Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot aged in 75% new oak, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is more monolithic than its older sibling (of course, it has not been in bottle as long). Full-bodied, muscular, and dense, it displays a note of black currants, but it reveals a drier, more austere, masculine mouthfeel. Everything is there, but currently the wine is more backward as well as less complex and seamless than the 2005 or 2007. As I wrote last year, original proprietor, Jean Phillips, has moved on, and the new sheriffs in town are Stan Kroenke and Charles Banks who also own the up and coming superstar, Santa Ynez winery, Jonata. A lot is going on at Screaming Eagle as much of the 54-acre vineyard is being replanted, and a new wine cellar is under construction. Production for the following three vintages runs from a low of 400 cases of the 2005, to approximately 800-900 for the 2007, which is their projected target for future vintages. It will be interesting to see if the $750 a bottle price holds up given the global economic crisis. Certainly, there is no doubting the quality. Beginning with the proprietor, Screaming Eagle has an amazing winemaking team in place, including day to day winemaker Andy Erickson, who is backed up by the globe-trotting Bordelais consultant, Michel Rolland Tel. (707) 944-0749; Fax (707) 944-9271

robert_parker98

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

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. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. I have had a number of fabulous tastings at Screaming Eagle, but this was one of the most memorable. The biggest news at Screaming Eagle is the release of a second wine, a project that has been in the works for a number of years. Owner Stan Kroenke and his team wanted to make sure their new wine was up to the estate’s standards, and have only released the first vintages over the last few months. I tasted all four vintages of Screaming Eagle’s second label, Second Flight, next to Screaming Eagle itself, which allowed for a fascinating set of comparisons of both wines across a number of vintages. Like its big brother, Second Flight is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine, but here the Merlot plays a much more significant role. Regardless, what comes through most is the signature of these sites as seen through the lenses of the respective vintages. Readers might also enjoy taking a look at a recent video I shot with Winemaker Nic Gislason during the 2012 harvest that we recently posted on our site. Tel. (707) 944-0749

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The consistently beautiful 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits a dense black/purple color as well as that classic Screaming Eagle nose of creme de cassis, spring flowers, and a hint of licorice. A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, this beauty should age effortlessly for 20-25 years. Screaming Eagle’s vineyard has undergone a major replanting (35 acres were replanted in 2006). Today, there are only 15.5 acres of the original plantings that made this property so famous. The potential size of 54 acres will certainly increase production if it all turns out to be as high in quality as what has existed in the past. The superstar winemaking team of Andy Erickson, Michel Rolland, and viticulturist David Abreu has been in charge over recent vintages. Tel. (707) 944-0749; Fax (707) 944-9271

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (approximately 650+ cases, and a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc) is a more structured, firmer style with noticeable tannins and an almost atypical Bordeaux-like austerity that is something of a departure from previous Screaming Eagle wines. It also seems somewhat out of character for the general vintage character, but once the wine sits in the mouth, the beautiful, rich, concentrated creme de cassis fruit, licorice, and spice box, are dramatic and noticeable. Overall, this is an elegant but more backward style of Screaming Eagle that will probably need 4-5 years of bottle age, and last for 20-25+ years if not longer. Of course, all of these wines are still sold via their mailing list and even with the pricing up to a whopping $500 a bottle, there seems to be no shortage of demand. (Not yet released) Tel. (707) 944-0749; Fax (707) 944-9271

vinous98

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

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.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

(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.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

(an approximation of the final blend, at 87% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 3% cabernet franc) Good full ruby. Wonderfully pure, intense cassis aroma complicated by a rocky, flinty element and notes of camphor and loam. Dense, pure and quite firm, with the strong minerality giving an almost cool character to the flavors of cassis, blackberry, menthol and loam. The crop was much lower here in 2006 than in 2005, according to co-owner Charles Banks (2.5 tons per acre, vs. 4), and both of these wines have healthy pHs of 3.7 without any added acidity. Under the new owners, the extensive replanting program is well underway here, and the estate's old merlot is mostly being replaced by cabernets sauvignon and franc. A final decision had not been made on what to plant in the large, flatter section of this 54-acre property situated farther toward the floor of the valley. The current plan is to closely monitor the quality produced by the new plantings, including some vines in rockier soil sloping down from the Silverado Trail, and production will be slowly expanded if the new plantings can produce sufficiently high quality. Incidentally, winemaker Andy Erickson told me that he did a much longer maceration for the 2007 vinification than previously.