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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 96.5 pts. and median of 97 pts. in 43 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by jcampano on 2/6/2024 & rated 98 points: Bold aromas of lavender, blackberry, black cherry, dark chocolate and graphite. Full-bodied beast with loads of black fruit, chocolate and minerality with silky tannins and a 20-second finish. (1292 views) | | | Tasted by EM_MB on 1/14/2024 & rated 97 points: 1 hour decant. Just entering its prime drinking window but will be there for many many years. Absolutely stunning wine. (1279 views) | | | Tasted by blarmston on 4/24/2023 & rated 97 points: This is a fantastic, next level type of wine.
Even though this is 8 years old, it will cruise in the cellar so no rush to drink up (even though the 2015 to me is an earlier drinking vintage).
Decanted for 2 hours before first sips, and continued to improve a bit as the evening wore on.
Having had many M'Etain's over the years, this was my first bottle of the Big Boy. Like others have notes, this carries a certain weightlessness to it that I kept thinking about. The purity of the fruit was evident, and nicely balanced.
The one thing I kept coming back to was the QPR on this. Was this 2.5X better than its baby brother? I'm not so sure, as a couple vintages of the Tin Man, in a blind tasting, could have come awfully close to this bottling.
In any event this is a wine to be celebrated as being among the best that Napa has to offer up. (3241 views) | | | Tasted by KTelaak_Buffalo on 10/29/2022 & rated 97 points: This is truly a beautiful wine. I love the descriptors of weightless and elegance. I personally love where the tannins are at this point providing good structure. Started to really shine after about an hour. (3591 views) | | | Tasted by prez on 10/27/2022 & rated 97 points: Amazing! (2304 views) | | | Tasted by TMOVino2 on 10/17/2022 & rated 98 points: Cailles said it best and I can't disagree one bit with their review so I've simply copied it here. Having had the 2017 this past summer I preferred the 17 by maybe a point-
Non blind. Not decanted. It is obvious, why Scarecrow has the status it has. This is truly one of the very best Napa wines. A few observations: 1) The absolute highlight in almost all vintages is Scarecrow’s ability to combine aromatic density and intensity with absolute weightlessness. Very, very few Napa Valley wines achieve that kind of weightlessness - other than Harlan, probably no other wine that consistently over the vintages. More recent vintages are of course a touch less weightless (due to their youth) but are as light and airy as any wine in the respective vintage. 2) The wines have a lot of substance with a flavor profile with lots of red berries and floral notes complementing the dark Cabernet fruits, always lots of earthy minerality and some herbs and sensuous, luxurious oaky notes reminding me of Cheval Blanc. 3) While probably Bordeaux-esque for Napa standards in its appearance, it is still distinctively a Napa wine. In the early years, I even found a touch too much ripeness and some alcohol heat in the wines which doesn’t seem to be an issue in the vintages of this decade. 4) These wines all are great to drink, only the structured vintages of 2010, 2013 as well as the 2016 were not really open for business and would have needed decanting. All others showed great right out of the bottle.
TN: I’m not the biggest fan of the 2015 vintage in Napa as I find most wines too ripe and bold but this Scarecrow defies the vintage. Yes, it is a bit riper than other vintage with ripe dark fruits, pure cassis magic, but still some fresh red berries and herbs and the dusty earthiness. Superb, precise nose. Same aromas on the palate which is so s wonderfully light for a 2015, pure and fresh, round and balanced. Yes, there are the Napa sugary, baking spice notes but in a manner that are more feature than bothersome. Easily 95 pts.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed. (3375 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 5/19/2022 & rated 95 points: Scarecrow - Complete Vertical 2003-2019 + 2x PNV: Non blind. Not decanted. It is obvious, why Scarecrow has the status it has. This is truly one of the very best Napa wines. A few observations: 1) The absolute highlight in almost all vintages is Scarecrow’s ability to combine aromatic density and intensity with absolute weightlessness. Very, very few Napa Valley wines achieve that kind of weightlessness - other than Harlan, probably no other wine that consistently over the vintages. More recent vintages are of course a touch less weightless (due to their youth) but are as light and airy as any wine in the respective vintage. 2) The wines have a lot of substance with a flavor profile with lots of red berries and floral notes complementing the dark Cabernet fruits, always lots of earthy minerality and some herbs and sensuous, luxurious oaky notes reminding me of Cheval Blanc. 3) While probably Bordeaux-esque for Napa standards in its appearance, it is still distinctively a Napa wine. In the early years, I even found a touch too much ripeness and some alcohol heat in the wines which doesn’t seem to be an issue in the vintages of this decade. 4) These wines all are great to drink, only the structured vintages of 2010, 2013 as well as the 2016 were not really open for business and would have needed decanting. All others showed great right out of the bottle.
