SCARECROW 2018

 

A wonderful day as my allocation of Scarecrow 2018 arrived.  Scarecrow has achieved cult wine status and is well deserved, given its fine heritage.  The fruit of the renowned J. J. Cohn estate, first planted in 1945, produce this fine wine.  Joseph Judson Cohn(1895 – 1996) had a long career at MGM, and his credits included executive producer of The Wizard of Oz hence the name of the wine. Grapes from the Cohn estate have gone into such legendary labels as Opus One, Niebaum-Coppola, Duckhorn, and Insignia.   The winemaker is the famed Celia Welch, whose other works include Lindstrom and Corra.  Over the past five years, the wine has concisely scored well over 96 points from many reviewers, including several 100-point scores.  The Scarecrow across vintages is a rich, dense purple hue.  The nose can quickly fill a room as it breaths with notes of spice, currents, and a bit of graphite. The mouthfeel is full, and the tannins are well balanced.  2018 has already received a 100-point score from Jeb Dunnuck.  The 2018 fruit was harvest in late September and fermented in small batches with about 24 days on the skins.  The wine rested in French oak barrels (80% new oak) for ten months, with the first assemblage in the summer of 2019.  After about 22 months in the barrels, the wine was bottled in July of 2020 and released in March of 2021. The wine is un-fined and will evolve over the coming decades, and I expect this wine to outlast me in the cellar.  As this is a rare high-end wine, I save it for exceptional occasions once every few years.  To acquire this wine without needing a second mortgage on the home, you need to subscribe to the Scarecrow mailing list.  After several years (3 – 5) of enjoying their second label wine M. Étain (typically a 95 pointer),  your invitation to acquire the Scarecrow wine should arrive.  The allocations are small, usually three standard bottles and one magnum. The price is very premium, with only 1800 cases produced but well over 50% below retail market pricing, which is still below that of Screaming Eagle for now.  Much like Giants season tickets, the allocation passes down through the family, from generation to generation.  I will try my best to hold off till at least 2028 before trying this vintage.