For years I have admired this limited production winery based in Napa. While I have only had the top wine by Screaming Eagle once in my lifespan, I have been really impressed with their second wine, which is named ‘The Flight.’ Priced at over one thousand dollars retail, this is not a cheap treat by any means.
Stan Kronke owns Screaming Eagle and the site was originally founded by Tony Bowden, back in 1986 as he acquired a spot with mostly white varietals planted amongst roughly 60 acres. Over the years he replanted Bordeaux varietals and he would sell his grapes to other producers. It wasn’t until 1992 when they finally made their own wine. Heidi Barrett would become winemaker at Screaming Eagle and produced several 100 point wines by Robert Parker in the 1990s.
Winemaker Nick Gislason has been at the helm since the challenging 2011 vintage. He had formerly worked at Harlan and Craggy Range in New Zealand before being hired by Kronke. Today his top Cabernet Sauvignon wine can fetch north of three thousand dollars. I recently had the chance to taste the 2019 ‘The Flight’ which is their Merlot based blend and it was absolutely thrilling to enjoy. This is some of the finest Merlot that you will taste in Napa, as every working part was in clockwork unison. Here is my review of the 2019 ‘The Flight’ by Screaming Eagle.
2019 Screaming Eagle ‘The Flight’ Red Wine- The 2019 ‘The Flight’ is a gorgeous blend of 65% Merlot, with 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the remainder Cabernet Franc that was stored in French oak barrels before bottling. Heady and very inky in the glass, this revels in its black tea and asian spice notes alongside a whiff of bell pepper and suggestions of Turkish coffee. Very complex and dense with a silky mouthfeel, this glides throughout the drinking experience, delivering plush black and blue fruit flavors alongside a wonderful beam of tension. This will easily be a 20 year wine. Drink 2023-2045- 97