2012, Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley, California, 14.8% Alc, CT96, RP100 JS100

The perfect 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Screaming Eagle is composed of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Made in the classic, iconic Screaming Eagle style that the original proprietress, Jean Philipps, first showcased in the early 1990s, before the winery was sold to Stan Kroenke, the inky/purple-colored, seamless 2012 possesses an extraordinary set of aromatics consisting of pure blackcurrant liqueur, licorice, acacia flowers, graphite and a subtle hint of new oak. Full-bodied, opulent and voluptuous, this profound wine is as prodigious as I thought it would be last year when tasted from barrel. It should age effortlessly for 20 or more years.

 

Incredible purity to this wine with fresh spearmint, lavender sprig and black currants. Full body, mind-blowing structure, depth and length. What complexity. Precision and decadence plus layers of sexy fruit. A new benchmark for Napa Valley. This is the new legend, like the 1958 Beaulieu Vineyard George de Latour Private Reserve (my vintage and a wine my father and I drank many times early in my life). Savory. Needs at least 10 years to come around. Try in 2025. A blend of 79% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot, and 4% cabernet franc. 820 cases made.