Screaming Eagle The Flight 2015 / 750 ml.

This is very tight grained and beautifully balanced with violets, crushed stones and a brambleberry character. Extremely aromatic and perfumed. Medium to full body with a compressed mouthfeel of wonderfully fine and fresh tannins. A fantastic merlot-based red for the vintage. Structured yet so balanced. Beautiful now but better in 2021.

Very deep purple-black, the 2015 The Flight (a blend of 61% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 37% Cabernet Sauvignon) opens with electric notes of black and blue fruit sparks—wild blueberries, fresh blackberries and crushed black plums—with nuances of lavender, violets, pencil shavings, tilled soil, yeast extract and a waft of cinnamon stick. Medium to full-bodied, it hits the palate with tons of energy and freshness supported by firm, finely grained tannins, finishing with tons of fragrant earth layers.

The 2015 The Flight, Screaming Eagle’s Merlot-based wine, is terrific. Powerful, deep and explosive, the 2015 is endowed with serious richness and intensity in all of its dimensions. The 2015 is an especially dark, somber wine. As often happens with young Merlot-based wines, The Flight appears to be going through a somewhat closed phase at the moment. That won’t be an issue once the wine has a bit more time to come together. Time in the glass brings out hints of lavender, gravel, red cherry, mocha and espresso. The 2015 is going to be fascinating to follow for the next several decades.

While the Merlot from this estate has always gone under the name Second Flight, the wine was certainly not a second wine and always came from the same parcels (and more iron-rich soils) and is a very different wine compared to the Cabernet Sauvignon release. As such, they’ve opted (correctly I think) to change the name of the cuvée to The Flight. The 2015 The Flight is a beautiful wine and up with some of the best examples of Merlot out there, offering up tons of black cherries, currants, dried flowers, forest floor, and earthy aromas and flavors. Made in the same classic, elegant, vibrant style as the Cabernet, this full-bodied beauty is as silky and seamless as it gets, with perfect balance and a great finish. Drink it any time over the coming 15+ years. (Jeb Dunnuck)