April 20, 2024 - Very deep red in colour and clear with a nose of dark berries, this wine showed exceptionally well tonight. Nuanced flavours of blueberries and a hint of spices. The tannins were there as was the acidity but this wine continues to be more like a Bordeaux wine than an in your face Napa wine. This will still age for quite a while in my opinion and it showed so much better than my last bottle.
February 2, 2024 - Ditto to my 2022 note on this wine. But the integration was better and the texture was better. Would’ve added a point to 95, but the Finish was not as lengthy as I remembered before. Aroma and flavor profile was the same. Definitely a great bottle of wine. Highly recommended
January 6, 2023 - This clear wine was decanted for an hour prior to drinking. It was deep garnet red in colour with a muted nose of dark berries. In the glass was a surprisingly full bodied wine with flavours of dark berries and some graphite. Both the tannins and acidity were quite strong and I would've guessed that this was close to 100% Cabernet Sauvignon as opposed to the approximately 43% Merlot that was in this.
December 10, 2022 - Opaque dark garnet core at 10 years old with minimal bricking on the edge Medium + bodied with a great silky mouthfeel aromas of cedar, black currant and graphite followed by black currant, blue berry, dark plum, and smoky grilled herbs. A melange of tea and coffee to go with more graphite. It wasn’t that interesting at first but after about 2 hours it was lighting up the room. Very strong effort for a second wine. Highly recommended.
November 19, 2022 - Second time drinking this wine and it shows great. Sweet purple fruit and cassis, round, balanced, great fruit quality. 94
July 18, 2022 - We loved this. Got better and better as the evening progressed. Had with a combo of grilled swordfish and pork chops in home made marinades, granted an unusual combo. The Flight is excellent, still young, with decades ahead of it. A slight note of sweetness to the fruit, silky tannins, lengthy finish, the best California wine with significant merlot percent I’ve had to my memory.I’ve always counted myself lucky to have made the Screaming Eagle list for the cab; the Flight is as good as the best of Napa’s “first growths”.
January 6, 2022 - This was drank over two days, the first was from coravined glasses and then my wife and I drank the remainder of the bottle the following evening. As many others have noted this is a solid and pleasurable wine hitting the right notes of milk chocolate, plum, espresso, and dark fruit with cut flowers. Some green coffee or herbaceous notes. On its own this is a polished Merlot blend (scored it 95-96 on both nights). I know price isn't part of the rating but at least on this occasion the wine didn't have the extra oomph I've tasted in Masseto, Lafleur or some of the other very high end right bank blends I've tasted in the past.
April 12, 2021 - I'm a big fan of the Flight that I've had so far and this bottle was in line with previous experiences. I decanted over about 4+ hours and it continued to improve as time went on so I'd be generous with giving this air (it was good early but much better as time went on). You hear about balance all the time when Screaming Eagle gets discussed and that was for sure a staple here. The nose was floral and fruit without being over the top. Very nice mouthfeel and long finish...just a solid wine all around.
January 5, 2021 - Suite Leroy Dinner (Hong Kong): Meaty, purple fruit, chocolate, cinnamon, baked spice, brown sugar, rounded profile, peppery, quite spicy. Mellow, profound, a bit short on finish. 93
June 28, 2020 - We opened this wine on a special occasion, and I did my best to taste this wine on its own terms, regardless of the name on the label. Yes, you can see Screaming Eagle as a symbol of Napa run amok: helipads, auctions, and narcissism, where the rich chase scores and trophies, treating wine like an ostentatious handbag - a symbol of luxury and exclusivity - and turning a product of agriculture into nothing more than a brand.
But... still… it’s a wine, 750 milileters of fermented grape juice. Screaming Eagle is not a symbol - or not only a symbol - it’s a winery, and the Second Flight (now “Flight”) is their second wine. So what does it taste like? It tastes pretty amazing, to be completely honest. Aside from being ridiculously expensive, this Cabernet blend is also ridiculously good. Closer to Bond than Bevan, the Second Flight is not a showy fruit oak concoction; instead, it is balanced, layered, and oh so tasty.
Ruby red in color and full in body, the wine offers enticing aromas of chocolate covered cherry, anise, gravel, and cocoa powder. The flavors are integrated, with notes of blueberry tart, sour cherry, graphite, and dried herbs. To cap it all off, the finish has it all - tannin, acidity, fruit - in such an elegant and silky package that it’s hard to believe. Decant about an hour. Blend of 43% Merlot, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Cabernet Franc. 14.9% alcohol. This has the energy and balance to drink well for another 3-5 years, but it is fabulous now.