screaming Eagle Winery
Screaming Eagle Red Wines
Oakville - Napa Valley - California, United States
Screaming Eagle Second Flight
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Winemaker’s Notes
The 2012 Second Flight offers up floral, blue and black fruit, mocha and white chocolate characteristics. It possesses full-bodied, silky flavors, and a very long finish.
97 points James Suckling
This is very structured with ripe and silky tannins that shows a dense and compacted fruit character. It's full and racy. Impressive tone and form.
96 points Wine Advocate
Very deep garnet-purple color, the 2012 Second Flight has an enticingly savory nose with notes of smoked meats, yeast extract, tapenade and truffles over a core of crème de cassis and plum preserves plus a touch of Indian spices. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated in the mouth, it has firm, velvety tannins and plenty of background freshness supporting the generous fruit, finishing long and spicy.
Blend: 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc
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97 points James Suckling
Very bright and aromatic with dark purple fruits on the nose. Mint, floral and vine bark. Spearmint. Full body, very firm tannins, wonderful savoriness. Flavorful finish. A fabulous mouthfeel. Very, very long. Mostly merlot with cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.
96 points Wine Advocate
Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2013 Second Flight simply sings of spiced blueberries, black forest cake and preserved plums with suggestions of star anise, baker’s chocolate, fertile loam and dried Provence herbs with a hint of lavender. Big, concentrated, full-bodied and packed to the gills with black fruits, exotic spice and floral layers, it has a firm frame of grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with epic length and loads of layers. Still very taut, it needs at least another 2-3 years in bottle. Interestingly, this full-on hedonistic vintage has one of the largest Merlot contributions ever for this wine.
Blend: 65% Merlot with 13% Cabernet Sauvignon 22% Cabernet Franc
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97 points James Suckling
Intense blackberry and blueberry aromas with hints of fresh mushrooms. Black truffles, too. Full-bodied, tight and chewy with polished and velvety tannins. Long and muscular finish. Energetic.
96 points Wine Advocate
Very deep purple-black, the 2014 Second Flight is a little closed at this youthful stage, offering glimpses of blueberry compote, blackberry pie and cassis notions with touches of garrigue, bay leaves, black truffles, rose hips and underbrush plus a hint of wood smoke. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers wonderful freshness, with very firm, very finely grained tannins and layers of vibrant black fruits, finishing on a profound minerally note. With this vintage, we can see something of a stylistic departure, offering an expression of Merlot that is bright, refreshing, elegant and perfumed, and it is perhaps more similar to Screaming Eagle in terms of style than it has ever been. Beautiful!
Blend: 57% Merlot and 43% Cabernet Sauvignon
Screaming Eagle The Flight
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99 points James Suckling
Extremely floral and aromatic with violets and lavender throughout. Black olives, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, very fine-grained tannins that run the length of the wine. Goes on for minutes. A greenish undertone comes out at the end with some spearmint, green tea and green olive. About two-thirds merlot.
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98 points Decanter
Screaming Eagle’s ‘The Flight’ is positively gorgeous in 2020, leading with a plethora of perfumed violets and wild herb notes intermixed with graphite and cedarwood spices. Mediym-bodied offering a purity of redberry fruit flavours redolent of cranberry and raspberry alongside dark cherry, all framed by tantalising acidity. The crunchy red fruit is balanced by a dazzling minerality, opening up to reveal blood orange, brown spices, spearmint, and pops of lovely blue floral notes. Broad tannins build in stature on the long, sanguine finish.
98 points James Suckling
Aromas of blackberries, red and black currants. Green olives, too. Dark roses and perfume. Medium-bodied with super crunchy energy and brightness. Very fine tannins. Elegant and precise. So subtle and complex, it’s really something.
Blend: 65% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc
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98 points James Suckling
Blackberries and blueberries, together with hints of chocolate and violets. So perfumed. Some bark, too. Medium body with freshness and length. The tannins have a fine, velvety texture and wonderful length. Very structured. Lightly chewy. Lasts for minutes.
