Nose

The wine offers very showy aromas of black cherry, warm raspberries and a hint of warm toasty vanilla, with undertones of sweet earth and tobacco.

Palate

Consistent with our best vintages, the entry is broad and velvety, with tannins that are polished enough to enjoy now but a structure that promises good things to those who possess the patience to wait. The finish delivers all the juiciness promised by that intensely fruit-driven nose, and the power and backbone that provide balance.

Growing Conditions

The winter preceding the 2015 vintage was very dry, with Rutherford receiving 13 inches of rain. Although budbreak was earlier than historic averages, fortunately the vineyard did not experience any frost damage. 2015 was a very warm growing season, with lower yields, marked by several severe heat events. Various canopy management and irrigation strategies were employed to both protect the fruit from heat damage and to allow it to ripen fully. Overall yields at the J.J. Cohn Estate were below average, and the hot summer led to an early start to harvest. Harvesting between heat events, and having the patience to wait until the fruit was fully ripe was a challenge, requiring great discipline and the ability to react and respond quickly.

With winter 2015 we saw a very welcome end to our four-year drought, and the vineyards rejoiced. Although the crop was, overall, much smaller than several prior years, the quality was outstanding, as evidenced in this latest release of Scarecrow.

Vintage is sold out.

Harvest

Harvested completely by hand at night, between September 9 and 21, this wine is entirely grown on the J.J. Cohn Estate in Rutherford, Napa Valley.

Bottling

Bottled in late July 2017 without fining or filtration.

Winemaking

The fruit was destemmed, optically sorted, and fermented in small batches. After approximately 24 days on skins the wine was gently pressed.

Aging

French Oak barrels, of which roughly 80% were new barrels. The wine was kept in these barrels for nearly a year, then assessed for quality before the final Scarecrow blend was created in Summer 2016. Returned to rest in oak for an additional 10 months.