2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
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Tasting notes
Wow – this is a baby and has some creamy notes on the nose. There is such minerality here, and beside that graphite and pepper with tequila. This clearly has oak that needs to integrate. The palate has wonderful tension, and the oak is still present but behind it you can see that all the elements are in check. The acidity is perfectly judged and balances the mineral-laden fruit core. Long, young and very expressive indeed.
Critic scores
Average Score
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
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.
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.
A primordial baby of a wine, the 2016 Screaming Eagle includes slightly more Cabernet Sauvignon than the 2015 and is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc. About as elegant and classy as it gets, this brilliant wine offers loads of blueberries, crème de cassis, crushed violets, spice, and a distinct minerality that emerges with time in the glass. Perfectly balanced, incredibly elegant, with great intensity and length, it will most likely merit a triple-digit score in 4-5 years and it will keep for 3-4 decades. While it's easy to think all cult California Cabs are rich, monster wines, the reality is far from it, and this estate continues to produce wines in a balanced, elegant, classic, iconic style that is unquestionably up with the greatest wines on earth.
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.