Keenan Mailbox Vineyard Spring Mountain Reserve Merlot 2019
- Vinous
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Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
For the seventeenth consecutive year the rechristened “Mailbox” vineyard has been chosen as the source for the Reserve Merlot bottling. Hints of violets and a signature earthy spiciness show in the nose, a chocolaty creaminess combines with the rich dark full fruit on the palette, the finish is beautifully layered, deep, elegant and very, very long. Drink now or decades from now.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2019 Merlot Reserve Mailbox Vineyard is a powerful, savory wine. Dried herbs, lavender, spice, menthol and tobacco hit the palate, followed by searing tannins that lend quite a bit of presence. If the fruit emerge, the 2019 might merit a more optimistic review, but now, the 2019 is very tight and youthfully austere. It will be interesting to see what time brings.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
More ambitious, and sourced from a single patch of vines, Keenan's 2019 Merlot Mailbox Vineyard delivers intense aromas of toasted oak, mocha and black cherries. Full-bodied, creamy and supple, it features a long, cherry-driven finish and a dusting of soft tannins.
Rating: 92+ -
James Suckling
A solid red, showing black olive, tile and plum. Medium-bodied and bark, berry and pine-cone flavors. Firm, juicy finish. Drinkable and linear. Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Similarly hued, the 2019 Merlot Reserve Mailbox Vineyard is slightly more complex, offering a great nose of red plums, black cherries, cedar, herbes de Provence, and saddle leather. Medium-bodied on the palate, this elegant, supple, graceful Merlot will drink nicely for a decade as well.
Other Vintages
2018- Vinous
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Wilfred
Wong -
Wine &
Spirits
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Robert
Parker
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Wine &
Spirits -
James
Suckling
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Wilfred
Wong -
Robert
Parker
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Wine &
Spirits -
Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
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.
With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
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.