2022 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon

Screaming Eagle is widely considered to be the most coveted and hardest-to-get cult cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley, California. Over the last 20 years, a small handful of California producers have solidified a reputation of highly coveted wines purchased by collectors the world over. Founded in 1986 by Jean Phillips, Screaming Eagle is one of these original cult wineries in California. Located in the Oakville AVA adjacent to Napa Valley’s famed Silverado Trail, the 57-acre estate was comprised of only 80 vines at the time that Philips shared some homemade Cabernet Sauvignon with winemaking peers at nearby Robert Mondavi Winery. Upon realizing the property’s potential to create top class wine for the Napa region, the name “Screaming Eagle” was born to signify Philips’ dedication to perfection.

Floral and silky in the glass with lovely forward fruit the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is a decidedly delicate elegant wine. It offers terrific freshness and verve. Floral and citrus overtones lift a core of red-toned fruit. The low-ish tannins of the vintage are evident in the wine's mid-weight structure. In the 2022 it's the wine's freshness I admire most. I imagine the 2022 is a rare Screaming Eagle that will drink well with minimal cellaring. - By Antonio Galloni on December 2024.