Keenan Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (bin soiled label) 2012
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Wilfred
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Winemaker Notes
2012 marks the 36th vintage for the Robert Keenan Winery and the 12th consecutive vintage of “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon. The five new cabernet clones that were replanted as bench grafts in the spring of ’98 are now showing their individual characteristics and the vineyard now in its fifteenth year has hit full maturity. 31% each of the three different Cabernet Sauvignon Clones, 15, 7 and 412 along with 7% Cabernet Franc were chosen for this 100% Estate Spring Mountain cuvee. 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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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from the estate in Spring Mountain Vineyards is the thirty-sixth vintage for the Robert Keenan Winery. This wine has 7% Cabernet Franc added into the blend and 700 cases were produced. A blockbuster wine for sure, with an inky/purple color, sweet crème de cassis, graphite, chocolate a hint of charcoal and burning embers – almost as if it wanted to behave like a Graves from Bordeaux. This is full-bodied, very rich, powerful and still moderately tannic. It’s a baby for sure, but what an impressive one. This wine needs a good 3-4 years of bottle age and should keep well for 25-30 years at the minimum.
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Wine Enthusiast
Michael Keenan believes there are two sides of cabernet, one fruity, one savory and herbal. He works to balance the two in the grapes from his Spring Mountain vineyards, consistently growing one of the greatest Napa Valley cabernets in his Reserve. The 2012 contrasts herbal notes of sage and forest floor with bright fruit that energizes the wine. That plump fruit creates a compelling texture against the stone-hard tannins, matching their austerity with silken grace. In the end, the flavors have the blackness of a well, mossy, stony, cool and deep. Compelling now, this is a wine that will benefit from a decade in the cellar.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2012 Keenan Reserve Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is everything one would want in a superfine Napa Valley Cab—bold black fruit in both the aroma and in the flavors, rich textures on the palate and a firm finish. The wine's power and ultra-fine delivery pairs it well with a well-marbled rib eye of beef. Drinks pretty well now. (Tasted: August 22, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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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.