Nick and I are standing in their best block of Merlot—the source of one of California’s most impressive Merlot-based wines. And yet, this block facing the Silverado Trail doesn’t look so different from the surrounding Cabernet blocks.

“It was Jean Phillips who decided to put Merlot here,” Nick tells me. “It wasn’t an obvious choice. You would want to put Cabernet here because of the gravelly soils. This part is an old riverbed and underground rivers from the hills run beneath it. Jean’s decision in the 1980s was a key one. And people tried to talk her out of it, saying Cabernet would be better here. But she was a gardener, and it was all intuitive. Here at the foot of the hills, we have cooler nights, and the Merlot has access to water, which it needs, but not too much water. The situation here for growing Merlot is legitimately unique.”

This story about the Merlot block, which is, incidentally, the backbone of the The Flight label, goes some way to explaining some of the magic of Jean Phillips’ decisions, which led to the creation of one of Napa’s most iconic wines.

The Screaming Eagle Vineyard consists of around 45 acres under vine on a nearly 60-acre piece of contiguous land. The soil types vary considerably, partially deposited by alluvial fans coming down from the Vaca Mountains, comingled with former riverbeds, volcanic deposits, and clay-rich sections. From a distance, it can appear flat, but when standing in the vineyard, it is clear there’s a lot of undulation to the topography, contributing to its diversity.

Nick uses a wide variety of cover crops, which are the only nutrient additions to the vineyard and are, therefore, carefully matched to the individual needs of rows. There are about 100,000 vines on the property, all tagged with numbered, permanent stainless-steel tags. Each vine is monitored individually and tracked regularly. The consistently superlative vines are used for bud material when a section requires replanting. 

Remarkably, the 45 acres of vines are vinified as 45 different lots.

To accomplish this, the winery is kitted out with 50 small tanks. Harvest can be slow and drawn out, as each block is brought in only when it is judged ready. “On this one contiguous property, we harvested over six weeks in 2018,” Nick commented. In a typical year, there are over 120 potential lots to consider for the final blends.

Whereas Screaming Eagle is mainly sourced from Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the western side of the estate, the previously mentioned plot of old vines Merlot is on the eastern side of the vineyard, on well-drained soils. “And the Cabernet selection for The Flight is always about being fresh, light, and perfumey, without the firmer tannins that Cabernet can sometimes give,” Nick explained. “There is a ‘fresh’ end of the property that this tends to come from. Conversely, some other Merlot on the other side of the property doesn’t have the acidity, perfume, or brightness we want for The Flight.”

When I lament the general lack of great Merlot from California, Nick replies, “Looking to make great Merlot is like looking for a diamond in a pitch-black cave with nothing but a laser pointer. It seems impossible, but when you find that diamond, BAM!

We come to taste the 2018, 2020, and 2021 vintages of Screaming Eagle and The Flight.

The 2021 The Flight stops me in my tracks—incredibly fragrant, shimmery, and charged with energy.

A blend of 65% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16% Cabernet Franc, for the first time since its inception, The Flight outshines the Cabernet Sauvignon dominant Screaming Eagle. 

“Yeah,” Nick says, sensing my excitement. “But 2021 was a small crop, and 2022 will be even smaller. Unfortunately, in 2022, the Merlot really suffered. Right now, I’m not sure if we can make a ’22 Flight. Merlot is so fickle when it comes to heat and drought.”

He says this, yet just as Jean Phillips had the intuition to know where to plant the Merlot, I suspect Nick will have the same winemaking intuition to be able to find the diamond in the cave.