We arrive at Keller Estate on a gray afternoon, between storms, ready to find a bright spot in a cold and dreary day. We aren’t disappointed.
Our Estate Tour & Tasting begins with an easy walk around the property, starting and ending at the tasting room but stopping at various points to learn more about the Keller family and its agricultural priorities. Estate Director Ana Keller, who oversees the wine program, also prioritizes the land. “We farm using regenerative practices and are working toward our organic certification,” says Tony Hauth, hospitality manager. “The goal is that everything done on the property comes full circle for the property.”
Keller’s love of the land extends beyond just the family holdings. She was, Hauth tells us, “Literally the driving force behind putting this area on the map.” He’s referring to the Petaluma Gap AVA, the newest appellation in Northern California (approved in 2017). Keller led the campaign to distinguish the area as a distinct growing region.
“The reason Petaluma Gap is nicknamed the ‘Wind Gap’—and one of the reasons it’s so advantageous—is that this is the only AVA to be defined by wind almost solely,” says Hauth. “The wind strengthens the vines and also encourages grapes with thicker skins. Those thicker skins provide more color, more tannin and more flavor profile to the fruit.”
Stops along the way
Along the tour, we stop to admire a few classic cars owned by family patriarch Arturo Keller. “Mr. Keller has been collecting and curating cars for more than 60 years,” says Hauth. My husband, himself a gearhead, was hard to pull away from these beauties. Among the gems was auto-designer Carroll Shelby’s private car, a custom 1968 Mustang with a dashboard autographed by automotive legend Don “The Snake” Prudhomme.
Another surprise is a structural façade made of rock that came from excavation of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China. “Mr. Keller loved the color of the limestone basin rock,” says Hauth. “There are fossils in some of the rocks. The really cool thing is that it’s a puzzle. Every seventh stone repeats itself in any direction.”
On to the wine
These novelties and attractions are a fun prelude to the wine, which is all estate grown and produced (in addition to a large gravity-fed winery facility, there is an onsite laboratory and bottling line). Hats off to winemaker Jacqueline Yoakum; everything we tasted was excellent.
An intentional rosé of pinot noir was light, dry and crisp. A stainless-ferment pinot gris has a clean nose and a bold finish. We then compare an oaked and an unoaked chardonnay, loving the contrast in styles.
Next up were two pinot noirs, sourced from the same vineyard but separated by 10 degrees of elevation and loamy-versus-adobe soil. I’m always amazed by how such small differences can utterly change the resulting wine.
“Surprising. Complex. New. Unexpected.”
These are my notes after trying Rôtie, a 93% syrah and 7% viognier co-ferment, styled after a traditional Rhone-style Cote du Rôtie. It’s our final sample of the day—a day that was, well, surprising, complex, new and unexpected.
Did You Know?
Grace Keller, Ana’s sister, is a renowned artist who designed all the glass and metalwork that adorns the doors and walls of the structures across the property. In addition to creating art for the rosé and pinot gris wine labels, her paintings are also on display in the tasting room.
Keller Estate Winery
5875 Lakeville Highway
Petaluma, CA 94954
kellerestate.com
Estate Tour
A guided group tour and walk for up to eight guests along the estate, inside the gravity-flow winery and barrel cave. A seated tasting at the Community Table follows with a tasting of estate grown chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah. Learn regenerative farming practices and how the cool, coastal winds from the Petaluma Gap contribute to each wine’s distinctive flavors and aromas. Includes five to six wines paired with locally sourced bites.
$60 per person; 90 minutes
Plaza Tasting
Ideal for first time visitors, the Plaza Tasting is an introduction to the Petaluma Gap AVA through a sampling of estate grown chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah. Take in sweeping views while seated in a courtyard setting and learn about the estate’s history and connection to this unique growing region influenced by the cool, coastal winds from the Pacific Ocean. Includes four to five wines paired with locally sourced bites.
$40 per person; 60 minutes
