2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Scarecrow
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Tasting Notes
Pure perfection in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Scarecrow’s 2018 reveals a dense purple hue as well as an incredible bouquet of pure crème de cassis, toasted spices, chocolate, darker currants, and graphite. This carries to a full-bodied, dense, off-the-charts sexy 2018 that has the vintage’s purity and freshness backed up by flawless balance, a layered mouthfeel, and building yet elegant tannins. This cuvée is hard to resist given its texture and wealth of fruit, but it will ideally be given 3-5 years and should evolve for 30 years or more.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon shows why this Rutherford site is so highly regarded. A Cabernet of pedigree and stature, the 2018 Scarecrow makes a strong opening statement. Seemingly endless waves of fruit completely bury the tannins. A bit of coaxing releases an exotic melange of gravel, spice, smoke, grilled herb and licorice nuances that meld into the super-concentrated dark fruit. This is another stellar effort by the team led by winemaker Celia Welch and vineyard manager Mike Wolf.
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Scarecrow is deep garnet-purple in color, slipping slowly, measuredly out of the glass with sensuous notes of blackberry pie, blackcurrant pastilles and Morello cherries, leading to hints of raspberry leaves, oolong tea, cardamom and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of energy, delivering vivacious, mineral-sparked black fruit preserves flavors with a firm, grainy texture and a refreshing lift on the long, long finish. Simply gorgeous!
About the producer
Scarecrow shot to fame with its debut 2003 vintage. The wine, named after the The Wizard of Oz character, is made exclusively from grapes from the J. J. Cohn vineyard in Napa’s Rutherford. Scarecrow is owned by Bret Lopez (J. J. Cohn’s grandson) and is very much a rarity in Napa.