2018 Keenan Merlot Napa Valley 750 ml

There are just a few world-class Merlots in Napa Valley that are capable of holding their own with Bordeaux’s Right Bank AND with Napa’s top Cabernets. Keenan is one of them—and their 2018 Merlot is a bona fide blockbuster.

Drawn primarily off Keenan’s 15 rocky acres of Merlot in a vintage Decanter says belongs with “the finest of the past two decades,” the 2018 exudes the sheer classical poise and mountainside muscularity that have made Keenan one of the marquee Merlots of Napa Valley. 

This wine’s stature is not up for debate—and it hasn’t been since the 1989 tasting pitting Keenan Merlot against Petrus. After the tasting, legendary NY Times writer Frank Prial concluded that “good California wines can and do hold their own against France’s best.” Today, Keenan is so widely recognized as the pinnacle of its category that the Court of Master Sommeliers has used it for years as their “Benchmark” North Coast Merlot. 

Situated above the fog line, Keenan’s vines receive a daily dose of hot, sunny days counterbalanced by chilly mountain nights that produce wines with a higher acid content than those from Valley’s floor. The vineyard’s lean, well drained, gravelly soils force the vines to struggle for water and nutrients, making for tiny berries with intense flavors and broad, firm tannins. 

The 2018 Keenan Merlot consists of 76% estate Merlot bolstered with top-tier fruit from Carneros. The wine was given an 18-month rest in 33% new French and American oak barrels, and it came out luxurious and velvety, perfumed with dark chocolate and spice. Napa Merlot does not get more classic!