Keenan Mernet Reserve 2012
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Proprietary Red Blend Mernet Reserve, which is a blend of 50% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc, may well be Michael Keenan’s favorite wine. Only 500 cases were produced. Chocolaty cassis, graphite, spice box and plum are all present in this sensational blend that should age beautifully for 15-20 years, although most people will have consumed it by year ten. It is remarkable that 2012 is the fourteenth vintage that this proprietary blend has been produced, and it seems like its just yesterday I first tasted it. The color is a handsome, opaque purple. The wine is extremely impressive and still very youthful. Another one or two years of age will round it into more complex shape. Rating: 94+.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2012 Keenan Mernet—traditionally a blend of half Cabernet Sauvignon and half Merlot, though the winery included a small amount of Cabernet Franc in this vintage—is a rather magical blend of Bordeaux Varieties. 2012 marks the winery's 14th consecutive vintage of this proprietary red and is one the winery's best to date. The wine's elegant ripe red fruits flavors accented with just a touch of oak appears seamless and smooth making it a delightful choice with roast pork. Drinks nicely now. (Tasted: August 22, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine & Spirits
Michael Keenan grows merlot at his Mailbox Vineyard, a sloping block planted on rocky clay loam at 1,700 feet, blending it with cabernet sauvignon and a little franc for Mernet. It’s a tightly structured Spring Mountain wine, tasting like a redwood grove—umami notes of black mushrooms and moist tree bark—dark, a little dank and earthy, with spice to sun it up. While the oak is a little prominent for now, that espresso scent will fade into the fresher, herbal character of the fruit as the wine ages. (500 cases)
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Wine Enthusiast
The producer's combination of 50% Merlot (the Mer) with 44% Cabernet Sauvignon (the net) and a remaining 6% Cabernet Franc, (which doesn't make it into the name) is a classically styled mountain expression of chewy tannin around toasted oak and black currant and berry. Ripe, full-bodied concentration is the star.
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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.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.