97 points Vinous
The 2021 The Flight is built around a core of Merlot from old vines on cobbly soils at the front of the property. From barrel, the 2021 was quite sensual, perhaps deceptively so. This recent tasting of the finished wine from bottle reveals a powerful, dense Flight packed with dark-toned fruit, leather, tobacco and incense. In many vintages, The Flight is accessible young, but the 2021 is a wine for the cellar. It is one of the best and most complete editions I have tasted. There’s a fair amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend and quite a bit more Franc than usual, which contributes to the wine’s personality and overall feel.
Blend: 65% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
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The first Screaming Eagle Cabernet ever to score 100 points!
The Screaming Eagle winery is celebrated for producing some of the most exclusive wines, but it’s in the 1997 Screaming Eagle where the true genius asserts itself. The synergy created from cultivating Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc on the alluvial soils of Oakville embellishes the unique terroir-driven personality exhibited in this wine.
Every sip of this prestigious vintage is an indulgence; rewarding its drinker with profound layers of ripe blackberry fruits, cassis, and hints of cocoa that evoke a sense of depth and complexity. The seamless integration of intense flavours, breathtaking concentration, and compellingly balanced acidity makes an impressive performance that leaves a lasting impression.
100 points Wine Advocate
It doesn't get any better than 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon, a perfect wine. Representing the essence of cassis liqueur intermixed with blackberries, minerals, licorice, and toast, this full-bodied, multi-dimensional classic is fabulous, with extraordinary purity, symmetry, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. It has the overall equilibrium to evolve for nearly two decades, but it will be hard to resist upon release.
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Tasting Notes
The 2009 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon is noted for its layers of intensely sweet, perfumed fruit, with flavors of blackcurrant, cherry, and hints of licorice and cedar. It is described as exceptionally elegant and full-bodied, with a long, seductive finish, making it a standout vintage.
98 points Wine Advocate
The 2009 Screaming Eagle is insanely beautiful. It is a relatively open vintage that nevertheless possesses stunning intensity, depth and elegance. Dark red berries, flowers, mint and spices are all woven together beautifully. Layers of fruit build effortlessly to the long, seductive finish. The 2009 continues to flesh out in the glass. All of the elements are in the right place in the drop-dead gorgeous, stunning 2009. A haunting bouquet reminiscent of a great Musigny lingers on the finish.
97 points Wine Spectator
A stunningly seamless effort, rich and elegant, this delivers perfumed currant-cassis 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.
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Tasting Notes
The 2013 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon is noted for its breathtaking aromas of blueberry, wet earth, black truffle, and lavender, with a full-bodied profile that features dense dark fruit flavors and a long finish. This vintage is characterized by its remarkable structure, purity, and complexity, making it a standout among Napa Valley wines.
100 points James Sucking
Breathtaking aromas of blueberry, wet earth, black truffle, vine bark and lavender undertones. Full-bodied, yet tight and compressed with fabulous savory and dark fruit flavors. It lasts for minutes on the finish. The classicism in this wine is second to none. Incredible subtlety. Lovely austerity. Beauty in simplicity. Glorious to taste, yet a wine for decades ahead. 800 cases made.
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc
Other Ratings: 99 points Decanter, 97 points Wine Advocate
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Tasting Notes
The 2014 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon is noted for its extraordinary purity of crème de cassis fruit, with a full-bodied and seamless structure. It features vibrant flavors of rich blackberry, gravelly earth, and smoky oak, promising a long life ahead.
99 points James Suckling
Extremely perfumed with blackberries, currants and flower. Rose petals, too. Seductive. Medium to full body. It grows on the palate with an extremely long finish that goes on for minutes. The tannins are ultra-fine and polished. Purity and essence to this. Feminine yet wild and unpredictable.
Blend: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc
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Tasting Notes
The 2014 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon is noted for its extraordinary purity of crème de cassis fruit, with a full-bodied and seamless structure. It features vibrant flavors of rich blackberry, gravelly earth, and smoky oak, promising a long life ahead.
99 points James Suckling
Extremely perfumed with blackberries, currants and flower. Rose petals, too. Seductive. Medium to full body. It grows on the palate with an extremely long finish that goes on for minutes. The tannins are ultra-fine and polished. Purity and essence to this. Feminine yet wild and unpredictable.
