2014 Scarecrow, M. Etain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 1x750ml

Vinous 92

Graphite, smoke, licorice, incense, scorched earth and dark cherries infuse the Cabernet Sauvignon M. Etain with real depth and pedigree. Striking aromatics give the wine the freshness and energy that are typical of the vintage. The M. Etain was bottled a bit earlier than Scarecrow. Perhaps for that reason, it is super-expressive today. Far more than a second wine from the property, M. Etain increasingly has a personality all of its own. With time in the glass, the 2014 is positively striking today. [Antonio Galloni, 12/01/2016]

Anticipated maturity: 2018-2026

Robert Parker 94

Celia Welch has hit a home run again with the legendary J.J. Cohn Vineyard in Rutherford, a site that includes a block of old vines planted in 1945, which certainly must make them some of the oldest Cabernet vines in all of Napa Valley. There are 2,000 cases of the 2014 Monsieur Etain, which is a great enough Cabernet by itself. Wonderfully pure creme de cassis notes with some white flowers, lead pencil shavings and incense are followed by a deep, full-bodied wine with silky tannins, a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel and a beautiful finish of 40+ seconds. This is an exquisite, dense, rich but sexy Cabernet Sauvignon. And now for the good news ” there are 2,000 cases of it. Drink it over the next 20 or more years. [21/12/2016]

Anticipated maturity: 2016-2038