2004 Screaming Eagle OWC 96 WA

"The 2004, which is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot with a tiny 2% Cabernet Franc, has put on considerable weight now that it is in bottle. The wine, which was bottled only a month before my visit, performed fabulously well – full-bodied, opulent, and voluptuous, and in that sense, very much a product of this rather flashy, seductive vintage. Dense purple-colored with a beautiful nose of graphite, blackberry, and creme de cassis that has that extraordinary purity and intensity that seems to be a hallmark of Screaming Eagle, the 2004 exhibits a sweet, savory, expansive, powerful palate, but with no hard edges, and everything seamlessly constructed, with just a hint of toasty oak in the finish. This beautifully elegant yet authoritatively flavored wine should drink well young yet age for up to 20 or more years.

OWC available." — Wine Advocate, 96 pts