California Cult Tasting at Wine Watch

Friday, October 9, 2015 - 07:00 PM

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California Cult Tasting at Wine Watch
Friday, October 9th
7pm

 


2009 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
List Price: $3300.00

(98+ Points) The 2009 Screaming Eagle is insanely beautiful. It is a relatively open vintage 

that nevertheless possesses stunning intensity, depth and elegance. Dark red berries, flowers, 

mint and spices are all woven together beautifully. Layers of fruit build effortlessly to the long, 

seductive finish. The 2009 continues to flesh out in the glass. All of the elements are in the 

right place in the drop-dead gorgeous, stunning 2009. A haunting bouquet reminiscent of a 

great Musigny lingers on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029.

 

Screaming Eagle remains one of the most compelling estates in Napa Valley. The winery is now 

under full control of Stan Kroenke. Consultant Andy Erickson is no longer involved in the 

property but his protege Nic Gislason appears to have the passion and talent to take things to 

the next level, as impossible a task as that may seem given the profound quality of the wines 

here. In addition to the wines formally reviewed, I also tasted several components of the 2010s 

that were absolutely gorgeous and a bottle of the 2007 which was flat-out great. OK, that is an 

understatement. It was utterly profound. But those weren’t the most interesting wines I 

tasted. Those honors go to the several tanks of 2011 Merlot I sampled during the harvest. 

Why? Because Screaming Eagle is one of those very rare properties where the bottled wine 

captures the fullest essence of the fruit just as it tastes at harvest, and that is very, very rare. 

Wine Advocate #198, Dec 2011

 

2009 Second Flight by Screaming Eagle

The 2009 Second Flight (59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc) 

is peppery and spicy with hints of tobacco leaf, red and black currants and mocha presented in 

an attractive, medium-bodied, lush, forward style. It is meant to be drunk early on, but it should 

easily keep 10-15 years because of its balance. 

Under the ownership of Stan Kroenke, this vineyard has been replanted and a new cellar has 

been constructed. The production of Screaming Eagle has remained between 700-1,000 cases, 

and a second wine, the Second Flight, includes 520-800 cases. The introduction of a second 

wine is an attempt to keep Screaming Eagle at its mythical level of quality. This vineyard, 

situated on the valley floor at the Oakville Crossroads across the road from the Rudd Estate, 

encompasses 60 acres, but only a small percentage is used for these two cuvees. Based on the 

three vintages I tasted, it appears the Second Flight wines include much less Cabernet 

Sauvignon and more Merlot than the flagship Screaming Eagle.

 

2009 Sloan Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $650.00

(96 points) The 2009 Sloan Estate has fleshed out beautifully since last year. Exciting and 

totally voluptuous, the 2009 covers every inch of the palate with layers of mocha-infused dark 

fruit. The 2009 boasts striking inner perfume and sweetness, with generous plum, cinnamon, 

melted road tar and Christmas cake notes that wrap around the highly expressive finish. I 

imagine the 2009 is a vintage that will enjoy a broad window of drinkability starting pretty 

much upon release. The 2009 is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc 

and 3% Petit Verdot. Sloan fans will note the Merlot is a little higher than normal in 2009. 

Anticipated maturity: 2014-2027. Wine Advocate #204 Dec 2012

 

2009 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
List Price: $120.00

(95+) The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is stunningly beautiful and seductive in its red fruit, mint 

and tobacco. This is a surprisingly accessible vintage for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Today it 

looks like an excellent choice for readers who want to explore the wines of this iconic producer 

– as long as it doesn’t close down in bottle. Togni’s 2009 is notable for its exceptional elegance, 

finesse and pedigree. There is plenty of Spring Mountain structure, but today the 2009 is 

disarmingly sexy and radiant for such a young wine. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029. Wine 

Advocate #198 Dec 2011 Reviewer: Antonio Galloni

 


