2018 Robert Keenan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Before we say anything about the 2018 Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, know that it won’t last long. Crafted by 100-point master Nils Venge, Keenan Cabs regularly sell out among Wine Access members, who have given the winery an average 4.5-out-of-5 stars over more than 25 releases.

Perched on the jagged peaks of Spring Mountain in northwest Napa Valley, Keenan occupies elite terroir. From their sun-blanketed vineyards well above the fog line, they put out this intense, bold-fruited 2018 Cabernet—the type of wine that inspired Robert Parker to extol Keenan’s bottles as “some of the finest wines of Napa Valley.”

Wine & Spirits has named Keenan a Top 100 Winery seven times, and Wine Spectator listed them as a “Reference Cabernet” for Spring Mountain. Sitting right next to Lokoya, whose Spring Mountain Cabs rarely see prices below $250, Keenan’s bottles harness similarly prized terroir—yet their 2018 goes for far less.  

This 2018 continues the estate’s long tradition of excellence, displaying classic mountain power and complexity. Some have called Nils Venge the “King of Cabernet,” and the nickname rings true in this wine’s majestic and luxurious palate, which is rich with black fruit, cocoa, and graphite notes that coalesce into what Vinous praised as “a very pretty and enjoyable wine.”  

In 2018, one of the most temperate, steadiest vintages in Napa history, winemakers held off picking until their grapes had ripened to delicious perfection. Spectator ended up awarding the vintage 99 points—their highest-ever score. 

Aged for 20 months in French and American oak, this bottle flaunts the power and structure that define Keenan, as well as the stellar vintage. It’s a quintessential mountain Cabernet from a historic Napa estate.