1/6/2024 - AKW Likes this wine:

Made from 20 year old chardonnay vines, bright mineral driven campenoise method sparkling. 0.9g/L dosage.

1/13/2020 - AKW Likes this wine:

Our Rotie consists of 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier.
Our Syrah is planted on mineral rich clay soils of the La Cruz Vineyard, remanence of the ancient seabed. La Cruz Vineyard tends to wake up under a blanket of cool fog, which is then pushed out to sea by the strong winds of the Petaluma Gap. These winds roar through the Keller Estate and out to the San Pablo Bay, leaving warm sunshine in their wake.
The entire growing cycle for 2014 was two weeks early at every stage. The majority of the rains came in February, saving us from one of the driest seasons ever. The total rainfall for the season amounted to just above 15 inches, which was 5 inches short of normal. Mild winter tempera- tures and absolutely no rain in March warmed the soils earlier than normal which led to early bud break and then to flowering and an early harvest by the same two weeks.
Dark fruit and wet earth rounded out with those same floral aromatics to taunt the senses, giving you more and more as the wine opens up in the glass. Black- berries and plums with notes of exotic spices lend a perfect balance to the soft velvety tannins with a prolonged finish.

1/13/2020 - AKW Likes this wine:

EL Coro Vineyard is a twenty-acre block perched atop the highest elevation of our Estate, its volcanic soils are much less dense than the adobe clay soils of our La Cruz vineyard. Days when morning fog settles over the property, the El Coro block is the first to be clear and exposed to the sun and wind. The open exposure of this hilltop block has a dramatic effect on the thickness of the skins and leads to more intense fruit and acid profile for this wine. This combination of fog, sunshine, and wind create a microclimate that is unique to our area.
The growing season for 2016 marked the return of normal annual
rainfall to Sonoma County. Steady and consistent rain filled our Irrigation reservoirs just short of mazimum capacity. Four years of drought conditions, which have dominated the growing seasons, finally gave way to an awakening of vigor and growth. Unlike 2015, the weather during bloom was ideal and fruit set was close to maximum. However, since the cluster count is influenced by slightly below normal, due to the cool May in 2015. The Long growing season of the Petaluma Gap is always finvluenced by the temperatures of autust. In 2016, the temperatures of August were as mild as any year in recent memory. This allowed every block on the Estate to receive 10-20 extra days of phenolic ripening compared to the previous four years.
There are six different clones planted in El Coro and the four most prominent in our blend are 828, 667, 777 and a proprietary clone grafted from the famed La Tache Vineyard in Burgundy. Keller Estate is a true estate producing wines exclusively from fruit grown on our family’s property. For this reason, our goal is to create wines that showcase the diversity and unique characteristics of our Estate: El Coro vineyard is no exception. This wine is a wonderful expression of power and grace with the ability to age many years in your cellar.
This complex wine shows bright hibiscus, vanilla and dark cherry aromas. Forest floor, blackberry and cassis fill the palate with a kiss of oak on the finish. Serious layered tannins round out this intense, yet delicate wine.

1/13/2020 - AKW Likes this wine:

La Cruz Chardonnay is a classic Burgundian style Chardonnay, fermented in barrel with native yeasts and aged sur lie.
La Cruz Vineyard produces distinct, fruit forward wines with bright acidity and rich minerality, a signature of our clay soilsWe have 3 different vineyard sections planted to Chardonnay. Block 6 was planted in 1998 to Wente Clone, widely known for its small berries, and floral aromatic qualities, makes the backbone of our Oro de Plata. A second block is planted to Robert Young clones, adding a rich, broad texture to the wine. Block 5, planted with clone 4 in 1989, is the oldest vineyard provides structure and bracing acidity, along with bright apple and pear flavors.
The growing season for 2016 marked the return of normal annual rainfall
to Sonoma County. Steady and consistent rain filled our Irrigation reservoirs just short of mazimum capacity. Four years of drought conditions, which have dominated the growing seasons, finally gave way to an awakening of vigor and growth. Unlike 2015, the weather during bloom was ideal and fruit set was close to maximum. However, since the cluster count is influenced by slightly below normal, due to the cool May in 2015. The Long growing season of the Petaluma Gap is always finvluenced by the temperatures of autust. In 2016, the temperatures of August were as mild as any year in recent memory. This allowed every block on the Estate to receive 10-20 extra days of phenolic ripening compared to the previous four years.
The La Cruz Chardonnay exhibits attributes of baked apples, fresh baked biscuits, rich mouthfeel, well integrated oak, and a long finish.

2/6/2019 - AKW wrote:

Bright, zesty, grassy, clean. A bit hot on the finish, 13% alc.

3/12/2011 - AKW wrote:

Lovely bubbles, nice balanced wine, a little short.

3/12/2011 - AKW wrote:

Nice big wine which opened nicely. Smooth tanins and lovely aromas of blackberries, smoky.

3/11/2011 - AKW wrote:

This wine is very expressive in the nose. It has lovely floral aromas with some slight apple and apricot too. In the palate the minerality takes center stage and shows the uniqueness of the terroir. It has a vibrant acidity which paired very nicely with the tapas we had. It has a nice long finish.

3/7/2011 - AKW wrote:

Lovely cherries and cola aromas. Nice long entry, yet supple. The tanins are well balanced and it has a long finish.

3/7/2011 - AKW wrote:

The wine opened up very nicely and paired extremely well with an Argentenian churrasco.

12/17/2010 - AKW wrote:

First we thought it was tight, but hen the wine opened to show a balanced, with vibrant acidity fruit forward wine.

12/11/2010 - AKW wrote:

Nice fruit center, lacked some finish

12/11/2010 - AKW wrote:

Grassy aromas, mineral driven, nice length