W.S. Keyes Winery

W.S. Keyes Winery has a rich history that started in the 1880’s on Howell Mountain. It was founded by Winfield Keyes, a renowned geologist whose background helped him choose the best terroir he could find for his vineyards. Winemaking was a part of the family; Winfield’s Civil War general father was the first Commander of the Presidio in San Francisco as well as owner of, at the time the prestigious Edge Hill Winery (one of the first wineries in the Napa Valley).

The prominence of W.S. Keyes Winery reached the International stage when in 1900 they won a gold medal at the Paris Exposition. Following up this accolade, 4 years later they earned another gold medal at the St. Louis Exposition. Needless to say by this point, their vineyards helped solidify Howell Mountains reputation fairly early on. Keyes also used to own the Liparita label which has changed hands several times and is currently in private ownership and is still in production. These high end Howell Mountain vineyards are all connected in some way or the other!

W.S. Keyes is part of the Jackson Family Wine portfolio – owned by Jess Jackson of Kendall Jackson fame. The actual vineyard is located at about 1800 feet and is situated in very chalky dusty volcanic soils which of course contribute to the complexity of this wine. Select blocks are hand harvested from the vineyard and the wine is made by Tom Peffer who also makes Jackson’s Atalon wine. Today W.S. Keyes is somewhat of an anomaly in the Napa Valley as they produce one vintage each year of Merlot. All the grapes for this wine are sourced from the W.S. Keyes vineyards including a small touch of Cabernet Sauvignon which is blended into this wine. This vineyard is located within the same area as Jackson’s high end La Jota vineyard and in fact some of the fruit from this vineyard is used in their Atalon and another label.

As a result of their extremely small production and little marketing only those in the “know” are aware of this Napa gem. It is a rare wine indeed – 2003 was their first vintage and they were essentially sold out of this at press time. Merely 274 – six bottle cases were produced of the 2004 vintage and as of press time the only place you can taste or purchase this wine is through Cardinale Winery in Yountville. This vintage saw 20 days maceration helping extract additional flavors (juice to skin contact) and then 26 months in barrel for aging. It was blended with 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has elegant aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate with hints of cedar leading to a rich concentration of fruit, especially on the mid palate. This is not a light weight Merlot. It is full bodied yet is in balance with a smooth velvety mouth feel and just the right tannin structure on the extended finish.

NOTE: This very old review has been archived and is no longer being updated.
REASON: Stopped producing wine commercially