Screaming Eagle - Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

JAMES SUCKLING: "Extremely perfumed with blackberries, currants and flower. Rose petals, too. Seductive. Medium to full body. It grows on the palate with an extremely long finish that goes on for minutes. The tannins are ultra-fine and polished. Purity and essence to this. Feminine yet wild and unpredictable. Available in March. Better in 2021."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2014 Screaming Eagle is an 880-case blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. The telltale sign of this iconic wine is its extraordinary purity of crème de cassis fruit, which is displayed abundantly in the 2014. It doesn’t quite have the structure and mass of the 2013, but this sexy, up-front, opaque ruby/purple-colored wine is seamlessly constructed, full-bodied, and has a long finish with silky tannins. This seems to float across that palate with that great fruit purity that is a characteristic of Screaming Eagle. Drink it over the next 25+ years."

DECANTER: "A perfumed bouquet of crushed cassis, violet, woodsmoke and incipient truffle introduces a rich, layered and superbly pure wine. It has fine-grained tannins, juicy acidity and lovely reserve, depth and tension at the core. Under Nick Gislason, Screaming Eagle's inherent potential for elegance and perfume is being fully realised."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2014 Screaming Eagle comes in behind the 2012 and 2013, yet is nevertheless a brilliant wine that holds true to the vintage and the style of the estate. Made from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it offers up gorgeous notes of crème de cassis, white chocolate, spice, and graphite. Full-bodied and powerful, yet always light on its feet and seamless, it has the hallmark elegance of this estate as well as awesome purity of fruit and building tannin. You can safely drink bottles anytime over the coming 20+ years."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Beautifully crafted, young and energetic, with a vibrant core of rich blackberry, gravelly earth and smoky, toasty oak. Lively acidity and firm tannins provide a backbone, promising a long life ahead. Best from 2020 through 2034. 880 cases made. — JL"