100 Points For 2019 Scarecrow: Record Wine With Only 24,000 Bottles Available

This investment tip is about the fantastic tale of the Scarecrow. It is also the story of:

• 100 points from the Wine Advocate for the 2019 vintage, placing it at the top of Napa's best in 2019 - and breaking all boundaries of what the house has previously produced…
• Supply of only 24,000 bottles a year
• Liv-ex index California 50 in rapid growth (+32% in 2021)
• A growing number of North American dollar millionaires (+12.2% in 2021). Americans are drinking American wine.

Read much more about the investment potential of 2019 Scarecrow below.

The Wizard Of Napa Valley

In 1945, J.J. Cohn was persuaded to plant 80 hectares of Cabernet vineyards on the 180-hectare parcel he had acquired a few years earlier in Napa Valley, which was otherwise intended for summer residents.

The owner of Inglenook was the persuader, promising to acquire the grapes. So, Cohn accepted.

In fact, Cohn was not a winemaker, but a production manager for MGM in Hollywood and known as the creator of the world-famous film, The Wizard of Oz.

"Nothing Is Impossible" For A Scarecrow

Cohn's grandson Bret Lopez took over 25 hectares after Cohn's death in 1996. And the world-loving, eternally optimistic scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz became the direct name-giver for today's world-renowned brand: Scarecrow. Both as a reference to the scarecrow as an agricultural icon, but also to Cohn's motto: "Nothing is impossible".

The Yellow Brick Road To Success

Inglenook used J.J. Cohn's grapes for excellent Cabernet Saugvignons, and more recently, the grapes have also been used by Opus One and Mondavi, Duckhorn, and Etudes because of their high quality.

The quality is largely due to Cohn choosing to retain his vines in the 1960s when others were switching out.

The new vines were attacked by phylloxera, while Cohn's original vines held out. Today, they are referred to as "old men" and provide the grapes for the full-bodied Scarecrow wine.

2019 Scarecrow Dances Victory Dance

The 2019 vintage is the best Scarecrow to date. Vinous awards 99 points, while The Wine Advocate awards the magical 100 points, placing it above previous vintages, which also dance in the highest ranges.

Add to that the fact that, according to the Wine Advocate, 2019 has a drinking window from 2024-2054, giving the wine investor more than perfect conditions to save for future wine lovers and 100-point audiences.

Napa's Greatest In 2019

Napa's best wines excite the world's wine critics, which is why it is interesting in this case to look at the scores of Napa's other 2019 vintages:

2019 Opus One: WA: 98-100, VI: 97
2019 Harlan Estate: WA: n/a, VI 96-100
2019 Screaming Eagle: WA: n/a, VI: 100
2019 Dominus: WA: n/a, VI: n/a

So, Scarecrow is not only placing itself at the top within its own ranks, but also among its competitors - the victory dance can therefore be danced so far. But no matter what the outcome with the other producers will be, two things are certain: 2019 is the greatest Scarecrow to date and 100-point wines do not go out of fashion.

+32% For California's Best In 2021

According to Liv-ex the California 50 index is up 31.9 % in 2021, outperforming the broad Liv-ex 100 index.

The increases are driven by high quality and rising demand. Scarecrow is praised with 100 points, and while they are not yet in the California 50 Index, there is something particularly interesting to note here: 

Indeed, the price of Scarecrow has not risen as much as the California 50 average, suggesting that there is untapped potential here - the quality is there, and the supply is quite limited. Only two hectares of the original vineyards are used and, according to Wine Advocate, only 24,000 bottles of Scarecrow were produced in the 2019 vintage. 

More Wealthy North Americans

According to Frank Knight's Wealth Report 2021 the world population of UHNWIs* grew by 9.3 % in 2021. By comparison, growth was 2.4 % in 2020. 

In isolation, this increase in North America was a whopping +12.2 %, the highest worldwide. When it comes to individuals who are "only" dollar millionaires, the trend is equally interesting: 

From 2021-2026, Frank Knight expects the number globally to increase by 52.3 % to more than 106 million individuals. Of these, over 41% are expected to be North Americans. 

And Americans want American wine. More and more people can thus afford to drink Scarecrow, while the supply remains the same. 

*People with a net worth of $30 million or more.

RareWine Invest's Opinion

The father of the Wizard of Oz also became the father of one of Napa Valley's best wines. 2019 Scarecrow is even the vintage that gets the best ranking ever. 

There will always be demand for wines with 100 points, and this one has formidable aging potential. Add to that the fact that demand for the world's best wines is increasing, as well as the fact that wealthy people are becoming more and more numerous.

There is thus a more than unequal relationship between supply and demand, and this works in the investor's favour.