Screaming Eagle's Winemaker Departs

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Andy Erickson leaves Napa winery to focus on other projects

Posted: Jan 3, 2011 1:59pm ET

Andy Erickson is leaving Napa Valley's Screaming Eagle winery after five vintages as winemaker for the celebrated Cabernet Sauvignon producer.

Erickson is departing to focus on his own label, Favia, his clients, Dalla Valle, Dancing Hares, Ovid and Arietta, and to reconnect with Charles Banks, one of the principals who bought Screaming Eagle in 2006.

Erickson says the timing is right, since the new Screaming Eagle winery on the property in Oakville has been completed, the vineyard replanted and its owner, Stanley Kroenke, can put his own winemaking staff in place. Erickson is the winemaking link between Screaming Eagle founder Jean Phillips who hired Erickson and then sold the winery in 2006 to Banks and Kroenke. Phillips founded Screaming Eagle in 1992 and it quickly became one of Napa's elite "cult" Cabernets.

Kroenke is a wealthy real-estate developer and the owner of the NFL's St. Louis Rams, the Denver Nuggets basketball team and the Colorado Avalanche hockey franchise, along with Jonata, a winery in Santa Barbara he founded with Banks. Kroenke's friends call him "silent Stan" because he is very private. His wife, Ann Walton Kroenke, is one of the heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune.

"The timing seems right for Stan to put together his own team that can move forward into the next phase," Erickson told me last week. "I have come to have a very strong connection to the vineyard and the crew at Screaming Eagle. Being a strong believer in terroir, and knowing Stan's commitment to the property, I know that Screaming Eagle will continue to produce excellent wines."

Along with a new winery, designed by Howard Backen, the property has been replanted, bringing it to 52 acres of mostly Cabernet and lesser amounts of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Wine from the new vines was made in 2010, Erickson said, and the quality is good, but it's unclear whether it will be part of Screaming Eagle. With 52 acres, the winery has the potential for 100 tons of grapes or more, and would easily expand on the present output of 750 cases a year, which it made in 2007 and sold for $750 a bottle.

Banks, who heads Terroir Capital, said he's also interested in returning to Napa and acquiring a vineyard there, a natural fit for him and Erickson.

Member comments 18 comment(s)

Troy Peterson — Burbank, CA — January 3, 2011 6:30pm ET

Now that I finally got an allocation in 2007 this makes me nervous...

James Laube — Napa, CA — January 3, 2011 6:33pm ET

It shouldn't...I'm sure things are in great shape...the 2007 was the best Screaming Eagle in a while...

Bill Andreotti — Aurora, IL USA — January 3, 2011 7:20pm ET

Maybe he was peeved that their pricing hasn't eclipsed Petrus soon enough.

John G Lawson — N, CA — January 3, 2011 8:09pm ET

JL,
Have you been tasting a lot of 2008 Napa Cabs ? I hear good and not so good things about the vintage. I suspect it will rank better than 2009 and 2010 .

Richard Hirth — Michigan — January 4, 2011 9:17am ET

Hi James,

I noticed that your Loring drinking windows for the 09s extend to 10-11 years from the vintage, several years longer than the windows for earlier vintages. Any insight you could provide on why would be greatly appreciated. Style change, or experience with earlier vintages lasting/improving longer than originally anticipated? Something else?

Thanks!
Rich

Brian Loring — Lompoc, CA — January 4, 2011 1:48pm ET

Richard - I'm sure Jim will chime in with his thoughts, but I agree with Jim's assessment. There seemed to be slightly elevated tannin levels in 2009 vintage Pinots. We pretty much saw that across all the regions. Additionally, we've been paying more attention to acid levels in our wines the past 3 or 4 years (higher levels than before) which should also help with ageability. We still continue to strive to make wines that drink well right out of the gate, but it's nice that what we're doing now may have a longer shelf life than before :)

James Laube — Napa, CA — January 4, 2011 3:24pm ET

Hi John, the 2008s I've tried have been exceptional. I expect it will be a great year, with a few exceptions. Biggest difference is 2008 is a much smaller crop, with some yields off by half. What I find is that most producers have consistent quality; it may vary slightly from year to year, but usually if a winery makes great wine in a great year, that's what you should expect. Conversely, some wineries simply can't make great wines. Often it's a matter of grape source. I also think the best winemakers get better with experience; many are very young. That would also account for some "grade" inflation.

