Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

The aromas on this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon are exactly true to Rutherford Cabernet; warm briary berries, dark juicy bing cherries, a touch of sweet black tea, a hint of woodsy oak leaf, the faintest whiff of cigar smoke, all revolving and recombining as the aromas evolve with time in the wineglass. On the palate, the flavors reflect what the aromas had promised, but with added textural elements of softly folded satin, bright fresh berry juice viscosity, and the vibrant, lively fruit flavors integrated into the vanilla/oak tones. The finishing impression is of cherries and dark raspberries complexed with warm spice and sweet earth notes.

This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested from eight separate vineyard blocks on the Rutherford estate between September 7 and October 4, 2007. Fruit from the oldest vinesthe Esteemed Old Menwas fermented in an open-top tank and punched down three times each day, while other lots were fermented using pumpovers and cap irrigations three times daily. The wines spent a year aging separately in small, 100% new French oak barrels. In summer 2008 the separate lots were combined and the final blend returned to barrels to age an additional eleven months. The finished wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered in July 2009. A total of 1400 cases were bottled.