Screaming Eagle
Most wineries in Napa Valley welcome visitors. In contrast, Screaming Eagle, located in Oakville, takes the exact opposite stance. It offers neither tours nor tastings, and the winery is candid about the reasons why: not only are its facilities unable to accommodate visitors, but the volume of wine produced is too small anyway. Purchases are made through a waiting list, and a spot only becomes available when an existing member withdraws. Between this scarcity and the successive releases of the rich and concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine has established itself as one of the early cult wines of California. The wine produced at Oakville is a red wine; it is full-bodied and features a structure centered on Cabernet Sauvignon, supported by Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The estate is advised by Michel Rolland's Bordeaux consulting firm.
The history
Jean Phillips, a real estate agent, purchased around 23 hectares of land with 18 hectares of vines in Oakville in 1986. Various grape varieties had been planted on the site, and for several years she simply sold the harvest to other wineries in Napa, keeping for herself a small parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wanting to find out just how good her home-made wine was, she took a bottle to the staff at the Robert Mondavi Winery. They recognised its commercial potential and supported her in her future endeavours, after which she hired consultant Richard Peterson, and subsequently his daughter Heidi Peterson Barrett, who became Screaming Eagle’s first winemaker for the 1992 vintage. This wine only went on sale in 1995, when Robert Parker awarded it 99 points. Barrett continued to produce this wine for over ten years, and its reputation is largely associated with her.
Within just a few years, ‘Screaming Eagle’ had become one of the first names mentioned when discussing cult Californian wines: tiny production volumes, very high prices and virtual unavailability through standard channels.
In March 2006, she sold the estate to Charles Banks and Stan Kroenke. Banks stepped down in April 2009, leaving Kroenke as the sole owner, and he has owned it ever since.
The Vineyard
Screaming Eagle is located in Oakville, a sub-appellation situated in the heart of the Napa Valley region, and is one of the areas most closely associated with authentic Cabernet Sauvignon. Although the wine label lists it as Napa Valley, maps specify Oakville as its exact location.
The winery's small scale is a fact that no one there tries to hide. Screaming Eagle describes its production volume as extremely limited, so much so that there is absolutely no surplus wine, meaning they cannot even hold tastings.
The practical implications of this are clear. There is no visitor center or tours; the P.O. box address at Oakville is the only point of contact, and one's place on the waiting list moves up only when someone stops purchasing.
The grapes
Screaming Eagle works for the red wines with the classic Bordeaux blend, the grand vin is led by Cabernet Sauvignon. The grape varieties featured in all of this winery's bottled products are as follows:
- Cabernet Sauvignon, the primary variety
- Merlot
- Cabernet Franc
- Sauvignon Blanc
The exact proportions vary from year to year, and the winery does not disclose them as a fixed recipe. The alcohol content for red wines is typically around 14.5%, though it is sometimes slightly higher, indicating that these wines are well-ripened Napa reds rather than light-bodied ones.
Who advises in the cellar
Heidi Peterson Barrett made the first vintage in 1992 and stayed for well over a decade, and it is her wines that built the reputation. Andy Erickson took over after the 2006 sale, and since around 2011 the winemaker has been Nick Gislason. The vineyards are farmed by David Abreu's team, whose vineyard management company also looks after several of Napa's other benchmark sites.
Michel Rolland consults. His firm is based in Pomerol and advises properties across a long list of countries, with a small American portfolio that includes Harlan and Staglin alongside the Oakville estate. Rolland made his name with ripe, plush, Merlot-inflected reds and has taken plenty of criticism for it over the years, without ever appearing troubled by the charge.
What comes out of it is a dense, dry Napa Cabernet with real depth of fruit, built to age for decades. The winery publishes no technical sheets, and given how little wine there is, that is unlikely to change.
The wines
The most important wine is Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. This wine is the one that started it all in 1992: first made in 1992 and released in 1995. Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Production is roughly 500 to 750 cases.
Second Flight is another red wine for which this winery is famous; it is a Bordeaux-style blend. It debuted with the 2006 vintage and has been called The Flight since 2015. It's the estate's Merlot-dominant blend. It is often wrongly described as a second wine, however it's a separate blend with its own identity, not a declassified version of the grapes for the Cabernet.
Since 2012 Screaming Eagle also produces a white wine made from sauvignon blanc.
The wines are produced in extremely limited quantities. Neither is a wine you'll come across by chance, and, in fact, that is precisely what makes them so special.
The best vintages of screaming eagle
That is of course a question of preference, however the following vintages can be regarded as outstanding 1997, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021.
Frequently asked questions
Can you visit Screaming Eagle?
No. The estate says the property cannot accommodate tours, and because so little wine is made, no tastings are offered either.
How does the waiting list work?
You sign up through Screaming Eagle's own site, and a spot on the active member list only opens when an existing member drops off. The estate gives no timeframe, and it only contacts people once they have actually moved onto the active list.
Who started Screaming Eagle?
Jean Phillips, who had been selling her Napa grapes to other wineries before making her own wine in 1992.
Where exactly is the winery?
In Oakville, in the Napa Valley, California. Its public contact address is a PO Box in Oakville.
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