July 21, 2026 (Rutherford, CA) — J.J. Cohn Estate, the esteemed producer of Scarecrow Wine, is proud to announce the addition of Marie-Laure Ammons to their winemaking team. Ammons will hold the position of Winemaker while Celia Welch, Winemaker since the inception of the brand in 2003, has been promoted to Director of Winemaking.
“I have admired Marie-Laure Ammons’ work for quite some time, and I am thrilled to welcome her to the Scarecrow team,” said Celia Welch, J.J. Cohn Estate’s Director of Winemaking. “Her training, decades of experience, ultra-premium palate, and dedication to perfection provide a perfect fit.”
Ammons was born and raised in the rural Limousin region of France and trained in Viticulture and Enology at the École Viticole of Libourne Bordeaux and Beaune Dijon before working in Bordeaux for several years. She joined Atelier Melka in 2003 and served as a winemaker on Philippe Melka’s team for 18 years, working with ultra-premium vineyards and creating wines in various regions of California and Washington. Her drive for perfection while maintaining a spirit of cooperation and collaboration were key to her gaining the position at Scarecrow, a family-owned business which has thrived using team skills to coordinate efforts among viticulture, winemaking, and marketing.
“I am deeply honored to begin this new chapter as the Winemaker for Scarecrow. To be entrusted with such an iconic first-growth vineyard at J.J. Cohn Estate, one defined by extraordinary old vines and a remarkable history, is both a privilege and a profound responsibility. I look forward to working alongside this exceptional team, building on the epic legacy Celia Welch has created over the past two decades, and helping write the next phase in the history of Scarecrow,” said Marie-Laure Ammons, the new Winemaker for J.J. Cohn Estate.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Marie-Laure to our Scarecrow team! The synergy between Celia and Marie-Laure is so natural and profound,” said Mimi DeBlasio and Bret Lopez, Co-Founders of Scarecrow.
Ammons will collaborate with Welch on crafting the three wines nurtured exclusively on the J.J. Cohn Estate: the legendary Scarecrow, made purely from Cabernet Sauvignon; Monsieur Étain, a Bordeaux blend; and Toto’s Opium Dream, produced only in declared years, from a single block of vines.
The family-owned estate is regarded as one of North America’s most esteemed vineyards. More information about the wines and the vineyard can be found at http://www.scarecrowwine.com.
