Newman's Own Cabernet Sauvignon

The nose was a little off but corrected with some air. Impressed still drinking well, but time to drink up.

2006 vintage

Birthday dinner at Berns Tampa. Decanted for 30-45 minutes and drank along with (maybe overshadowed by) 2004 Harlan. Good from the jump with youthful, dark berry fruit and powerful structure. Long but not overly complex finish with wet stones, licorice and floral hints. I've had better Scarecrows recently but expect this will improve and better develop it's unique characteristics in 3-5 years.

2012 vintage

Truly lovely and at its peak. Smooth, rich fruit, soft. Two bottles left. I hope they are just as good.

2006 vintage

Last of four bottles. While my first sample from the bottle made me feel this still had a ways to go, 2+ hours in the decanter have served this well. Faint port-like notes are present on the nose, but this is doing well in every other regard. Plenty of very fine grained tannins balance nicely against the blackberry and other dark fruit fruits that are beginning to soften. The tannins provide a very dry front-palate finish that continues for 15 …

2015 vintage

Last of four bottles. While my first sample from the bottle made me feel this still had a ways to go, 2+ hours in the decanter have served this well. Faint port-like notes are present on the nose, but this is doing well in every other regard. Plenty of very fine grained tannins balance nicely against the blackberry and other dark fruit fruits that are beginning to soften. The tannins provide a very dry front-palate finish that continues for 15 …

2015 vintage

Delicious if only hinting towards tertiary.

2009 vintage

Signature scarecrow - sublime texture and perfect oak integration. Tannins are resolving well and tertiaries just starting to emerge, but primaries and secondaries dominate. This will continue to improve with additional time in the cellar. Revisit in 2030

2012 vintage

Must say better than the last bottle. Deep fruit, well integrated. Probably at its peak.

2006 vintage

Class in a glass. Smooth, velvety, long lasting

2012 vintage

Tough as nails; blueberry; time required.

2009 vintage

Had this over thanksgiving (late review). Just outstanding. Shows the great age-ability of Cathy’s wines because while this was excellent with a nice mix of primary, secondary, and tertiary complexity, this wine could easily go another 20 years, no question. Lovely today with a decant though.

2009 vintage

An extraordinary Napa cabernet that finds great balance and linearity in a mouth watering taste of cassis and dark fruit. So far the Scarecrows have outperformed the Harlans I've had - and I love Harlan.

2012 vintage

Have not tried a bottle in 12 years and it is still very good. Fruit on the nose, The palate was blueberry, blackberry, plum, tobacco and a hint of molasses. The finish was moderate to long. Very enjoyable and I would imagine it has years to go.

2006 vintage

drinking nicely from a 375 -- note there was a lot of sediment

2009 vintage

Good, but not great for me.

2006 vintage

See notes on other bottle we drank the same night.

2009 vintage

Another 'tasting' bottle prior to dinner with Karen and Keith. 2 hour double decant then slow ox with cork out for another 2 hours. Dark garnet in the glass. Nose of pretty typical Napa cab notes and red fruit. Palate of well heeled red fruit with excellent backing acidity. This is a personal fav of mine and still drinking quite well but refining more as the years go by. My final bottle........

2015 vintage

PNP and absolutely spectacular. No heat to speak of and was immediately open for business in the glass. More elegant than a Napa powerhouse, with layer after layer of nuance. Gorgeous and well into its drinking window.

2012 vintage

An easy 94 pointer. Loads of fruit and some hint of white pepper on the finish.

2015 vintage

Rich and chewy texture. Sweet tomato and sweet/ripe plum, sweet/acidic blueberry pie with cream. But obviously not actually sweet, and not overripe. Very nice.

