Sign of the Times - Invite to Screaming Eagle

WINE TALK
1

Well, it took nearly 8 years, but I received an invite to confirm my interest in being added to the mailing list for the 2009 vintage.

Nice gensture considering when I signed up it wasn’t anywhere near $750/bottle…

I guess even the cults are not imune to the economy… or maybe production is up?

Never spent that much on a single bottle… not sure I can start now. [drinkers.gif]

2

if you’re “not sure” then I’m pretty sure the answer is “No.”

3

Yeh, that is not really a grey area for most…

4

The 08 starts at about $1450 at retail and auction, and the 07 starts at about $2500. Are you sure you can afford not to buy it?

5

Flip it,everbody else does.

6

Currently at the Acker on line auction for the 2003 Screagle:

Current Winning Bid: $ 950

7

You must be a six-percent limo driver. pileon

8

Holding it for investment/flipping is an option, maybe to reduce my average on a single or something…

Winebid has 3 - '08’s going at $1,035 now…

9

For that price, the best 1er Cru Bordeaux from a fine year, or grand Cru Burgundy.
No, wait, not or, AND!

10

Why does no one ever post on Screagle? Because no one ever opens one?

11

I’ve known several people that are on the list and have only ever heard about 1 bottle being opened. They mostly get flipped.

12

Same with Marilyn Merlot.

13

I used to be on the list, ever since my one bottle of 1992. and I loved drinking it, it had an extraordinarily long and beautiful feminine/masculine finish, in fact it’s the wine that taught me to pay attention to finish, and in cult cab tastings it always came in first for me, blind or not, especially in odd vintages 1993 1995 1997; it actually shared some attributes with what I now find in Burgundy. I stayed with it out of loyalty as my budget got tighter and tighter but as someone posted here, “not sure” at these prices means “no.” And with Andy Erickson gone and rumors of production greatly expanding, I have no idea what’s going on. $750 for something over 1000 cases, for example, would be obscene, especially with wines like 400 case Maybach around. Maybe it’s already over 1000 cases, Maybe it’s less than half that. I don’t know but to me it would matter.

14

Demand in the secondary market for Screagle remains very strong, it’s actually one of the very few California Cabernets where prices in the market really didn’t decline during the recession. Market prices have remained flat while release pricing has gone up, so SE is no longer the windfall for flippers that it once was. I would venture to say that this is why the list has opened-up - no one wants to invest $2500 when the deal will be less lucrative than it has been in the past.

15

Or maybe the production is way higher. They have 50+ acres, what do they do with the left overs? Bulk it out to Harlan? Or do they sell the fruit (I distinctly remember lurking old Gang of Pour tasting notes a there was a 1996 Napa Cellars Screaming Eagle Cabernet. This makes scene as the first vintage was released in 1996 and not so popular. But still could be possible today.)? What would be the problem with them increasing their production? This wine is most highly rated and 1,000 is a drop in the bucket compared to all of the first growths productions which can demand close to if not WAY much more money. If you are interested in Andy Erikson’s style and wines try the other labels he consults for, many of the wines are better priced; Areitta, Meteor Vineyards, Dancing Hares, Favia, Ovid, ect. Or go with the neighbors Garguiglo is right there and Plumpjack, Rudd, and Groth to a lesser extent are close. I have never has a Screaming Eagle, intact it is one of the only top Napa wines I have not had, maybe people just don’t open this stuff as mentioned above.

16

Well, if I recall correctly, and i could be very wrong, of the Screaming Eagle holdings, from the start, the SE was bottled only from the highest part of the vineyard which is small, and the lower, flat, larger part was bulked out, one rumor was Folie a Deux Reserve Cabernet 1995 (owned by Heidi Peterson Barrett’s dad). So even if SE is 50 acres, I assume until I hear otherwise that there is no way they will sell all of it as SE.

Everything I just wrote might be inaccurate but it’s what I heard, years ago.

17

Yup…indeed correct, George. When ScottHarvey was winemaker at FaD, they were getting some SE Cab grapes because of the DickPeterson/Heidi connection.
Tom

18

Coutu - just recall when we all head up to VT, all the expensive Cali Cab/Blends, Bordeaux and Syrahs are just sitting there while white wines, Pinot Noir and Champagne disappear in record time. neener [wink.gif]

19

I’ll take your bottles at cost.

20

[quote=“George Chadwick” one rumor was Folie a Deux Reserve Cabernet 1995 (owned by Heidi Peterson Barrett’s dad). So even if SE is 50 acres, I assume until I hear otherwise that there is no way they will sell all of it as SE.

Everything I just wrote might be inaccurate but it’s what I heard, years ago.[/quote]

No yo are 100% correct. About i said it was Napa Cellars but now I remember that it was a Folie a Deux ad it was even labeled Screaming Eagle Vineyard. I wish I saved the link to the gang of pour page which this wine was reviewed, they even have a picture of the bottle posted.