Keenan Merlot Reserve 2018, Mailbox Vineyard, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, California

The Robert Keenan Winery is located in Spring Mountain District, high in the Mayacamas mountain range above the town of Saint Helena. ‘We planted eleven acres of Merlot vines in the rocky soils surrounding the winery and we believe this mountainside vineyard produces some of the finest Merlot in all of Napa Valley.’ Sited above the dense layer of fog that creeps up the Napa Valley most evenings, the vineyard warms earlier in the morning and temperatures remain warm throughout the night. The combination of these warm temperatures, steep hillside vine rows, and gravelly soils promotes stress on the vines, leading to increased intensity of flavors and aromas in the finished wine. For the sixteenth 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.