2009 vintage

Last tasted in 2018. Don't feel it has evolved much since then. Decanted 4 hours this time and tasted over next 4 hours. Still velvet tannins, rich and well balanced. Still feel this wine is not in prime tasting window. Try next bottle in 2026. Still 96, upside

2012 vintage

Eh, this should be way better..it just hasn’t been a very consistent due to cork issues. Give me a screw top…plz

2009 vintage

Favorite wine of big evening. Had intense black fruit, graphite, currant and endless finish

2012 vintage

Beautiful bouquet - plums, spice Balanced

2015 vintage

Pop and pour shows the need for some air to hit its ideal place. Vibrant fruit on the nose portrays lightly aged oak and a bit of spice. A slightly tight palate reinforces the benefit of more air, but is approachable and solid. Wine is truly very enjoyably and is good on its own or w food. Glad I have some more of this to watch it evolve, but as much as I enjoy then wine and appreciate how Donny …

2015 vintage

Somewhat underwhelmed at my recent Trespass pulls, the prior notes for the ‘15 provided much optimism, so popped my only bottle. That optimism was indeed rewarded. Double decant and back under cork for 90 min. This was hitting on all cylinders. Darker than any of the other Trespass wines I remember. Black and blue fruited delight with a nice mineral/earth undertone. Blueberry, blackberry, touch of plum, dried bay lea, oak and tannins near perfect integration. The fruit hit the front …

2015 vintage

Somewhat underwhelmed at my recent Trespass pulls, the prior notes for the �15 provided much optimism, so popped my only bottle. That optimism was indeed rewarded. Double decant and back under cork for 90 min. This was hitting on all cylinders. Darker than any of the other Trespass wines I remember. Black and blue fruited delight with a nice mineral/earth undertone. Blueberry, blackberry, touch of plum, dried bay lea, oak and tannins near perfect integration. The fruit hit the front …

2015 vintage

This bottle was killer, Drink it now.

2009 vintage

Spectacular wines from start to finish. Really hits all of the sensory points over the evening. Great with food and drinks superb on its own! Tannins are present but beginning to fade away. This vintage has a number of years left to cellar. A great experience last night with a Spanish themed steakhouse food!

2012 vintage

It's been a little over two years since my last 12. Less heat at PNP. A bit more resolved with plenty of red fruit energy. Beautiful silky tannins provide a long finish. Last time I saved some for day two but that did not happen this time. The wife and I polished this off in a matter of two hours. Continued development will benefit the wine. Plenty of structure to go another decade. 2016 Corra Tietjen Vineyard opened along side. …

2012 vintage

TOP SHELF WINE WEEKEND : Smooth and slightly round on first entry, with the contours of the 2012 vintage showing a suave plane of velvety and flowing red and black fruit flavors. With blackberry, black cherry, saturated raspberry, and a muddled strawberry note that lifts the profile into a redder spectrum on the finish, this bottle of Scarecrow is a teddy bear in a paisley ascot. Tobacco, leather, dark flowers (do they actually taste differently from light flowers??), and soil …

2012 vintage

Wild and Crazy Memorial Weekend - Sunday (Chris' Castle aka Melissa's Manor) : I had never had a scarecrow before, that I could recall, so when asked if there were any bucket list CA cabs, I replied I wouldn't mind tasting a Scarecrow! This is an example of the adage, it is nice to have friends! Bryan volunteered to open one of his, and he brought this wine to the tasting because it was his oldest one and because 2012 …

2012 vintage

Best of the World Wine Night (ex-Italy) (The csimm_M Estate) : Yet another extraordinary guest at Chez CSimm. My first time ever around an open bottle of this, and if not quite a bucket list wine like Harlan, LaFleur and Grange, within shouting distance. I’m not sure if that was out of sight earlier in the tasting, but I didn’t see it until closer to the end than the beginning, and I didn’t go back for a second taste. As …

2012 vintage

Wow, drinking beautifully right now

2012 vintage

Memorial Day Weekend, Day 2: The Great Gatsby : Aromas of really dark and ripe, almost black, strawberries with lush earth, and red floral notes that eventually open up even more with time. The fruits and earth here stand out beautifully. The red fruits were slightly lighter on the palate with soft florals and earth, gentle bitterness from minerals. However the fruits darken and left a much stronger impression on the palate with time. This might be starting to hit …

2012 vintage

Memorial Madness at Case de Chris y Melissa - Day 2 of 2 : Crazy good right now. I am glad I popped it and the CT notes for this wine definitely helped make my decision on which one to pull for IRBDW; that and the fact that the 12 was my oldest vintage of this iconic wine. On the nose and palate, a bit more dark fruited and what I felt was more terroir driven character than some of …

2012 vintage

Pnp for family after dinner......still reps really well. Loads of energy and big Napa fruit. Powerful at the pnp, needs an hour to calm down a bit but it plays out very well. A great Napa cab for those looking for vibrant red fruit and plenty of life.