James Laube — Napa, CA — January 4, 2011 3:27pm ET

Richard, I have extended drink windows across the board for all the wines I review. While I'll always recommend drinking wines earlier than later, reader response to drink windows made me rethink the ranges. So I have opened them a little wider. Also, the recent vintages seem to be better balanced, so I expect these wines will age better. Winemakers understand the lessons from a few years of "runaway" ripeness. Storage is key to aging.

John G Lawson — N, CA — January 4, 2011 4:09pm ET

James,
Yes I agree the small clusters and smaller berries caused a substantial drop in yields along with strong and concentrated flavors. I have been purchasing a lot of 2008 Napa Cabernets and hope to see more ratings online here soon. The vintage so far reminds me of 2001 and 2004, however. I could be way off here.

Troy Peterson — Burbank, CA — January 5, 2011 10:49am ET

Whoohoo, Schrader just got big gun scores again for its 2008 vintage in WA. When will the WS scores be published James?

James Laube — Napa, CA — January 5, 2011 12:45pm ET

Schrader's 2008s are phenomenol; had them a few times. Official reviews will come as soon as the wines are submitted, which I expect soon. If you get a chance to buy them, I would.

Troy Peterson — Burbank, CA — January 5, 2011 6:36pm ET

Oh I definitely buy them James, like one of Pavlov's dogs. You could rate them like crap in a bottle and I'd probably buy them, that's how bad I've got it for Schrader. I still remember signing up for Schrader's mailing list and getting my first allocation of the 2005 vintage. I struggled for days over whether or not I should take the 12 bottles plus mag, then when I finally called (yeah, they didn't take online orders then!) they said they didn't have the full allocation left. Yikes! I ended up with two CCS and two T6 bottles (some of the best) and I dearly wish I would have taken that full allocation right away. Oh well.

Back on topic, my understanding is that the 2008 SE is just fabulous, so I'll definitely be taking my allocation this year. I know Mr. Rolland is always the big eye-in-the-sky so I suppose I shouldn't worry, but when I'm spending more for 3 bottles than I did on my first car out of high school it just gives me pause for thought, ya know?!?

Thanks James. Remember, if ever in Los Angeles you've got a home cooked meal and some good wine to enjoy at our home. Just drop me a line a few weeks before at troypeterson@usa.net or 818-842-5625.

Best,

Troy

James Laube — Napa, CA — January 5, 2011 7:48pm ET

Ok, thank you Troy...will do.

Sonya Healy — Las Vegas, NV USA — January 10, 2011 4:48pm ET

In reading your article about Fred Schrader and his wines, I note that you barrel tested the 2009s. Any comment about comparing the '07s to the '09s?

James Laube — Napa, CA — January 10, 2011 5:04pm ET

They were tremendous, though I only tasted what they poured me (which I assume was the best). Based on that, the wines are right in sync with recent vintages.

Kenneth Riding — Paso Robles, California — March 28, 2011 4:44pm ET

I'm surprised that you didn't mention the restaurant Francis Mallman 1884 in Mendoza. Fantastic food in an old winery with outdoor grill. Best food we found in all of Argentina although we also visited Mallman's resturant in BA.

Vincent S Perez Md — Pleasanton, CA — July 30, 2011 3:59pm ET

James,

I just received notice that my name has risen to the top of the Screaming Eagle wine member list. Given these recent changes in winemaker, etc., what is your take on how things are going over there?

Thanks,
VP

James Laube — Napa, CA — August 1, 2011 1:51pm ET

VP, the wines through 2010 were made by Andy Erickson and I'm sure of a high level of quality. Haven't heard about a new winemaker, but one should be hired soon as 2011 growing season gains focus.

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