2011 Scarecrow M. Etain
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Tasting notes
(from younger vines): Dark ruby-red. Perfumed aromas of crushed cassis, licorice and violet. Juicy, spicy and still a bit youthfully tight, with dark berry, licorice and floral flavors accented by a light herbal component. Tannins are a touch edgy but even the young vines in this cool year communicate the purity of fruit typical of this superb site.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon M. Etain is fabulous. Dark raspberries, flowers, tobacco, mint and rose petals all meld together in a long, soulful wine loaded with personality. Today the tannins are a bit firm, but that should not be an issue in another few years, once the wine has come together a little more fully. Today the 2011 M. Etain is absolutely singing. That is a second wine is virtually incomprehensible.
The already bottled 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon M. Etain is a pure, medium-bodied effort with abundant rich black currant and black cherry fruit intermixed with hints of unsmoked cigar tobacco, loamy soil (the Rutherford dust?), and a velvety finish. It should drink nicely over the next decade. These have been enviable wines since I first started tasting them thanks primarily to Celia Welch, the consulting winemaker at this historic estate in Rutherford. They have added a quasi-second wine called M. Etain, which is brilliantly packaged. Of course, it is what’s in the bottle that really counts.
The already bottled 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon M. Etain is a pure, medium-bodied effort with abundant rich black currant and black cherry fruit intermixed with hints of unsmoked cigar tobacco, loamy soil (the Rutherford dust?), and a velvety finish. It should drink nicely over the next decade. These have been enviable wines since I first started tasting them thanks primarily to Celia Welch, the consulting winemaker at this historic estate in Rutherford. They have added a quasi-second wine called M. Etain, which is brilliantly packaged. Of course, it is what’s in the bottle that really counts. Tel. (707) 963-3361
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.