1999 NAPA VALLEY
	The long growing season and steady, high temperatures in September of 1999 helped create Merlot grapes of the highest quality. The grapes for the '99 Keenan Merlot were harvested primarily from the Keenan Estate on Spring Mountain; the remainder came from both valley floor and mountain regions within the Napa Valley. Keenan carefully chose this blend of fruit to create a full bodied, complex Merlot. The 1999 Merlot has been aged in 50% new French and American oak barrels for 20 months. This wine remains 100% Merlot -- no other varietals were added to the blend. The resulting wine shows intense plum, black cherry and blackberry aromas that are enhanced by a toasty oak background. Consumers can expect the wine to open up to a rich, velvety, full-bodied wine that pleases the palate. "Smooth and mellow, this Merlot blends mountain fruit (46% from Keenan's Spring Mountain estate, 4% from Mount Veeder) with components from Carneros and Rutherford. It offers tight cherry and kirsch flavors on a creamy texture, an easy red to enjoy by the glass before dinner or with prime rib." - Wine & Spirits, August 2002 "Midnight black, then blue comes through in scents of mulberries and blueberries, all perfumed by oak and hard as a brick of fruit. Scents of black tea and rosehip spice cut through the thickness of all that fruit, hinting at what flavors may develop with a few years in the cellar." - James Laube, The Wine Spectator, September 2002
WINE DATA AWARDS & RATINGS 2002 California State Fair Gold Medal, 94 Points 2002 Orange County Fair Silver Medal Wine & Spirits Magazine 88 Points Wine Spectator 88 Points Alcohol: 13.5% Total Acidity: 0.62 grams/100 ml pH: 3.43 Residual Sugar: Dry Bottling Date: August 21, 2001 Blend: 100% Merlot Production: 2,450 cases