Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville 2006

The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is stunning. A wine that is only now beginning to shed its tannin, the 2006 stands out for its vibrancy and energy. All of the classic Screaming Eagle notes are in the glass, but with a little more edge and cut than in most vintages. Sweet red berries, crushed rocks, flowers and spice box are alive in the glass. Over time, hints of sage, mint rosemary and pencil shavings add complexity. The 2006 is a decidedly cool-weather wine with less opulence than either the 2007 or 2009, but it is absolutely singing today. Another few years will only help the wine come together even more fully, but it is impossible to miss the 2006’s utterly breathtaking beauty. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026.

(an approximation of the final blend, at 87% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 3% cabernet franc) Good full ruby. Wonderfully pure, intense cassis aroma complicated by a rocky, flinty element and notes of camphor and loam. Dense, pure and quite firm, with the strong minerality giving an almost cool character to the flavors of cassis, blackberry, menthol and loam. The crop was much lower here in 2006 than in 2005, according to co-owner Charles Banks (2.5 tons per acre, vs. 4), and both of these wines have healthy pHs of 3.7 without any added acidity. Under the new owners, the extensive replanting program is well underway here, and the estate's old merlot is mostly being replaced by cabernets sauvignon and franc. A final decision had not been made on what to plant in the large, flatter section of this 54-acre property situated farther toward the floor of the valley. The current plan is to closely monitor the quality produced by the new plantings, including some vines in rockier soil sloping down from the Silverado Trail, and production will be slowly expanded if the new plantings can produce sufficiently high quality. Incidentally, winemaker Andy Erickson told me that he did a much longer maceration for the 2007 vinification than previously.