Winemaker Notes
2017 marks the 41st vintage for the Robert Keenan Winery and the 17th consecutive vintage of Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This year’s blend consists of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 7 and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 15, both from our “Big K” vineyard, and 10% Cabernet Franc from our “Upper Bowl” vineyard. Deep aromatics, piercing and precise, a full rich saturated mouth feel, and a long lasting multi-layered finish define this exemplary blend.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Michael Keenan’s collection of vineyard parcels at high elevations on Spring Mountain created a totally delicious 2017 Reserve. Its pure mountain-blueberry essence is hard to find outside of a sunny August day spent eating blueberries straight off the bush. There’s also a brighter glimmer of red fruit, seeming to reflect off the mineral tannins as the flavors leap out of the glass. A chef friend remarked on the complexity of this wine and how it would be easy to drink a lot of it: “The tannins are kind of perfect, begging for teriyaki beef.” Those fruit tannins have a delicacy and freshness that’s rare in any vintage, and may be a marker for the best of the 2017s.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Incorporating 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve sports a deep purple color to go with savory notes of blackcurrants, ground herbs, new leather, graphite, and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, and with good mid-palate depth, it has some aggressive tannins to deal with, yet should come together with 3-4 years of bottle age.
While the beauty and history of the land are appealing, it is the richness of the soils that makes the hillside perfect for an estate winery. These soils are, in great measure, responsible for the dramatic intensity of the fruit associated with the ultra-premium wines produced at Robert Keenan Winery.
Keenan completed a solar power system on their property that went on-line in 2007. The system supplies all of the estate’s energy needs, including the winery, administrative offices, visitor hospitality area, and the homes located on the property. The Napa Valley Vintners have recognized Keenan as a “green” winery, which they proudly announce on the back labels: Solar Powered and Sustainably Farmed.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains sits the Spring Mountain District.
A dynamic region, its vineyards, cut by numerous springs and streams, vary in elevation, slope and aspect. Soils differ throughout with over 20 distinct types inside of the 8,600 acres that define the appellation. Within that area, only about 1,000 are planted to vineyards. Predominantly farmed by small, independent producers, the region currently has just over 30 wineries.
During the growing season, late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes reach the Spring Mountain vineyards, which sit at between 400 and 1,200 feet. Daytime temperatures during mid summer and early fall remain slightly cooler than those of the valley floor.
Spring Mountain soils—volcanic matter and sedimentary rock—create intense but balanced reds with lush and delicate tannins. The area excels with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and in some cooler spots, Chardonnay.