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94 Robert Parker
The 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon, which was bottled in late June, has turned out even better that I thought last year. It boasts a saturated ruby/purple color in addition to an expressive bouquet of cassis, minerals, and smoke. This multi-textured, round wine exhibits sweet, well-integrated tannin, a great mid-palate and finish, as well as spectacular purity and palate presence. Consume it now and over the next 15-20 years. There are 500 cases of this wine. As most readers know, this wine has become the ultimate collector's Cabernet Sauvignon, routinely fetching $800 to as much as $2000 a bottle at wine auctions. Of course, this makes no sense to me or Screaming Eagle's owner, the amiable Jean Phillips, who sells the wine for $125 a bottle. Unquestionably an exquisite wine, it offers remarkably rich creme de cassis aromas and flavors in an unmanipulated, compelling fashion. The winemaking is assisted by well-known consultant Heidi Barrett. From the red, iron-rich soils of the Oakville District, the wine is aged in 65% new French oak for 18-20 months.
92 Wine Spectator
Bright, rich and focused on a core of juicy black cherry, plum and blackberry fruit that's complex and concentrated, finishing with a hint of mint, a long, intricate aftertaste and mild, integrated tannins. Drink now through 2008. 500 cases made. ?JL
Producer
Screaming Eagle Winery
Hands down, the most renowned California cult wine that has ever been produced...so far. It all started from modest beginnings when Jean Philips a former real estate agent bought a 57 acre Oakville vineyard in 1986. She sold off all the grapes to other wineries apart from one 1-acre plot (0.40 ha) of Cabernet Sauvignon from which she wanted to make her own wine. Heidi Peterson Barret became winemaker and the 1992, the first commercial vintage, was released in 1996. It was reviewed immediately by Robert Parker who bestowed it with an incredible 99 points, describing it as "one of the greatest young Cabernets I have ever tasted." After this the Eagle took flight. She replanted her vineyards that same year (1995) to 3 varieties in order to produce a whopping 500 cases per vintage (which has increased to 600-700 since). Today, it still remains the most expensive California red wine on the secondary market. Despite the extroverted styles of other California cult wines, Screaming Eagle remains one of the most elegant and balanced. In 2006, it was purchased by Charles Banks and Stan Kroenke, who then hired Michel Rolland as consultant. Charles sold his shares in 2009 making Stan the sole owner.