Screaming Eagle 2014 in magnum, in the estate's original wooden case. The 2014 is a Cabernet-led Oakville blend that drew 97 to 99 points across the major critics.
About This Wine
The 2014 is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, and Parker put production at 880 cases. Reviewers split on its personality: Parker and Jeb Dunnuck found it seductive, with the estate's pure crème de cassis fruit, white chocolate, spice and graphite, while Antonio Galloni saw a firmer, more imposing wine with gravel, smoke and herbs that needed years in bottle. Parker, Galloni and Dunnuck each gave it 97 points, and James Suckling 99. A decade on, it should be settling between those two views.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Crème de cassis, black cherry and violet with graphite, tobacco and a wisp of smoke.
- Palate: Full-bodied and polished, with pure dark fruit over fine, building tannins.
- Finish: Silky and lasting, with dark minerals, spice and lingering cassis.
Serving & Food
Keep the magnum lying down in a cool cellar until the day before, then stand it up and decant for around two hours. Serve at 17°C in large Bordeaux stems. It has 20 years or more ahead of it. Good matches are a roast leg of lamb, beef short rib or truffled potato gratin.
How to Enjoy
A cased magnum from a strong Napa year to lay down for a future milestone.
Product Details
Producer: Screaming Eagle
Country: USA
Region: Oakville, Napa Valley, California
Vintage: 2014
Blend: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc
Volume: 1.5L magnum
Packaging: Original wooden case
About the Winery
The estate lies off the Silverado Trail in Oakville, on the eastern side of the valley floor, where rocky, well-drained soils and afternoon breezes from San Pablo Bay keep the fruit balanced. When Jean Phillips owned it, the vineyard was replanted in 1995 to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
After the 2006 sale a second, larger replanting followed, with about 34 acres redone, and today just over 48 acres are under vine, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller areas of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a little Sauvignon Blanc. Even so, only a part of each harvest goes into the flagship wine.