2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
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Tasting Notes
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.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
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 now. Give it three or four years to come around, but this already sings.
The 2016 Screaming Eagle is a positively stunning wine. An intense bouquet gives way to a wine of explosive energy and huge textural depth. Graphite, crushed rocks, menthol, sage and dark spice open up gradually in this reticent, brooding Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2016 is a towering, statuesque wine of the very highest level. That is the good news. The slightly less good news is that it will need a number of years in bottle to be at its very best. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. The 2016 literally does scream, with tons of varietal Cabernet aromatics, flavors and structural drive. In a word: magnificent!
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About the producer
Screaming Eagle is one of the Napa Valley’s original cult Cabernets. Right from the first release, the now iconic producer garnered huge scores and a fanatic following.