2007 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon

Medium ruby-red. Very pure, very ripe but bright aromas of black cherry, dark berries, licorice pastille, minerals and Rutherford dust, lifted by a violet topnote. Wonderfully creamy and sweet but with firm structure underlying its black cherry, loam, mineral, tobacco and licorice flavors. Very concentrated, structured wine with excellent delineation and beautifully refined, building tannins. Finishes quite subtle and long, with a lingering black cherry taste and excellent delineation. This is impeccably balanced and thus accessible today but I suspect there's more ahead. A wonderfully complete Cabernet Sauvignon. (ST)

Power with elegance, the perfect combination for great California Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit is ripe, luscious and rich. Made in a style that is about refinement and not over the top levels of ripeness, I could drink this all night long. 97 Points

Winemaker Celia Welch. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from 8 vineyard blocks. Fruit from the oldest vines fermented in open-top tank and punched down. The other lots had pumpovers and cap irrigation. Aged separately in 100% new French oak for a year before blending, then a further 11 months in barrel. Oak is keeping it closed down at the moment. Thick and rich and dense. Lacks energy. Dry and pretty tough and so dense that the flavour is overridden by the texture. Where's the pleasure? (JH)