Nothing here yet
Check out our favorites.
Check out our favorites.
I loved this red. Mernet is now a new favorite; however, my budget cannot handle wines of this price too often. The body and structure of a cabernet without the tannins. The smooth and velvety texture and finish of a merlot... a great combination!
I opened this bottle knowing full well it was sooner than I ordinarily drink reds. My hope was the high proportion of merlot and the fruit-forward nature of the 2007 cabernet would make this approachable (and not cause me to second-guess my decision). I poured the wine through a vinerator and allowed it to open in the glass over the course of the evening. This was a very good bottle and hit the spot alongside some grilled grass-fed rib eyes. I will sit tight on my remaining bottles though; they will undoubtedly get better over the next several years. If I could give this four and a half stars, I would. I'm convinced this wine hasn't yet shown all its stuff and may warrant a fifth star in the future.
Robert Keenan Winery
https://www.keenanwinery.com/
Michael Keenan
Robert Keenan always had a hunch that Napa’s mountain vineyards had the potential to produce some of its greatest wines. In 1974 he decided to see if he was right, purchasing 180 acres on Spring Mountain to found Keenan Winery. The site wasn’t new — it included the Peter Conradi Winery, first planted in the 19th century — but it had been in decline since Prohibition and needed serious redevelopment. 40 years later, Robert’s hunch has proven to be true beyond all doubt. Keenan’s superb Cabernets are draped in mountain glory.
The winery and vineyards are located about 1,700 feet up on Spring Mountain, next door to Philip Togni and just down the road from Paloma, Schweiger, Pride, and Vineyard 7 & 8. There are four different vineyard zones on the irregularly shaped property, with the steeply pitched parcels intermingled with forests. According to Robert’s son Michael, who now heads up the family winery, the soils are “officially Olympic and Aiken loam, but it’s basically rock.” These well-drained, vine-stressing rocky soils combine with the unique climate high above the valley floor to give the Keenan wines their unique character.
The first Keenan vintage was produced in 1977, making the winery one of the early players in Napa’s modern boom. Since then Keenan has developed an excellent track record for producing solid, well-made wines with a muscular character rooted in their mountain origins. There is also a certain polish to match, a more “old school” approach, that manifests itself beautifully in the finished wines. They are structured but not hard, classic but not at all rustic, solid, nicely honed and focused with power and class. Michael Keenan makes all final winemaking decisions, assisted by a team that has largely been together since 1995. On his roster is winemaker Nils Venge, who has consulted at Keenan since 1994 and is officially recognized around the winery as CWW/FLG (Certified Wine Wizard/Frequent Lunch Guest).
Michael considers the trio of recent vintages some of the best he has seen in his long tenure here. He noted, “2014 is some of the best Cabernet ever — in 2013 it was the Merlot, and everything was perfect in 2012.” Given the rock-solid team Michael has in place, and with some recently replanted vineyards now reaching maturity, I think we can expect to see more of the same from this pioneering winery as it enters its fifth decade on Spring Mountain.
The 2007 vintage is an excellent year that came together in the end to produce a sizeable crop of uniformly great wines throughout the state. The wines have plenty of depth and richness, ample acidity, and are focused and detailed. Many compare it to 2001 in style and it’s a vintage to buy with confidence across the board.
A dry winter was followed by a warm, dry spring, bringing an early start to the ripening cycle. Fine weather prevailed through the moderate to coolish summer with notably few days of triple-digit temperatures, and even fewer-than-average days around 90°F. Chardonnay harvest began a bit early, as warm weather arrived in Napa in mid-August and lasted through early September before cooling significantly. Rain fell mid-month but with little impact, as many early ripeners were already in — Cabernets and Merlot weren’t affected and had plenty of time to rebalance afterwards. Rain returned in the second week of October, but again with little impact. Warm, sunny conditions returned right after the rain, and harvest was concluded in excellent weather by the end of the month.
2007 produced a healthy crop of grapes that, as in so many great years, enjoyed a moderate growing season free of extremes. It is a big, ripe, full-bodied vintage that produced classic California Cabs and has buyers and sellers smiling — one to buy with confidence!
We noticed that the credit card number you entered matches one of your saved credit cards. We’ve updated your saved card with the new information.