Description
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.
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.
Critical Acclaim
100 points Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the Grand Vin 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, red wine simply doesn’t get any better, and I never cease to be amazed at what winemaker Celia Welch accomplishes with this incredible terroir. Deep ruby/plum-hued, with a kaleidoscope-like array of cr me de cassis, jammy blackberries, spicy oak, graphite, and smoked tobacco, with a kiss of background chocolaty nuances, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a multi-dimensional, layered mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a flawlessly layered, concentrated, balanced profile that has to be tasted to be believed. Given its wealth of fruit and texture, as well as purity and balance, it already offers pleasure, yet smart money will give bottles 4-6 years in the cellar, count themselves lucky, and enjoy bottles over the following two decades. (12/2023)
98+ points Wine Advocate
The 2021 Scarecrow is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard on the western edge of Rutherford, nestled back against the Mayacamas range. Boasting a fabulous nose of deep, dark, black cherries and earthy-spicy notes accented by a touch of mocha-like oak, this full-bodied wine is ripe, rich and velvety. There’s ample density and concentration, but the wine still retains a sense of freshness on the long, elegant finish. (JC, 01/2024)
98 points Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with captivating aromatics that are immediately alluring. Blackberry, camphor, dried herbs, incense, licorice, chocolate and lavender are so suggestive. On the palate, the 2021 is dark, brooding and quite mysterious. There’s a somber intensity to the 2021 that is incredibly appealing. Harvest took place over three weeks from September 5 to 26, and yields were down by nearly 50%. The more positive news is that the 2021 is one of the very finest Scarecrows in some time. (AG, 12/2023)
97 points Wine Spectator
This beautifully captures the vivid freshness of ’21’s fruit — boysenberry, blackberry and mulberry puree — while marrying it to a tug of Rutherford earth and an underpinning of iron, draping a beautiful gloss of anise, violet and apple wood–accented toast over everything. Showing great mouthfeel, definition and length, this wine offers it all. (JM, 11/2024)
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