($750; includes 17% merlot) Good full red-ruby. Slightly medicinal aromas of red berries, minerals, brown spices, menthol and tobacco leaf. Pliant, generous and sweet, with lovely depth to the red berry, plum and tobacco flavors. This subtly complex wine rises and expands on the very long back end, dusting the mouth with flavor. Still a bit youthfully tight and in need of patience. A superb vintage for this wine, and a fitting swan song for the "old style" of Screaming Eagle. The cabernet franc was left out of the wine because it was "too drying," noted winemaker Andy Erickson, who made the final blend very late and bottled the wine last September.

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Already some evolution evident at the rim. Very scented, flirtatious bouquet with real lift and some earthiness. There’s a hint of very dark savoury chocolate on the nose but the wine is far from heavy and sweet. Transparent and expressive with a dry finish. Very appetising yet obviously the produce of a warm season on a special terroir, like turbo charged claret. Persistent with a dry kick on the finish.

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The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is stunning. A wine that is only now beginning to shed its tannin, the 2006 stands out for its vibrancy and energy. All of the classic Screaming Eagle notes are in the glass, but with a little more edge and cut than in most vintages. Sweet red berries, crushed rocks, flowers and spice box are alive in the glass. Over time, hints of sage, mint rosemary and pencil shavings add complexity. The 2006 is a decidedly cool-weather wine with less opulence than either the 2007 or 2009, but it is absolutely singing today. Another few years will only help the wine come together even more fully, but it is impossible to miss the 2006's utterly breathtaking beauty. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026.

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Rustic and chewy, tight and compact, but well-focused, tannic and complex. This is slow to reveal its core of dried currant, mineral, sage and dusty berry fruit, with a long yet taut finish, ending with an edge of pencil lead. 500 cases made.

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