TN: I’m not the biggest fan of the 2015 vintage in Napa as I find most wines too ripe and bold but this Scarecrow defies the vintage. Yes, it is a bit riper than other vintage with ripe dark fruits, pure cassis magic, but still some fresh red berries and herbs and the dusty earthiness. Superb, precise nose. Same aromas on the palate which is so s wonderfully light for a 2015, pure and fresh, round and balanced. Yes, there are the Napa sugary, baking spice notes but in a manner that are more feature than bothersome. Easily 95 pts.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed. (5387 views) | | | Tasted by Cristal2000 on 5/14/2022 & rated 98 points: This is totally crushing it right now with a few hours of air. Starts with creme de cassis, violets, blackberries, tilled soil, herbs and dark chocolate. Has the Scarecrow signature silky mouthfeel, with ripe tannin, amazing pure blue fruit and supple texture. Depth for days but light on its feel, it goes ethereal around the mid palate and finishes forever. Extremely well done. (4551 views) | | | Tasted by G_H on 5/12/2022 & rated 94 points: A complete Scarecrow vertical: Red gruit, some dark fruit, despite that hot year it manages to maintain a certain degree of freshness. Some red fruit jelly. To my surprise I had a slight preference for 2014 over 2015. (3556 views) | | | Tasted by Takeshi on 12/28/2021 & rated 96 points: Coming out pretty dang good! I would hold another 5 years to let those tannins integrate with that juicy mineral structure. The tannins are still a mouthful right now. However it is a big decadent complex wine currently even with 3 hours of decanting. Massive oak and dark fruit on the nose. Big bold dark fruit, Rutherford dusk and silky smooth tannins, with an acidic mineralistic mouthfeel coating. (3729 views) | | | Tasted by ageverett on 8/13/2021 & rated 98 points: Got about 2.5 hours of air under cork. Also opened a 2015 Greer.
The Scarecrow was more plush, open knit and red fruited. Plenty of fruit and super smooth on the palate and the finish. Could drink this wine all day and with most any food (or none at all).
The Greer came across with a little more purple fruit and more lithe on the body.
These are both fantastic wines; really impressed that the Greer stood up so well to the Scarecrow. (5329 views) | | | Tasted by CMN on 8/7/2021: Purple fruit and vanilla on the nose. The palate follows the nose with dense purple fruits overlayed with vanilla. Surprisingly silky, with a slightly clipped finish. Hides it’s alcohol well. While this is clearly a classy, well made wine, it’s not a style that makes me want a second glass. (3486 views) | | | Tasted by Quiet Lion on 7/28/2021 & rated 96 points: Decanted over cocktails. Dense and earthy on the palate and still young, like many 2015s. Silky but vivacious tannins make this accessible young and the fruit is just gorgeous. I would hold for a bit. 96+ (4149 views) | | | Tasted by Santaliz on 7/15/2021: Drank over the summer of 2021, my favorite wine to celebrate with other great friends that are also wine guys like me. (2928 views) | | | Tasted by BROpus One on 7/14/2021 & rated 94 points: Drinking great now with a really long decant but should continue to get better and better. (3056 views) | | | Tasted by napasoutherner on 5/27/2021 & rated 92 points: Too young to drink. Hold off for 3-5 years!!! Had against, 2006 Harlan, 1982 Pichon and 2003 LaTour and the Scarecrow didn't show too well. Too jammy that hadn't settled yet. (2750 views) | | | Tasted by Vineyard Boy on 2/10/2021 & rated 100 points: Simply perfection. Incredible! (4402 views) | | | Tasted by Raflores86 on 1/31/2021 & rated 99 points: This was my first Scarecrow bottle, so perhaps this is not a shock for everyone that has had many more, but this wine blew me away. Wow. Decanted for about an hour and the wine was singing from the very first sip. Beautiful bouquet full of dark fruit, raspberries, blueberries, baking