Winemaker Notes
2018 marks the 42nd vintage for the Robert Keenan Winery and the 18th
consecutive vintage of Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This year’s blend consists of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 337 from their “Big K” vineyard, and 5% Cabernet Franc from their “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. Enjoy now or decades from now.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is such a great example of Spring Mountain. Powerful and virile, the classically-built Reserve packs a serious punch. I would give it a few years to soften, but it is super-impressive, even in the early going. Crushed red berry fruit, iron, dried flowers, mint and spice lead into the long, sculpted finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Keenan Spring Mountain Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is complex and attractive. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines on with aromas and flavors of black fruit, licorice, and hints of oak. Pair it with a grilled, well-marbled ribeye. (Tasted: May 30, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
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.