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Scarecrow Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford M. Etain 2023

$24999
Use code 10OFF to get 10% off 12+ bottles
The second wine from one of Napa's true cult addresses, drawn from the very same 25-acre Rutherford vineyard as the flagship Scarecrow and made by the same winemaker, Celia Welch — which makes it the insider's route onto hallowed ground without the four-year wait on the mailing list. The J.J. Cohn Estate was planted to Cabernet in 1945, when John Daniel Jr. of Inglenook talked his neighbor into it and promised to buy the fruit; that fruit figured prominently in Inglenook's post-war Cabernets, and more recently has gone into Opus One, Insignia and Etude. 2023 was the year the drought broke — record winter rains recharged the soils, budbreak came a touch late, and harvest ran into mid-October at full ripeness with yields slightly above average, a long, moderate season rather than a hot one. The blend is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot, fermented in small batches and raised about a year in French oak (60% new) before being blended back into barrel for another seven months. Welch calls the tannins "heavy velvet," which is about right. Drink it now or let it run: the estate expects it to improve over the next 5 to 15 years.

Shipping

Every step of the journey is managed to uphold the integrity of each bottle.

  • Nationwide Access: Flat-rate shipping available to most U.S. states with delivery in 3-5 business days.
  • Temperature-Monitored Shipping: We closely monitor weather conditions and make informed decisions to ensure shipments travel safely, with insulated packaging and refrigerated transport available when required.
  • Wine-Specific Protective Packaging: Specialized materials designed to maintain label integrity and prevent breakage during transit.
  • Provenance Assured: All wines are maintained in climate-controlled conditions at our shop until the moment of dispatch.

Returns & Exchanges

We stand behind every bottle we sell.

  • If the wine is less than 10 years old and it is corked, you may return it to us for a full refund or exchange within 60 days of purchase. You must show us proof of purchase. We understand that you may not live near a shop and that it is difficult to ship open bottles of wine to us, so if there's any problem feel free to Contact Us and we'll work it out.
  • For wines older than 10 years, the consumer bears the risk of a faulty cork, but we accept returns of older bottles if the wine is faulty as a result of improper storage. Please come by the store or Contact Us if there is a problem.
  • We may, at our discretion and to the extent permitted by law, accept returns of unopened wines within 30 days of purchase if they were properly stored by the purchaser, subject to a 15% re-stocking fee.

View our complete return policy →

Have Questions?

Our team is here to help.

Hours

Monday - Friday: 11am - 8pm

Saturday: 12pm - 5pm

CLOSED SUNDAYS

Email: help@flatiron-wines.com
Phone: (415) 780-1405


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Antonio Galloni

94 points

"The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon M. Étain is fabulous. Inky red-toned fruit, blood orange, spice, pomegranate, menthol, licorice and espresso infuse the 2023 with tons of complexity and textural depth. A wine of class and poise, M. Étain has so much to offer. Lifted floral and spice notes extend the long, chocolatey finish. It's a gorgeous wine in every way." —Antonio Galloni

More about Scarecrow

The term cult wine gets thrown around a lot in Napa Valley. Usually, it just means a wine is impossible to find and incredibly expensive. It conjures images of endless waiting lists, closed doors, and secondary market markups that defy all logic. But if you strip away the hype and the velvet ropes, true cult status is rarely an accident. It almost always traces back to a very specific piece. That is exactly the case with Scarecrow, an estate that didn't just invent a marketing gimmick, but actually inherited one of the most historically significant vineyards in American wine.

Long before the mailing lists existed, this land in Rutherford belonged to J.J. Cohn, the legendary Hollywood producer behind The Wizard of Oz, which is where the Scarecrow name comes from. Back in 1945, he planted Cabernet Sauvignon on St. George rootstock. While the rest of Napa Valley was busy tearing out and replanting their vineyards due to the phylloxera epidemic in the 1990s, these deeply rooted, dry-farmed vines survived. Today, they are some of the oldest Cabernet vines in North America, sitting right on prime Rutherford bench soils. That is the kind of pedigree you simply cannot manufacture in a boardroom.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Cabernet Sauvignon

  • Vintage

    2023

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Organic

  • Style

    Earthy , Fruity , Spicy

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Full Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Dry-aged ribeye with peppercorn crust, short ribs braised in red wine, rack of lamb with rosemary and garlic, duck breast with black cherry, or a slab of aged Gouda and a wedge of Comté after dinner.

Tasting Profile

Very dark in the glass and deeply perfumed, with ripe blue and purple fruit plus vanilla and baking spice from the new French oak. Full-bodied and broad, with a smooth, plush texture and substantial but soft tannins.

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