California

Rating

97

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2011 - 2025

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

2nd May 2011

Source

195, The Wine Advocate

A blend of 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon (84% of the fruit from Sonoma and 16% from Napa), the 1999 is soft enough to be considered fully mature. Sweet aromas of espresso roast, plum sauce, black currants and forest floor are followed by a delicious, chewy, complex wine that should drink well for another 12-14 years.

The 2009 Screaming Eagle is insanely beautiful. It is a relatively open vintage that nevertheless possesses stunning intensity, depth and elegance. Dark red berries, flowers, mint and spices are all woven together beautifully. Layers of fruit build effortlessly to the long, seductive finish. The 2009 continues to flesh out in the glass. All of the elements are in the right place in the drop-dead gorgeous, stunning 2009. A haunting bouquet reminiscent of a great Musigny lingers on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029. 

Screaming Eagle remains one of the most compelling estates in Napa Valley. The winery is now under full control of Stan Kroenke. Consultant Andy Erickson is no longer involved in the property but his protege Nic Gislason appears to have the passion and talent to take things to the next level, as impossible a task as that may seem given the profound quality of the wines here. In addition to the wines formally reviewed, I also tasted several components of the 2010s that were absolutely gorgeous and a bottle of the 2007 which was flat-out great. OK, that is an understatement. It was utterly profound. But those weren't the most interesting wines I tasted. Those honors go to the several tanks of 2011 Merlot I sampled during the harvest. Why? Because Screaming Eagle is one of those very rare properties where the bottled wine captures the fullest essence of the fruit just as it tastes at harvest, and that is very, very rare.

Score: 98+ Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (198), December 2011

ating

96

Release Price

$240

Drink Date

2015 - 2045

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Oct 2015

Source

221, The Wine Advocate

The flagship wine of the estate in reds is their Insignia, which has been one of the great Bordeaux blends made in California since the debut vintage in 1974. It usually has 30+ years aging potential, even in lighter vintages, of which the 2012, 2013 and 2014 are decidedly not. The 2012 Proprietary Red Insignia, a final blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and the rest Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc all from estate vineyards, was aged 24 months in 100% new French oak. There are 15,000 cases of it, and it’s a fabulous, classic Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Inky purple to the rim, with notes of lead pencil shavings, incense, camphor, blackberry and creme de cassis, the wine is full-bodied, offering a multi-layered, textural, skyscraper-like mouthfeel, terrific purity, density and richness. All of this is achieved without a sense of heaviness or anything aggressive. This is a beauty to drink now and over the next 30 years.

Rating

94+

Release Price

$95

Drink Date

2014 - 2029

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Oct 2014

Source

215, The Wine Advocate

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate’s dense ruby/purple color is followed by notes of crème de cassis, licorice, mulberries and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied and elegant, it cuts a broad swath between a great Médoc and a Napa Valley Cabernet. There is still some tannin to shed, should be at its peak in 4-5 years, and drink well for 20-25 years.

Rating

94

Release Price

$125

Drink Date

2015 - 2030

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Dec 2015

Source

222, The Wine Advocate

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Fay Vineyard boasts loads of black cherry and black raspberry fruit, a floral characteristic common to this terroir, a beautiful deep ruby/purple color, sweet tannin and a dramatic, lush, Margaux-like finish. This is sexy, lush, full-throttle wine to drink over the next 10-15 years.

Shafer’s flagship wine, and one of the world’s greatest Cabernet Sauvignons, is the Hillside Select, which comes from the rocky, volcanic soils on hillsides above the winery. Vineyard production is small, and the wine an incredible example of Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in 100% new oak for 32 months and bottled unfiltered, this can generally be expected to be one of the top dozen or so Cabernet Sauvignons in virtually any vintage in Napa, and certainly possesses 25 to possibly 50 years of aging potential. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is a perfect wine. It elicits more than a few “wows” when you smell the incredible notes of charcoal, graphite and subtle toast, buttressed and dominated by blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry fruit. The purity of these fruits, the multidimensional mouthfeel, the seamless integration of acid, alcohol, tannin and wood are all flawless. The 2012 signature adds an extravagant opulence and density that is just mind-boggling, and the wine is a total hedonistic and intellectual turn-on already, although it has 30+ years of life ahead of it.

Score: 100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (227), October 2016

96

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2020 - 2050

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Dec 2015

Source

222, The Wine Advocate

The 2013 Ulysses is absolutely mind-boggling, as so many wines from this vintage are. Gorgeous blueberry and blackberry fruit, along with the telltale cassis and floral notes, jump from the glass. Again, this is Pauillac-like, with some cedar wood and subtle barrique smells. Again produced nearly all from Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine is full-bodied, powerful, rich and long, with slightly sweeter tannins than the 2012. Production in 2013 was 960 cases, and Moueix told me that the entire growing season averaged about two and half weeks ahead of schedule from bloom break to harvest. This is a prodigious effort and will certainly stand as the great Ulysses of the first trio to be released. I suspect it will be drinkable in 3-4 years and keep for 30 or more, given the Moueix track record.

Rating

95+

Release Price

$155

Drink Date

2018 - 2048

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Dec 2015

Source

222, The Wine Advocate

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from the To Kalon Vineyard celebrates the 50th anniversary of the great Robert Mondavi and his extraordinary vision to create something special in the heart of Napa Valley. A beautifully polished wine, with a dense ruby/purple color, it is still tightly knit and showing high-quality oak. The wine is full-bodied and rich, with outstanding depth, ripeness and purity. There is plenty of backbone and tannin for 25-30 years of cellaring. The wine shows notes of chocolate and plenty of blackcurrant fruit and blackberry. This is a beauty and certainly a great reserve and worthy homage to the legendary Robert Mondavi. Give it another 2-4 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 30 years.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve comes across as quite restrained today, with most of its power lurking in the background. There is no shortage of depth or intensity, though. Hints of iron, smoke, leather and savory herbs open up gradually, but the 2013 needs at least a few years to uncoil and will drink well for another two decades or so beyond that. This is an especially refined expression of the famed To-Kalon vineyard.

-- Antonio Galloni 95 Antonio Galloni 2023 - 2043 $155.00 Oct 2015

A truly monumental wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is simply magnificent. A huge, energetic wine, the 2013 exudes richness, concentration and depth. Cool, mineral and savory notes meld into a core of intense dark fruit in a vertical, towering Cabernet Sauvignon endowed with superb purity and depth. This is the best showing yet from the 2013. (98+ Points)

Score: 98

Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media.com Maturity: 2023-203801 December 2016

The 2013 Le Désir is once again alluring. Le Désir is quite powerful and intense, but it also has fairly soft contours for the year. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, chocolate, mocha, licorice and cloves are all pushed forward. Energetic and explosive, the 2013 is going to need at least a few years in bottle to settle down, but it has plenty to offer. I tasted the 2013 from tank just prior to bottling.

-- Antonio Galloni (92-95) Antonio Galloni $390.00 Feb 2016

Rating

(94 - 96)

Release Price

$275

Drink Date

2016 - 2041

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Dec 2016

Source

228, The Wine Advocate

The 2014s are not yet in bottle. The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 Estate-Grown is a big-time winner with great fruit, terrific texture, full body, sensational purity and plenty of blue and black fruits interwoven. The amazing thing about all of these wines is that no oak shows through whatsoever, although I suspect the percentage of new oak is relatively high. That’s an example of the extravagance and richness of the fruit that the winery is achieving. Again, purity, harmony, complexity and individuality are hallmarks of these wines. Drink this 2014 Cask 23 over the next 25 years.