Kerr, Reserve Red, Napa Valley, California, 2017

Overview
Kerr Cellars is a boutique winery based around a small, passionate team of award-winning wine professionals. Our Napa Valley and Sonoma County wines are made in classic styles inspired by the great wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy, yet they are definitely Californian in their balance of finesse and opulence. We source our grapes from the finest vineyards throughout the valleys and obsess over every detail from the health of the vineyard soils to the grain structure of our oak barrels. We do this because it is our passion to craft extraordinary, terroir-focused wines.

Kerr Cellars was founded in 2013 by Sommelier and professional golf star, Cristie Kerr. Her dream was to make uncompromising world-class wines from impeccable vineyards. She took the wine world by storm with the creation of Kerr Cellars which was named as a ‘winery to watch’ by Wine Spectator in the first three years.

Cristie first fell in love with wine on a visit to Napa Valley in 2000. She was seduced by the tranquil hills, rustic old-world charm, and extraordinary ‘Old World’ wines. Seven years later, Cristie joined forces with Suzanne Pride Bryan of Pride Mountain Vineyards to create Curvature Wines. Curvature is a range of boutique wines whose profits support breast cancer research. Showered with praise upon release, Curvature Wines found immediate industry acclaim. The wines were featured on the lists at distinguished restaurants, clubs, cellars, and even served at the White House.

Building on Curvature’s success, Cristie launched Kerr Cellars in 2013 with partner Erik Stevens and highly acclaimed winemaker Helen Keplinger. With such expertise around her, Cristie began creating uncompromising Napa Valley and Sonoma County wines that are true to their place, vintage, and the people who make them. Aiming for perfection in every bottle, Kerr Cellars wines were born of rigorous vineyard selection, intuitive winemaking, and meticulous attention to detail. Made in strictly limited quantities, our wines are all about capturing the very best of our region and bringing you a true taste of our little corner of Northern California.

Grape / Blend
68.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, Blend of Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III and Red Hen Vineyard; 30% Merlot, Nine Suns/Houyi Vineyard; 1.3% Petit Verdot, Sage Ridge Canyon

Origin
Napa Valley, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The wine shines in the glass with a garnet red hue. An immediate ascent of violet, musk, and tomato leaf laced with star anise, cinnamon, and orange zest on the nose. Followed by the classic sweet plum and mulberry notes of the mountain-based Napa merlot. The palate is polished and highly stylized. It is succulent, yet still linear with darker fruits, iodine, and pencil shavings. The mid-palate is taught, enigmatic, and loaded with exquisite Napa Valley black, red and dark fruits. Finishes hedonistic, engaging, and assertive. The ideal temperature for serving is 67°F, don’t hesitate to decant for more immediate desire. Serve in a generous fine cut red Bordeaux glass!

95 Points - James Suckling
Iron, herbs, dried meat and blackberries on the nose, together with tapenade and oyster shell. Rich and deep on the palate, with vivid dried herbs that linger through the finish. Chalky tannins here, almost dusty, with pumice and roasted herbs that add a fine touch of bitterness at the end. Drink or hold.

Product size: 750ml