Keenan Mernet Reserve 2015
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Wong
Wilfred -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & -
Suckling
James
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
2015 is our 17th consecutive vintage of "Mernet" (mare-nay) our proprietary marriage of Merlot and Cabernet. This year the blend is 50% Merlot, all coming from our “Upper Bowl” vineyard, and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 15 from our “Big K” vineyard. The resulting wine is a seamless blend with an emphasis on high-toned sweet delicious rich fruit with an almost hidden depth and structure. Enjoy now or decades from now.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The Keenan Mernet—always a blend of approximately 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot—has been one of the Napa Valley's hidden treasures. TASTING NOTES: This wine is firm and rock-solid on the palate. Its aromas and flavors of black fruit and oak are formidable and attractive. Pair its richness with a grilled T-Bone. (Tasted: August 19, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Blended of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Mernet Reserve opens with a meaty/earthy nose and a core of black cherries, red currants and mulberries plus pencil lead and bay leaves suggestions. Rich and concentrated, with firm tannins in the medium to full-bodied mouth, it's packed with fruit and finishes long and earthy.
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Wine & Spirits
This selection from Michael Keen- an’s vineyards near the top of Spring Moun- tain blends merlot and cabernet sauvignon in a powerfully structured red. It needs two days of air for the flavors to clarify, its ini- tial high-toned spice and honeyed perfume turning savory, toward tobacco and resinous herbs, while the earthiness of the tannins lends an austere grace. With its mountain- grown intensity, the wine will benefit from cellar time, or from decanting alongside braised lamb.
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James Suckling
Ripe plums, morello cherries, underbrush, cedar, mahogany and blackberry essence. Full-bodied with a lovely structure of firm, chewy tannins, bright acidity and a fruit-forward finish. A blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Better in 2021.
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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.