2016 Robert Keenan Winery Merlot Reserve Mailbox Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 92.8 points

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  11/18/2023 - kandrfairview Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Really developing into a good merlot. More complexity as it ages as this is our sixth bottle.

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  7/25/2023 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

  Salty and savory and lots of complexity to it. And on the palate very savory character to it. Super interesting, and all there, want to drink it more than just taste it. True drinking window starts at about 6 or 7 years.

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  10/26/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

  This right off the bat shows a "much bigger wall of savory elements" 1700 feet elevation. And a terraced vineyard as well. The solar panel angle gets it warmer than the Chardonnay vineyard. Has a beautiful green / red fruit nose. Rounded to an extent on the mid palate of having tons of energy. A baby. Seperated as a single vineyard in 2001. A sweet damp terroir character to it. Fine and rich tannin. Flavor bursting.

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  8/1/2021 - TXRDW wrote: 94 Points

  Came across a 1.5 L bottle of this on a trip to California and was pleasantly surprised with the uniqueness of the wine. Distinctive notes of menthol, mint, campfire and a very long finish. Drank alongside a 2018 Amici Reserve Cab and the merlot kicked butt.

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  4/24/2021 - tphilca Likes this wine: 93 Points

  We've had two bottles of this recently and it's truly a singular wine in terms of California merlot. Just a touch of sweet fruit but otherwise savory with a beautiful nose that comes around with quite a bit of coaxing. The nose is hard to describe but it does seem to have a touch of the classic sassafras note you sometime get in great merlot as well as some sweet strawberry. The finish is fairly long right now but the wine still seems coiled up a bit. This tastes like it easily has 10-20+ more years of life and it will be fascinating to see what it does as the tannins smooth out. Does it have enough fruit? I think waiting at least 5 years to pop another would be a good idea.

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