Keenan 2013 Mailbox Vineyard Spring Mountain Reserve Merlot

Special price $121.49 |  regular $134.99

Special Library 10 Price Deal - Once they’re gone, they’re gone!

While Three Palms and Paloma were busy putting Napa Valley Merlot on the map, a tiny parcel 1,700 feet up Spring Mountain Road was quietly making its own case. The Mailbox Vineyard sits on rugged, high-elevation terrain first planted in the 1800s by pioneer Peter Conradi, and after Robert Keenan rebuilt the property from scratch starting in 1974, this small patch of cool-climate ground became the source of some of the most concentrated, structured Merlot in the valley. By 2013, winemaker Michael Keenan pulled off what many consider the best version the vineyard has ever given. The grapes hit 24 Brix at harvest, with a rare second veraison that pushed color and concentration further than usual, and only about 400 cases were made. This is 95% estate Merlot with 5% Cabernet Franc for lift, and it's a snapshot of 2013, a vintage widely regarded as one of the greatest in Napa Valley history.

Beautiful deep-ruby color. Lavish aromas of black fruits, black cherry, crushed violets, mocha, and whiffs of tobacco. Sumptuously rich, filled with pure, dark-berry fruit flavors bolstered by spectacular Right Bank minerality that combines with savory Spring Mountain garrigue, while superbly fine-grained, chalky tannin and juicy acidity suggests a tasting window between now and 2035.

Critical Acclaim