The Keermont Estate Reserve is the winery's flagship red blend. With this blend they aim to bring to life the nuances of both the terroir at Keermont Vineyards and the particular vintage.
Venetian red in color, this wine exudes complex aromas of ripe cherry, wild berries, and dusty 'fynbos'. The palate has an array of ripe berries, cherry sherbet, crushed herbs and spices. Elegant but firm tannin affords the wine a long dry succulent finish.
"The 2014 Estate Reserve is a blend of 32% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the remainder made up of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Syrah. It begins soft and shy on the nose and the palate moves to the bolder side, with dark-fruited expression and dusty, floral minerality. Medium to full-bodied, it's focused and structured with spicy tones across the mid-palate. The wine ends with focused, grippy tannins on the long finish and it should age well. 14,229 bottles were made. - Anthony Mueller"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #245, October 2019), 90 pts
Keermont Vineyards is a family-owned farm located in a back valley outside of Stellenbosch, ZA. The name comes from Keerweder, which is the name of the former farm. A keerweder ...
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"The 2014 Estate Reserve is a blend of 37% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 12% Petit Verdot and 2% Syrah. It has an intense bouquet of black cherries, boysenberry, pressed iris petals and a touch of iodine, all very focused and seeming to just close up a little with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins framing crisp blackberry and bilberry fruit laced with licorice and sea salt. It feels very composed on the finish, yet I suspect that it might close up for a couple of years. Have a cellar handy. - Neal Martin"
"This 2013 Estate Reserve was previously known as just "Keermont" since the estate wanted to keep the wine before release. A lot of fruit was lost to wind during flowering, ergo there is a little more Cabernet in the blend. The wine spent 22 months maturing in French oak barrels (20% new) before being bottled by hand without filtration on December 22, 2014. It has a precise, detailed bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, cold stone and just a touch of iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity and quite strict tannin, grippy in the mouth, yet very elegant, presenting a lingering, almost Saint-Julien-like finish. Give this another year in bottle and you will have a very fine wine in your possession. - Neal Martin"
"This is Keermont’s flagship wine, the first wine made under the label in 2007. It sees 2 years in oak and is kept in bottle another 2 years before release. Richly aromatic with spice and fynbos/herbal notes. Fabulous, layered texture of rich, dense dark red fruit seamlessly integrated with toasted oak. A blend of 36% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Fanc, 10% Malbec, 6% Syrah and 4% Petit Verdot. 14.5% alc. Alex has been gradually increasing the percent of Cabernet Franc in this wine over time."
"(14.5% alcohol; the estate's flagship red; 37% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec and 1% Syrah; aged in 20% new oak): Red-ruby. Blueberry, licorice and mint on the nose, with some leafy notes from the Cabernets and a touch of violet from the Shiraz. Quite firm and backward, displaying juicy flavors of dark berries, herbs and spices. Finishes broad, firmly tannic and classically dry but not hard, with an attractive light touch. This may ultimately merit an outstanding rating.- Stephen Tanzer"
"The 2012 Keermont comes from the older blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot augmented by a selection of barrels for newer sites. It sees 22 months in French oak, 20% new. It has a sedate bouquet: well-defined, conservative at first, but unfolding with blackberry, tobacco and mint aromas that remain very linear. The palate is medium-bodied with a chewy entry. There is decent weight in the mouth, although it does not quite flow toward the compact finish like the 2011. Still, this is a fine wine from winemaker Alex Starey. - Neal Martin"
"Good full red-ruby. Crushed blue- and blackberry, raspberry, menthol and licorice on the complex, vibrant nose, along with hints of tobacco and herbs. Silky on entry, then dry, spicy, vinous and uncompromising, with excellent definition to the dark fruit and spice flavors. A step up in depth and refinement from the 2010 syrah bottling. Builds nicely on the lingering, spicy finish, which leaves behind a fine dusting of tannins. A lovely representative of this excellent vintage."
"This fleshy red shows a roasted edge to the mix of tobacco, currant, blackberry and alder notes, melding through the slightly grainy, mature finish, where a backdrop of sage and savory awaits. Displays fine range and character, though this is a bit burly overall. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2015. 112 cases made. –JM"