Blend: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc
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100 points Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Screaming Eagle is another monumental wine from this address, and it's one of those cases where if you afford it, you should buy it. A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, this magical elixir boasts a deep purple color as well as a blockbuster bouquet of blueberries, creme de cassis, violets, incense, and cedarwood. Reminding me of the 2015 Château Margaux with its off the charts class and purity, it’s full-bodied, thrillingly textured, and has a finish that just won't quit.
100 points James Suckling
This is a phenomenal wine on the nose with amazing aromas of mint and sage, highlighting the blackberry and slate character. Blackcurrants and wet earth. Medium to full body with incredible precision and beauty. It rolls off the palate with super fine tannins. Savory and juicy. The minerality and pureness draw you into it. A precise and sophisticated Screaming Eagle that brings you in.
100 points Wine Advocate
Composed of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, the very deep purple-black colored 2015 Screaming Eagle leaps from the glass with notes of freshly crushed black currants, black cherries and blackberries with suggestions of cigar box, black raspberries, red currants, chocolates, pencil lead and cast-iron pan plus a touch of potpourri. Medium to full-bodied with a rock-solid backbone of ripe, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness, it features the most incredible black and red fruit layers and finishes with incredible vibrancy and depth.
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc
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100 points James Suckling
The subtle and nuanced aromas to this are so enticing with perfumed, floral, blackcurrant and blackberry character. Roses, too. Some lavender. Full-bodied yet so refined and polished with the most transparent and polished texture. Firm and seamless. So beautiful.
100 points Wine Advocate
The 2016 Screaming Eagle is, as usual, mainly Cabernet Sauvignon with a little Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with bright, exuberant blackberries, kirsch and warm blackcurrants scents plus touches of lavender, roses, tilled black loam, wild sage and dark chocolate with wafts of yeast extract, underbrush and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, firm and fine grained, with amazing freshness, it is layered with crunchy black and red fruits, sparked by floral and mineral notions and finishing with epic length and depth.
Other ratings: 98 points Decanter, Jeb Dunnuck
Blend: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc
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Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc
99 points James Suckling
Fabulous aromas of cabernet sauvignon with blackcurrants, blueberries, bark, fresh mushrooms and violets, follow through to a full body with an elegance that builds at the finish, leaving you with a freshness and minerality that goes on for minutes. Unique wine in so many ways.
99 points Wilfred Wong
Every time I approach the Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, anticipation surges and my pulse quickens. Goosebumps aside, the 2020 vintage stands as another triumph in the estate’s storied legacy. The nose unfurls with an alluring intensity—ripe blackberries at the peak of maturity intertwined with hints of violet, baking spice, and a graceful touch of cedarwood. On the palate, it is both powerful and refined, with layers of dark fruit cascading over fine-grained tannins and lifted by a vibrant core of acidity. The finish is long and harmonious, echoing blackberry, spice, and a lingering trace of graphite. While already captivating, this wine will reward patience, evolving into an even greater expression over the next decade and beyond.
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100 points Jeb Dunnuck
Darker and more powerful than the 2023, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon offers cassis and black currants intermixed with smoked tobacco, rose petal, liquid violets, crushed stone, and a hint of iron. It's one of the most impressive, profound young wines I've ever tasted as well as the most powerful Screaming Eagle I've experienced. Full-bodied and dense on the palate, with serious structure, it maintains the rare sense of purity, class, and balance that's the hallmark of this estate.
100 points James Suckling
The aromatics on this are stunning, offering black cherries, blackcurrants, lead pencil, spearmint, Spanish cedar. and wild roses. It’s medium-bodied and starts slowly on the palate and then takes off with muscular tension. Nicely chewy, toned and firm. Goes on for minutes. Flexing and showing its propensity for longevity. Rock on.
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95 points Jeb Dunnuck
The only wine produced in the vintage with no Flight cuvée made, the deep ruby/purple-hued 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon offers classic aromatics of cassis and ripe darker cherries intermixed with blue fruits, graphite, roasted herbs, and wildflowers in a nicely perfumed, spicy, complex, classic Cabernet Sauvignon perfume. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with quality tannins and outstanding length, and certainly avoids any of the over ripeness and blousy character that can be common in the vintage. This beautifully classic, balanced, sound effort will evolve gracefully for two decades if well stored.
