Scarecrow has replaced Screaming Eagle at the summit of Napa Valley cult wine. A Japanese importer paid $125,000 for five cases of 2009 Scarecrow cabernet sauvignon at Premiere Napa Valley Saturday afternoon, setting a record for a single auction lot and helping boost the midwinter trade auction to record proceeds approaching $2.4 million. Made by respected winemaker Celia Welch, the five-case cabernet lot was won in spirited bidding by Ichizo Nakagawa, owner of Tokyo-based Nakagawa Wine Company. Noting he intended to take home the Scarecrow wine “no matter what,” Nakagawa received a standing ovation from a crowd of retailers, restaurateurs, wholesalers and vintners attending the trade auction at CIA Greystone in St. Helena as auctioneer Fritz Hatton brought the gavel down to end bidding. Two years ago, a similar Scarecrow lot cost him $80,000.