Entourage BYOB Keenan Spring Mtn District Chardonnay
Friday Happy Hour early dinner at Entourage DG (Downers Grove), we took BYOB this Napa Valley Spring Mtn District Chardonnay for pairing with our anticipated entree selection (s).
Several times, we’ve taken two bottles, a red and a white, for pairing, depending on what we choose for our entree selections. Tonight, I took a white, confident Linda would likely order her favorite Shrimp and Grits, and, I was content with a red in any event.
We ordered some of our standby favorites from the Special’s Small Plates offerings - Shrimp and Grits, Waygo Beef Sliders, Focaccio Fresh Bread, and Deviled Eggs.
After dinner we had their delicious Flowerless Chocolate Cake with iced cream and fresh berries. This was wonderful with their Capuccino with double steamed milk (substitute for Expresso Latte’ not on offer). This likely adds to our new favorites menu of go-to selections for future visits.
With our favorites Special Small Plates offerings - Shrimp and Grits, Focaccio Fresh Bread and Deviled Eggs we opened BYOB from our home cellar this full round Napa Chardonnay. .
Keenan Spring Mtn District 2021
This is from Robert Keenan Wine Cellars high atop Spring Mountain in the Mayacamas Mountain range above St Helena. We’ve written about Keenan and our visit to their Spring Mountain District estate and their wines numerous times in these pages, some posts excerpted here - Keenan Spring Mtn Cabernet with Tenderloin Beef and Avocado, and Keenan Napa Spring Mountain Cab with Grilled Beefsteak.
Napa Valley Spring Mountain District may be our favorite of the seventeen different appellations that make up the greater Napa Valley wine producing districts.
We tasted and acquired several vintages of Keenan wines while visiting Robert Keenan Winery on Spring Mountain as featured in this blogpost during one of our Spring Mountain District Napa Valley Wine Experiences.
We discovered Keenan during our many visits to Napa Valley and our treks up Spring Mountain to visit Fantesca, Pride Cellars, Paloma and Spring Mountain Vineyards.
Like those other producers, most of our collection of Keenan wines are Bordeaux varietal reds, although we also have collected and hold this Spring Mountain District Chardonnay.
Like those other producers, most of our collection of Keenan wines are Bordeaux varietal reds, although we also have collected and hold this Spring Mountain District Chardonnay.
We have enjoyed collecting Keenan and having fun sharing and gifting it to a friend and former business alliance partner of the same name.
Keenan WInery dates back to 1974, when Robert Keenan purchased 180 acres on Spring Mountain District. The property sits at an elevation of 1700 feet, located on the eastern slope of the Mayacamas Mountain range overlooking St Helena in Napa Valley. Today, fifty of those acres are planted to vineyards.
The Spring Mountain District gained recognition as an American Vineyard Appellation (AVA) in 1993.The unique terroir of the appellation is characterized by low vigor soils on the steep, rocky, mountainsides, ideal for vineyards to produce wines of great concentration, structure, and pure varietal flavors.
The property vineyards were originally planted in Zinfandel and Syrah.
The property declined when it was abandoned during Prohibition until the time Keenan arrived in 1974. He extended the original vineyard acreage and replanted the property primarily in Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
A new winery was built using the existing stonewalls from the old Conradi building. Keenan Winery’s first harvest there was in 1977.
Michael Keenan took over leadership of the estate in 1998 and replanted the vineyards to increase grape quality. He built a solar power system that went on-line in 2007 that now supplies all of the estate’s energy needs.
The property declined when it was abandoned during Prohibition until the time Keenan arrived in 1974. He extended the original vineyard acreage and replanted the property primarily in Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
A new winery was built using the existing stonewalls from the old Conradi building. Keenan Winery’s first harvest there was in 1977.
Michael Keenan took over leadership of the estate in 1998 and replanted the vineyards to increase grape quality. He built a solar power system that went on-line in 2007 that now supplies all of the estate’s energy needs. Notably, winemaking duties during the early years were done by legendary consulting winemaker Nils Venge. We hold many labels of Nil's own wines as well as many of the wines he crafted for Del Dotto and many other leading labels. Nils was winemaker for this 2005 as well as that 2003 Cabernet release as shown on the rear label (below).
Today Keenan Winery produces four estate wines from grapes grown on the Spring Mountain Estate: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve, Cabernet Franc and a Merlot and Reserve from the Mailbox Vineyard. They also produce one Bordeaux Blend which they call “Mernet” for its Merlot and Cabernet varietals.
CellarMaster for this 2021 Chardonnay release was Aristeo Garcia, working with General Manager Matt Gardner.
Winemaker’s notes for this wine. “Keenan's 2021 Chardonnay was hand harvested, de-stemmed, then gently pressed. The juice was fermented and aged in French and American oak barrels. The wine was left on the lees and the barrels were stirred weekly. No secondary, or malolactic fermentation was carried out, leading to the crisp, citrus character of this wine. The wine was bottled after approximately seven months of aging in the cellar.”
Winemaker’s tasting notes: “The finished wine shows citrus, ripe pear and green apple in the nose. Hints of lush white peach are noticed as the wine opens up. The sur-lie aging has added richness and complexity, and a touch of toasty oak returns on the finish. Like all of Keenan’s wines, this Chardonnay is a food worthy wine whose crisp acidity and medium body, will accompany a wide variety of cuisine.”
Winemaker’s tasting notes: “The finished wine shows citrus, ripe pear and green apple in the nose. Hints of lush white peach are noticed as the wine opens up. The sur-lie aging has added richness and complexity, and a touch of toasty oak returns on the finish. Like all of Keenan’s wines, this Chardonnay is a food worthy wine whose crisp acidity and medium body, will accompany a wide variety of cuisine.”
This release was rated 93 points by James Suckling and 92 points by Wine & Spirits Magazine.
Keenan produced 2370 cases of this 100% Chardonnay, all sourced from Keenan high elevation estate vineyards.
Golden straw colored, medium bodied, full round crisp flavors of apple, pear and hints of peach and lemon zest with chalky mineral notes and crisp acidity on the lingering finish.
RM 92 points.
@KeenanWinery
@nilsvenge