1999 NAPA VALLEY
HOW TO ORDER $38 per 750ml bottle	The last remaining Cabernet vines on Keenanís Spring Mountain Estate were torn out and replanted in spring of 1998, and as a result Keenan would not harvest significant amounts of Estate Cabernet again until September of 2001. We were sad to lose our estate Cabernet, but this gave us the opportunity to work with fruit harvested from first-rate vineyards throughout the Napa Valley appellation. Cabernet vineyards were carefully selected in order to ensure fully ripened fruit and a well-balanced blend. The 1999 vintage gave Keenan fruit of outstanding quality. We did have some worries though - after a relatively mild summer, and a cool August and early September, we started to wonder if the Cabernet grapes would ever get ripe! But the second half of September warmed up, and it remained unseasonably warm through the end of October. It was the hot days and nights of late summer and early fall that helped the grapes ripen to perfection. After harvest the fruit was crushed, then fermented for seven to ten days. The wine was barrel aged in fifty-percent new French and American oak for a full two years. The blend was assembled just before bottling. The portion of Cabernet harvested from the Pope Valley region of Napa added plenty of forward fruit to the final blend. A vineyard in the Oak Knoll District imparted complex earthy characters, and Cabernet from St. Helena, Oakville and Mount Veeder added great structure. Thirteen percent Merlot and three percent Cabernet Franc were added to the blend to give some additional black cherry and raspberry fruit nuances. The finished wine shows soft approachable characters even at its young age, yet the structure and complexity of the wine make it quite food worthy. Wine & Spirits 90 Points-December 2002 "Festive and sweetly ripe in tone, this bright, lifted Cabernet carries fruit high over the sandy tannins. With air, it grows smoother, deeper, more satisfying, ready to enrich beef Wellington." Wine Spectator 88 Points-October, 2002 "Ripe, rich and intensely flavored, offering plenty of smoky, toasty oak, blackberry, black cherry and green olive. Herbal notes linger, along with concentrated fruit and burly tannins on the finish. Drink now through 2011." --James Laube Wilfred Wong eCommerce Cellarmaster Beverages & More! 93 POINTS (March 9, 2004,) "Deep ruby color; classy, beautiful ripe fruit aromas, excellent depth; medium to full-bodied, unusually silky on the palate, excellent structure; dry, fine acidity, well-balanced; nice and pleasing young black fruit flavors, excellent depth; long finish, full, firm aftertaste." (Best Served 2005-2009)
WINE DATA AWARDS & RATINGS Wine & Spirits, December 2002 90 Points Wine Spectator, October 2002 88 Points Beverages & More/Wifred Wong 93 Points Alcohol 13.5% Total Acidity 0.62 grams/100mL pH 3.47 Residual Sugar Dry Bottling Date August 20, 2001 Blend 82% Cabernet Sauvignon 13% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc Production 3370 cases
Home | About the Winery | Virtual Tasting Room | Cellar Notes | Wine Club Awards & Reviews | Order Form | Library | Guest Book | Tours & Map