2015 vintage

Pulled the cork 90 mins ago, not decanted. Had an extremely floral nose at the onset, but this quickly dissipated. i'm disappointed that this bottle is fairly one-dimensional with lots of red fruit and very little structure remaining, and that my last note of "drink by 2025" was generous. This will struggle to mate with tonites steaks. While I have many wines that have endured multiple cross country moves, this was sherpa'd directly from the winery to our current home. …

2015 vintage

Wine gathering at RJ's; 4/4/2023-4/7/2023 (South Carolina) : Expressive nose displaying hedonistic black fruit, blackberry liqueur, crème de cassis, licorice, milk chocolate, cab floral dust, lead pencil, vanilla/oak, caramel and mineral. Exceptional concentration, layers upon layers of intense black fruit, rich and unctuous, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a long opulent concentrated black fruit driven finish with ink and milk chocolate at the end. This is drinking incredibly well.

2012 vintage

Almost perfection!!! It is really hard not to give this wine a 100. Beautiful wine. It was lovely without food, but incredible with food. Perfectly balanced and an absolute treat. Amazing doesn’t even describe it. Wow! just wow.

2012 vintage

Notes posted on CT already

2012 vintage

Previous note applies. Had this in a vertical 12/13/14 and the 12 was phenomenal. The 13 was potentially one of the greatest wines I have had the privilege to drink and the 12 was a notch below. Exceptional and just coming into its own. Unfortunately my last bottle of this vintage.

2012 vintage

10 years old and this baby is humming! Sweet Rutherford fruit and my first bottle of Scarecrow drank from several in the cellar. Long legs, full body, medium acidity, dark purple color with a lighter purple rim. Nose of black cherry, lavender, and black raspberry. Tannins still with a few edges, giving this several more 20+ years of drinking window, though drinking so gorgeously now. This is Rutherford Cab at its finest! 98+

2012 vintage

2 hour decant. Drinking beautifully.

2012 vintage

Funky tart fruit, short tannic finish ..stop trying to make this thing into a wine it is not. Should rate it lower but the funky is slightly interesting . Doesn’t matter when you drink this mess, the tartness is not curable. Seems to be a lot of bottle variation due to cork issues.

2009 vintage

Stupendous!

2012 vintage

I’ve been fortunate to have tried a few vintages of Scarecrow, but have never had the opportunity to sit down and simply enjoy a bottle from start to finish. I acquired this 2012 with that exact intention (and also to share with my father-in-law, who is the reason I have a passion for wine). A hallmark for Scarecrow (in my opinion) is a weightless gravitas. How Celia can craft a Cabernet that is consistently so elegant and supremely balanced is …

2012 vintage

Scarecrow - Complete Vertical 2003-2019 + 2x PNV : Non blind. Not decanted. It is obvious, why Scarecrow has the status it has. This is truly one of the very best Napa wines. A few observations: 1) The absolute highlight in almost all vintages is Scarecrow’s ability to combine aromatic density and intensity with absolute weightlessness. Very, very few Napa Valley wines achieve that kind of weightlessness - other than Harlan, probably no other wine that consistently over the vintages. …

2012 vintage

Scores as before.....enjoyed as one of 6 bottles on the Glacier Express out of Zermatt on our trip with newfound friends! ps....it didn't last very long. This group has not had these great Napa cabs before.

2015 vintage

This is improving nicely and turning into a typical Trespass profile. Profile consists of dark purple and red fruit, full of flavor, slight vanilla notes up front and signature chocolate notes on the finish. Well integrated tannins, mineral streak throughout, and very easy to drink.

2019 vintage

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Newman's Own Cabernet Sauvignon

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