2021 Screaming Eagle "The Flight", Oakville, Napa Valley, California, USA

ABOUT THIS WINE

Until 2015 Screaming Eagle was made a wine from younger vines called "Second Flight". However, this name was changed to "The Flight" in 2015, mainly because the wine became more and more merlot dominated over the years and the name "Second Flight" could possibly suggest that it was a second-rate wine. And "second-rate" is obviously not a word that anyone would dare to associate with Screaming Eagle.

The 2021 vintage features a blend of 65% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16% Cabernet Franc. The estate harvests at the individual lot level and conducts separate fermentations for every parcel before making the final blend. Fruit is sourced from a 45-acre contiguous vineyard in Oakville, characterized by alluvial deposits and gravel, loam, and clay soils. Following fermentation and meticulous blending, the wine is transferred into premium French oak barrels. It ages gracefully in the barrel for 18 to 20 months.

Only between 500 and 800 crates are produced annually; a drop in the ocean in terms of supply when you compare it with the enormous demand from the market. That demand was driven up considerably after Parker immediately awarded the first vintage (the 1992) 99 points in 1995. That Parker is a fan of Screaming Eagle is an understatement. He once described the wine as "the perfect wine" and awarded the perfect score of 100 points several times.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Considered the absolute “Cult Domaine” from California, this very small domaine was founded in 1986 when local Jean Phillips bought some vineyards. It was at the encouragement of Robert Mondavi that he decided, instead of selling his fruit for a decent price, to make his own wines. The rest is history.

Screaming Eagle's first winemaker was Heidi Patterson Barrett, who nowadays makes the - also cult - wines of Amuse Bouche and is the partner of Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena. Quite a small world, that Napa Valley! The young top talent Nick Gislason has been the winemaker of Sceaming Eagle for several years now. Interesting detail is that Gislason just graduated from U.C. Davis and was only 26 years old when he started at the winery, where he first worked under the wings of Napa's superstar Andy Erickson for a while, but where he is in charge now.

In addition to the two red wines Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon and The Flight, Screaming Eagle also produces a white wine from Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Entirely in the tradition of Screaming Eagle, this wine is extremely rare and quite pricey. Only 30 crates would be produced each year, which would also be sold in private circles, with the request not to resell the bottle. Oddly enough, a few bottles of Screaming Eagle Sauvignon Blanc do occasionally turn up. Isn't that a surprise?