- CRITICAL REVIEWS
- WINEMAKER NOTES
Jeb Dunnuck
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
2021 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, USA
HARVEST NOTES
Vineyard Manager Michael Wolf:
• The fall of 2020 was cold and fairly dry,with a series of small storms that fell short of
the rainfall totals that we needed going into 2021.
• J.J. Cohn Estate is fortunate to have strong water resources which were vital in protecting the vines through some early season frost events.
• It was evident from early on that the crop was going to be light, largely because of the
vines' response to the ongoing drought conditions.
• Late spring and summer brought exceptionally good growing conditions, with both
bloom and veraison a week or so ahead of historical averages.
• The low yields, the result of a combination of fewer clusters and very small berries, dictated very little need for crop adjustments, and this combined with great growing conditions led to a relatively smooth and uneventful season, pointing to extremely high quality.
• Harvest at JJC began on September 15th, and lasted through September 30th with the light crop throughout the valley helping to create a smooth season.
TASTING NOTES
Winemaker Celia Welch writes of the 2021 Scarecrow:
Blackberries, plums, cocoa powder, anise, and an earthy sage note all lift gracefully from the glass with this 2021 vintage from the Cohn Estate. Fully ripe but not overly so, the 2021 Scarecrow displays extraordinary aromatic intensity. Soft and very full at entry, the wine gains breadth with time on the mid-palate. Fully ripe tannins offer both structure and a sense of plushness. At the finish, the red and black fruits, baking spices and sweet herbal notes intertwine, then slowly fade as the warm textural elements linger.
Hand-harvested between September 15 and 30, 2021, the fruit for this wine is grown entirely on the J.J. Cohn Estate in Rutherford, CA. These grapes were gently de-stemmed and sorted prior to fermentation in small tanks. Each section of the vineyard was kept as a separate lot, transferred to French oak barrels (75% new) and aged for about 10 months before evaluation for blending into this exquisite wine. The blend was returned to barrels for a total of 21 months, then bottled without fining or filtration in July 2023. A total of 1600 cases were produced.