2016 Scarecrow M.Etain Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Both of these Scarecrow releases from winemaker Celia Welch are truly gorgeous wines that I wish every reader could taste. Starting with the 2016 M. Étain , which is from a vintage compared to 1997 by Welch, it has a real Scarecrow vibe in its elegance and finesse as well as its fabulous bouquet of forest floor, leafy herbs, cassis, and floral nuances. With medium to full body, an endearing charm and accessibility, perfect balance, and a great finish, it’s a world-class wine in its own right and can be drunk today or cellared for two decades or more. Review Date: January 2019

The M. Étain comes mainly from a dry-farmed block at the toe of the lower block of the Scarecrow vineyard. The fruit is usually selected to be a little chewier and more fruit forward than Scarecrow. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 6% Malbec and 3% Merlot, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon M. Étain is very deep purple-black in color and is a little youthfully mute to begin, opening out to reveal notes of crushed black and red currants, black cherries, warm plums and tilled black soil with hints of bay leaves, lavender, chargrill and unsmoked cigars plus a waft of pencil shavings. Full-bodied, rich, bold and seductive in the mouth, it has a firm frame of wonderfully ripe, fine-grained tannins and fantastic freshness lifting the red and black fruit layers with a long, earth-laced finish. (LPB) Review Date: October 2018