spices notes together with hints of vanilla came swirling out of the glass. On the palate, the wine was full of juicy fruit, with more pronounced blackberries and blueberries, combined with some oakiness and vanilla flavors, with some earthiness and leathery aftertaste that lingered on forever and filled your mouth. This wine had the perfect balance of fruit, well integrated tannins already that had mellowed down quite a bit at this young age. The wine was easy to drink, with plenty of acidity that will allow it to continue aging beautifully. Needless to say, it only got better after every sip. Wish it never ended. Best part is that I shared the bottle with great friends and my fiancé, and they all loved it, too. 99+ (3714 views) | | | Tasted by Geaux Tigers on 10/10/2020 & rated 99 points: PnP and no need for air. No oak or tannins in the way. Holy Fu**. What a wine! This is the polar opposite of anything LSU will put on the field defensively.
Had this at a restaurant so didn’t pay attention to notes, but this had no edges whatsoever, an outstanding finish, and screamed Rutherford all the way. This will blitz your palate and cover the receivers on the long finish. I had measured expectations and this blew them away, unlike Bo Pelini’s defense.
My second thought was this was an ‘08/‘09. Completely fooled about the vintage. Go Scarecrow. Worth the entry price, not worth the admission price. Buy with confidence on the secondary market but don’t overpay. (4951 views) | | | Tasted by psiweaver on 8/16/2020 & rated 95 points: Opened and poured into a decanter about 8 hours before drinking and it really could have used the day before to fully open up. This wine will have a 20+ year life. Delicious blackberry and cassis with some dusty earth behind it, bit of drying tannins on the finish. Wont' be open another of these for 5+ years. (4740 views) | | | Tasted by lucaslabelle on 7/17/2020 & rated 93 points: Smooth and silky. Decanted for an hour. Rutherford dust was apparent and enjoyable.
Got better with each glass. Not quite the show stopper I was expecting, but delicious nonetheless. (4593 views) | | | Tasted by jeffmudd on 6/7/2020 & rated 97 points: Always love to serve Scarecrow with rookies, loved by all. Tough to beat that Rutherford Dust. (4286 views) | | | Tasted by eyesnwine on 5/30/2020: sold to suburban wines (3846 views) | | | Tasted by ageverett on 2/27/2020 & rated 99 points: Slow ox for two hours. Also had a 2016 MacDonald and a 2013 William Cole - Oakville Small Lot Series open.
The Scarecrow was just sexy. Mostly red fruit. Baking spices. Rutherford Dust. Classic.
We drank this mostly before dinner; the MacDonald was the big boy that paired best with the ribeyes. Returned to the last half of this bottle after dinner. I wouldn't say it opened up more - but certainly didn't fall off either.
If we didn't also have the MacDonald open, this might have been a 100 for me. (5844 views) | | | Tasted by knlowery on 2/14/2020 & rated 96 points: A beutiful fruit rich napa cab with nice balance and good acidity. Very enjoyable and deserving of the hype give these Scarecrows. (4007 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Brook
Decanter, Covetable Napa - 10 Years (9/24/2019)
(Scarecrow, Napa Valley, Rutherford, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Brilliance in Napa Valley: 2016 & 2015 Cabernets (Jan 2018) (1/18/2018)
(Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon Scarecrow Napa Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, California, Napa Valley: Napa’s Exuberant, Powerful 2015s (12/29/2017)
(Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon) Login and sign up and see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and Vinous and JebDunnuck.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Scarecrow Producer websiteCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Rutherford Rutherford,
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