Screaming Eagle? Screaming Deal?

I was looking over the wine list at my favorite local Italian restaurant when the owner's selection caught my eye.

2011 Screaming Eagle $3,900

Credited as the trailblazer for Napa cult wineries, Screaming Eagle was founded by Jean Phillips, a former realtor with a knack for good soil. In 1986, she bought a 57-acre vineyard in Oakville. While Phillips sold most of her grapes to nearby Napa wineries, she kept an acre of Cabernet Sauvignon for her personal winemaking.

Screaming Eagle, the most expensive Napa wine

A few years later, Phillips decided to go into commercial winemaking and hired Heidi Barrett to be her winemaker. Barrett is a second-generation Napa winemaker and wife of Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena fame. At that time, she was already a rising star with a couple of Robert Parker 100-points from a consulting gig with Dalla Valle.


In 1995, Phillips released the first vintage of Screaming Eagle. The 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon was a hit, scoring 99 points from Robert Parker. Both ladies became an overnight phenomenon.

The winery is not open to public

With continued accolades and production kept low at around 500 cases per vintage, the demand for the celebrated wine sky-rocketed. A mailing list was quickly established, and only members of the list were able to purchase the wine directly from the winery. The members-only price started at $75 per bottle, which was high at that time. It then increased to $125 a bottle, making Screaming Eagle the most expensive wine in the Valley.

By the time Phillips sold the winery to Stan Kroenke and Charles Bank in 2006, the members-only price was $300 a bottle. Today, the wait to get on the Screaming Eagle mailing list is rumored to be a few decades long. If you are patient enough to get on the mailing list, you get to purchase Screaming Eagle at $850 a bottle, a screaming deal since the aftermarket price averages three to four times that. And the restaurant price... you do the math!

Personally, I have not tasted Screaming Eagle. At that price, it will be a very special day if I do. My friends, who were fortunate enough to have it, definitely thought highly of it.

So what you would consider to be a screaming deal for Screaming Eagle? I have my number. What is yours?

Caymus Napa Valley Cab - In Memory of Nancy

I lost a special friend to breast cancer a couple of weeks ago. It was a long and brave fight that lasted years, but Nancy is finally resting. 

Anyone who had met Nancy would tell you that she didn't look like a cancer patient. A giveaway might be a high-fashion scarf she used to cover her chemo-induced follicular disruption. Oftentimes, she would wear a really cute blonde bob with the brightest smile and a gorgeous outfit. Her eyes were always full of life, and she would be genuinely interested in your life like she was living vicariously through a healthier body. 

Nancy loved wine, and I enjoyed having drinks with her. We traded tips on how to avoid bad wines in a restaurant or a pub and dreamed about our favorite wines. I got to learn that Nancy loved a good Napa cab. (Who doesn't?) A few years ago, she gave me a bottle of Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon for my birthday. She told me that was one of her favorite wines. It was amazing!! 

This month's post is in honor of Nancy. I managed to procure a bottle of 2013 Caymus Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which was quite a feat in a city that is saturated with good Washington wines. With determination and a somewhat forced disregard for the price tag, I picked the last bottle off the store shelf. We planned to celebrate Nancy that night with some Caymus cab and the Swinery's boeuf bourguignon and fresh fettuccine. 

Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon

Day One

First, I'd like to give a nod to the label. So elegant and beautiful! The wine was deep purple indicating youthfulness. It was fruit forward, silky smooth, full-bodied with perfect acidity. The finish was long and had a fig undertone, that was delicious. Needless to say, it was a match made in heaven for the boeuf bourguignon and fettuccine.

Day Two*

The fruit flavors deepened, and the wine showed even more structure. It was opulent!

Day Three*

Hello, leather! My friends know how much I love leather in my wine. The fruit flavors were more concentrated in the background. A touch more jammy. Still full-bodied with a lasting finish.

My Verdict: If I could only choose one word to describe the wine, it would be "opulent." I am so glad that Nancy shared this wine with me, and I can see why it was one of her favorites. Like Nancy, the Caymus cab is elegant, complex, yet approachable. You can enjoy it with food or alone. My wish for Nancy is that in heaven, God gave her a beautiful room in His mansion right next to the wine cellar. Cheers, Nancy! 

Price: $60-$90 depending on the wine store. (You can get it cheap at Trader Joe's, but I will not recommend it. That will be a different post for a different day.)

* I use the Sharper Image vacuum wine saver to keep the wine fresh after the bottle is opened.