2001 Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 
List Price: $1050.00

(100 Points) Rivaling the 1994 and 1997, the 2001 Harlan Estate is a perfect wine for my 

palate. Tasted on four separate occasions, this offering, which spent 28 months in oak before 

being bottled unfined and unfiltered, is an extraordinary effort that comes across as a 

hypothetical blend of Mouton-Rothschild, La Mission-Haut-Brion, and Montrose. A synthesis in 

style between the more elegant, delineated, structured 1994, and the port-like, over-the-top, 

viscous 1997, this extraordinary 2001 was the “wine of my trip,†even though I had already 

had it from bottle several months earlier. An inky/purple color is accompanied by a stupendous 

bouquet of lead pencil shavings interwoven with coffee, new saddle leather, melted licorice, 

cedarwood, black currant liqueur, and violets. Explosive richness, a marvelous, full-bodied 

texture, and fabulous purity, concentration, complexity, and nobleness are the stuff of legends.

 


2001 Sloan Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 

(99 Points) The practically perfect 2001 Sloan (only the second effort released by Stuart Sloan) is aging magnificently. Made from very young vines planted on the steep hillsides above the Auberge du Soleil in Central Napa Valley, it exhibits a dense purple color with only a slight lightening at the edge as well as a phenomenal nose of burning embers, white chocolate, espresso roast, black currants and graphite. Full-bodied with an expansive, broad, creamy texture as well as a voluptuous finish, the wine has shed a lot of its tannin and is just beginning to hit its plateau of full maturity where it should stay for another 15-25+ years. This is a great terroir and at age ten, the 2001 confirms the accolades I bestowed upon it eight years ago.  Wine Advocate #195, Jun 2011

 

2001 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 

(100 Points) The 2001 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is the first of these back-to-back perfect wines from Shafer that, at age 13, is still a baby, but, wow, what an amazing wine. A fabulous growing season produced a wine with inky/purple black color, stunning crème de cassis notes, with additional hints of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, cedar wood and forest floor. It is full-bodied, sensationally concentrated, with a seamless integration of acidity, tannin, wood and alcohol. This is a great, monumental Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that is still an infant, at age 13, going on 14. This has got at least three decades of life left in it, and probably won’t hit its peak for another 5-7 years.

Shafer’s Hillside Estate Vineyard consists of 54 acres all on steep, amphitheater-like, rocky outcroppings and knolls. It receives the full benefit of southeasterly sunlight, and enjoys the afternoon breezes that blow up from the San Francisco Bay channel. An unusual geographic feature, this vineyard is basically a box canyon. The top soil is virtually non-existent as the bed roots that go into the white tofu volcanic soil base rarely extend more than 18 inches before hitting bedrock. This no doubt is a significant reason for the intense flavors achieved by the Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, and why it is able to spend 32 months in 100% new French oak without a woody taste.  eRobertParker.com #216, Dec 2014

 

2001 Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon RBS 

(96+ Points) In fact, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon RBS tastes more like a 3-4 year old wine than one that has a decade of aging. Still tightly constructed, it offers notes of spring flowers, blueberries, black currants, lead pencil shavings and pen ink. This full-bodied, deep, concentrated, stunning, intense, rich, full-throttle 2001 is also wonderfully pure and elegant with outstanding balance. Give it another 4-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the next 25 years.   Both of these wines performed even better than they did when I tasted them from bottle eight years ago.  Wine Advocate #195, Jun 2011

 

2001 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard

(99 Points) A compelling example of this noble terroir in the northeastern sector of Napa Valley, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard still has a dense purple color and possesses a seamless personality with spectacular notes of licorice, incense, black raspberries, black currants, crushed rock, and spring flowers. Stunningly full-bodied, multi-layered, with great purity and expression, this fabulous wine is still youthful but very accessible, as the tannins are velvety and well-integrated. This wine will keep aging beautifully for a minimum of another quarter century. Bravo!  Wine Advocate #195, Jun 2011

 

2001 Paloma Merlot 

(94 Points) A spectacular Merlot from proprietor Jim Richards, Paloma’s full-bodied 2001 offers up a gorgeous display of black currant and mocha-infused fruit that cuts a large swath across the palate. Unctuously textured, with no hard edges, gorgeous aromatics, and loads of flavor, it will provide immense enjoyment over the next 7-8 years.  Wine Advocate #150
Dec 2003


This tasting is $595 + tax per person, for reservations call 954-523-9463.