Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon

Our Hillside Estate Cabernet Sauvignon expresses the concentrated flavors and bouquet that are characteristic of our Spring Mountain vineyards. The wine had a minimal amount of “time on the skins”; Keenan has no problem with extraction from the intense mountain fruit. This Cabernet was aged in French oak barrels for 20 months providing a sweet oak background that integrates well with the ripe fruit characters. The wine was bottle aged for an additional 30 months, creating an exquisite balance of tannin and body.

Keenan considers this wine to be a fine accompaniment to rich, full flavored meals. The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon was made to stand up to the boldest grilled meat entrés, but also has the complexity and spicy character to nicely compliment lighter, well seasoned food.

2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 25th Anniversary

Keenan’s last remaining Cabernet Sauvignon vines 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 2002. 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 2001 growing season provided Keenan Winery with yet another stellar vintage. The Cabernet grapes were harvested at the peak of maturity, and ripe fruit flavors and aromas dominate this wine.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 twenty months.

The blend was assembled just before bottling. The portion of Cabernet harvested from the Pope Valley region of Napa has added plenty of forward fruit. A vineyard in the Oak Knoll District supplies complex earthy characters, and Cabernet from Rutherford and Stags Leap District contribute great structure. Although the vines were young, Keenan managed to harvest a small amount of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon in September of 2001. This Spring Mountain District fruit makes up only thirteen percent of the blend, but it has imparted significant concentration and wonderful intensity.

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is composed primarily of grapes grown on Keenan’s Spring Mountain District Estate; the remainder of the fruit was harvested from Pope Valley, a grape growing region located in the eastern portion on the Napa Valley.

Keenan’s Estate Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were harvested beginning on September 4th, with the final lot being picked on October 15th. After harvest, the fruit clusters were de-stemmed, then fermented for ten to fourteen days. The wine was barrel aged in thirty-three percent new French and American oak for twenty months.

The blend was assembled just before bottling. The Estate grown Cabernet imparts amazing concentration and remarkable structure, while the portion of Cabernet harvested from Pope Valley adds complex aromas and a balanced mid-palate.

The reviews continue to applaud this delicious wine:

Robert M. Parker, Jr.’s, The Wine Advocate, Issue #192 December 2010

94 Points “The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 76% estate fruit and the rest from Napa’s Pope Valley. Its black/purple color is followed by abundant aromas of cassis, licorice, underbrush and graphite. Full-bodied and impressively endowed with stunning concentration, this may be the biggest, richest regular Cabernet Sauvignon Keenan has yet made. It should age effortlessly for 15-20 years.”

To get a sense of the wine composition and data, consider the 2008:

Alcohol: 14.3%
Total Acidity: 0.60 grams/100 ml
pH: Dry
Residual Sugar:
Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vineyard: 76% Estate, Spring Mtn. Dist. Cabernet Sauvignon 24% Pope Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

To speak of more recent releases…

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is composed primarily of grapes grown on Keenan’s Spring Mountain District Estate; the remainder of the fruit was harvested from the Napa Carneros region and Pope Valley, a grape growing region located in the eastern portion of Napa.
Keenan’s Estate Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were harvested beginning on September 6th, with the final lot being picked on October 1st. After harvest, the fruit clusters were de-stemmed, then fermented for ten to fourteen days. The wine was barrel aged in thirty-three percent new French and American oak for twenty months.

The blend was assembled just before bottling. The Estate grown Cabernet imparts amazing concentration and remarkable structure, while the portion of Cabernet harvested from Pope Valley and Merlot from the Napa Carneros add complex aromas and a balanced mid-palate.

We’re happy to hear Antonio Galloni’s take on it:

Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2015
93+ Points: “The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep and powerful from the get go, with beams of sup- porting tannin and acidity that give the wine its sense of proportion. There is plenty of nuance in the dark fruit, along with terrific aromatic complexity… This is another terrific example of the vintage.”