2015, Scarecrow, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley, California, 14.9% Alc, CT RP99

99 POINTS Robert Parker

Produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon leaps from the glass with gorgeous floral notes of red roses and lilacs over a core of black and red cherries, crushed black currants and baking spices plus hints of iron ore and dusty earth. The voluptuous, rounded, soft and sexy fruit slinks across the palate with incredible seamlessness and expression. Make no mistake, it is full-bodied and decadently powerful, but with a myriad of aromatic nuances, finishing long, layered and boldly perfumed.

HARVEST NOTES

Vineyard Manager Michael Wolf:
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. Celia as usual rose stunningly to the occasion. Harvest began on September 4th, and extended to September 21st to get the best quality fruit possible out of each of the individual blocks.

TASTING NOTES

Winemaker Celia Welch writes of the 2015 Scarecrow:
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. 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. 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.

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. The fruit was destemmed, optically sorted, and fermented in small batches. After approximately 24 days on skins the wine was gently pressed and transferred to 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, the 2015 Scarecrow was bottled in late July 2017 without fining or filtration. A total of 1,850 cases were bottled.