Some are born to greatness and others have greatness thrust upon them. As Hollywood’s favourite cult tipple, Scarecrow wines are most definitely, but deservingly, in the latter category.

Originally owned by the late, great, J.J. Cohn - former MGM vice-president and executive producer of The Wizard of Oz (hence the name), Cohn bought the Inglenook vineyard as a retreat for his family when the “Hollywood hustle” became too much. While Cohn and his family loved the Napa getaway there was no interest on their side of taking part in the wine production, which was left in the hands of Inglenook’s then winemaker John Daniels. This proved to be the best thing Cohn did (or didn’t) do; Daniels chose not to replant with Phylloxera rootstock as many others were doing post-WWII, preferring instead to protect and preserve the vines. Scarecrow is today the only winery in all of Napa producing wines from vines over 45-years old.

After Cohn died in 1996, his grandchildren inherited the estate in three equal parts. While grandson (and world-famous photographer) Bret Lopez kept his shares, his two sisters sold theirs to Francis Ford Coppola, which resulted in the restructuring and renaming of the company and was ultimately the first step on the yellow brick road to Scarecrow’s success. Winemaker Celia Masyczek could also be considered partly responsible for the upswing in fortunes, with her unique blending and ageing processes a closely guarded secret. Scarecrow produced their first bottle in 2003 and today ranks as one of Napa’s top five wineries.

At around €600, Scarecrow has a similar price point to the likes of Lafite and Masseto. However, a 2014 auction sold a lot of 60 bottles of Scarecrow’s Toto’s Opium Dream, Scene III for a whopping €4,500 a bottle, making it the most expensive sale of Napa wines for over a decade. If this proves too much for your pocket, the estate also produces a second wine, M. Etain which shows the same smooth body as Scarecrow but at a fraction of the price. The name, like Scarecrow, is a quirky nod to Cohn’s best-loved film (“etain” meaning tin in French).