Keenan Napa Valley Chardonnay

Tasting notes & discussion 43

93 Pts (James Suckling)

Typically $46/bottle from Robert Keenan Winery
Vintage 2021 from the Spring Mountain District (Napa Valley)
Available for AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY
Sold by participating winery or licensee, fulfilled by Wine Country Connect

About Robert Keenan Winery: “Keenan focuses on three varietals – Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. It produces nearly 14,000 cases per year. Combining the dedication of experienced winemakers with a commitment to excellence, the Robert Keenan Winery has distinguished itself as a maker of exceptional wines-- in limited varietals and quantity. Wines for sipping, wines for enjoying, wines for enhancing any occasion.”

Kenning and Keening

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.” (AbV 13.9%, pH 3.39, TA 0.66 g/100mL, RS Dry)

VARIETALS: Chardonnay

BARRELS: 7 months in French and American oak.

PAIRS WITH: As they say, “a wide variety of cuisine.”

THAT REMINDS ME OF: Kenning and keening. Two words I, for a moment, mixed up while brainstorming something to put here today.

Kenning is a figure of speech, like a metaphor or a personification. They were common in Old Norse and Old English poetry. A kenning replaces a simple, straightforward word with a compound word or phrase that is more artful or evocative. For example, calling a boat a “wave horse.” Basic kennings are made up by a base-word and a determinant, both nouns. The base-word is modified by the determinant to evoke whatever word it’s replacing. Thus you have a plain-old horse, you add wave in front, and it’s understood to be something you ride on the sea.

Keening on the other hand is a Gaelic Celtic mourning lamentation where the performer sing-cries over the body of the dead while rocking back and forth or waving their hands around. Other attendees to the funeral were encouraged to join in the movements. There were people paid to professionally perform this role in funeral ceremonies.

Keenan Napa Valley Chardonnay

93 Pts (James Suckling)

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