ANTONIO GALLONI 98 POINTS - "Both wines from Screaming Eagle are tremendous in 2016. Winemaker Nic Gislason and his team have realized every bit of potential the vintage had to give, and I can say that having followed these wines since the fall of 2016, when they were lots of fermenting grape juice. The Merlot-based The Flight in particular is a step up from preceding vintages. As always, the attention to detail here is simply remarkable. Readers fortunate enough to own the 2016s will have a great deal of fun in the coming years comparing these two very different expressions of the same piece of dirt, one of the most hallowed in the world."
"The 2016 The Flight is gorgeous. Dark, brooding and closed in on itself, the 2016 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best, but it is incredibly beguiling today. Plum, black cherry, lavender, blood orange menthol, and a host of more mineral-driven notes punctuate this super-expressive wine. This is a decidedly tannic and powerful edition of The Flight. I can't wait to see how it ages. Bottled just six weeks before this tasting, the 2016 appears to have a very bright future. Time in the glass brings out some of the softer edges that will almost surely emerge with cellaring. The Flight is built on a core of older Merlot vines from the southeast corner of the estate. It is an absolutely riveting wine from Screaming Eagle."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 97+ POINTS - "Composed roughly of two-thirds Merlot with 5% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep colored 2016 The Flight opens with bold, expressive notions of wild blueberries, warm plums and boysenberries with touches of black raspberries, spice cake, violets, dark chocolate and potpourri with a hint of menthol. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and jam-packed with energy, it has beautifully plush tannins texturing the multilayered blue and black fruits, delivering a very long, perfumed finish."
JEB DUNNUCK 96 POINTS - "The 2016 The Flight is another beauty, and it's slightly more elegant and balanced, as well as pure, than the 2015. A blend of 66% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, this vibrant purple-colored effort offers a huge perfume of blue fruits, violets, and incense that develops with time in the glass. It's medium to full-bodied, seamless, and incredibly elegant, yet has depth, intensity, and length."
"The 2016 The Flight is gorgeous. Dark, brooding and closed in on itself, the 2016 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best, but it is incredibly beguiling today. Plum, black cherry, lavender, blood orange menthol, and a host of more mineral-driven notes punctuate this super-expressive wine. This is a decidedly tannic and powerful edition of The Flight. I can't wait to see how it ages. Bottled just six weeks before this tasting, the 2016 appears to have a very bright future. Time in the glass brings out some of the softer edges that will almost surely emerge with cellaring. The Flight is built on a core of older Merlot vines from the southeast corner of the estate. It is an absolutely riveting wine from Screaming Eagle."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 97+ POINTS - "Composed roughly of two-thirds Merlot with 5% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep colored 2016 The Flight opens with bold, expressive notions of wild blueberries, warm plums and boysenberries with touches of black raspberries, spice cake, violets, dark chocolate and potpourri with a hint of menthol. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and jam-packed with energy, it has beautifully plush tannins texturing the multilayered blue and black fruits, delivering a very long, perfumed finish."
JEB DUNNUCK 96 POINTS - "The 2016 The Flight is another beauty, and it's slightly more elegant and balanced, as well as pure, than the 2015. A blend of 66% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, this vibrant purple-colored effort offers a huge perfume of blue fruits, violets, and incense that develops with time in the glass. It's medium to full-bodied, seamless, and incredibly elegant, yet has depth, intensity, and length."
