Scarecrow, 'M. Étain', Napa Valley, California, 2021

About The Producer
The Scarecrow story begins in a patch of earth with a fabled past. The J.J. Cohn Estate, where Scarecrow grapes are born, borders what was once the legendary vineyard of Inglenook winemaker Gustave Niebaum, whose plantings blanketed more than 1,000 acres of the Napa Valley at the close of the 19th century.

John Daniel Jr. took the helm at Inglenook in 1939, determined to restore the label to pre-Prohibition standing and produce world-class Bordeaux-style wines. In 1945, Daniel convinced his neighbor, J.J. Cohn, to plant eighty acres of Cabernet vines on the 180-acre parcel Cohn had purchased a few years prior. The property served as a summer retreat for Cohn’s wife and their family. He had no ambitions to become a winemaker himself, but Daniel promised to buy his grapes, so Cohn planted vines. The rest, as they say, is history.

J.J. Cohn fruit figured prominently in Inglenook’s superlative Cabernet Sauvignons of the post-war era, and has more recently gone into wines of such renown as Opus One, Niebaum-Coppola, Duckhorn, Insignia and Etude.

J.J. Cohn Estate grapes are highly sought-after in part because Cohn bucked the trend, begun in the mid- 1960s, of replacing vines planted on St. George rootstock with the supposedly superior AxR#I hybrid. Over time, vines grafted onto this new stock proved highly vulnerable to phylloxera. But by then, virtually all of the old St. George vines in Napa had been destroyed. Only the original 1945 J.J. Cohn vines survived. These highly prized “Old Men” continue to produce uncommonly rich fruit—the hallmark of Scarecrow wine.

But the Scarecrow story doesn’t end there. This is more than a tale of enchanted ground and the exceptional wine that flows out of it. The Scarecrow story is a story, too, of an extraordinary family legacy. Joseph Judson Cohn was born in Harlem in 1895 to Russian immigrants. Cohn spent his childhood in dire poverty and never learned to prefer the taste of fresh bread over stale—even after he’d found great success in Hollywood.

A move west in the 1920s launched Cohn’s studio career. Highly resourceful and extremely capable, Cohn began as a bookkeeper, distinguished himself early and rose quickly through the ranks to become Chief of Production at MGM. His unofficial credo, “Nothing is impossible,” became the motto of his MGM staff. They knew him as a man who simply refused to take “No” for an answer.

During Hollywood’s golden age, Cohn was instrumental in the making of such film classics as Ben Hur, Gigi, Mutiny on the Bounty and, most beloved of all, The Wizard of Oz. Today, the Scarecrow label pays tribute to the endearing and indomitable character from that film. Scarecrow evokes a distinctly American agricultural icon and American optimism. And most importantly, Scarecrow honors the remarkable life of J.J. Cohn. Cohn lived to be 100 years old, spanning a defining century that he helped to shape. The people who labor with passion and conviction to bring you Scarecrow wine are proud to be part of his living legacy.

Winemaker
Celia Welch

Grape / Blend
72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Malbec, 11% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot

Origin
Monsieur Etain Cohn Ranch, Napa Valley, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The 2021 M. Étain presents complex floral, cherry, sage, lavender, tobacco, and blueberry aromas with plenty of oak and caramel underlying the fruit essence. At entry, the fresh, juicy, very bright fruit flavors dominate the palate impression. With lovely, consistent full texture and a very fresh cherry-raspberry pop at the finish of the palate, the dusty tannins are present, but play a complementary role on the palate as the fresh fruit flavors linger.

All fruit for this wine was harvested by hand from the JJ Cohn Estate in Rutherford, CA between September 15 and September 30, 2021. The fruit was put through an optical sorter, then fermented as small lots before gently pressing and transferring to barrels. The individual lots were aged in French Oak barrels for approximately 18 months prior to bottling in April 2023, without the use of fining or filtration. This final blend of estate fruit consists of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Malbec, 11% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. 1071 cases of 750 ml bottles were produced in April 2023.

97 Points - Wine Independent
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 M. Etain prances out with eager-to-please notes of wild blueberries, blackcurrant pastilles, and red cherries leading to hints of violets, clove oil, and dark chocolate. The medium to full-bodied palate is velvety, soft, and well poised with seamless freshness lifting the dense blue fruit to a long, fragrant finish. "This is a different expression of the vineyard," said winemaker Celia Welch. "M. Etain is not declassified Scarecrow. The blend is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Malbec, 11% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. This is the first vintage where this is actually a red wine rather than a Cabernet Sauvignon, as it can usually be labelled legally.

97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
No 2020s were produced at this estate due to the devastating wildfires. The good news is that the 2021s are as good as anything I've tasted from this producer and are two truly sensational wines. Starting with the 2021 M. tain, it checks in as a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Malbec, 11% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot that spent 18 months in 60% new French oak. While it's the second wine of this estate, it really has its own signature, and it's as good or better than most Grand Vin. Pure cassis, spring flowers, violets, leafy tobacco, and lead pencil notes all emerge on the nose, and it's full-bodied, has a seamless, layered mouthfeel, flawless balance, and one heck of a great finish. It's gorgeous today and will be gorgeous in two decades as well.

95 Points - Wine Advocate
A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Malbec, 11% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2021 M. Étain is a slightly different expression of the famed J.J. Cohn Estate in western Rutherford. Scents of deep loamy earth and dark fruit are joined by some brighter cherries on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with velvety tannins. This rides on the edge of super maturity yet remains fresh and vibrant, finishing silky and elegant

Product size: 750ml