“Petaluma’s best-kept secret.” – San Francisco Chronicle

No, not El Roy’s hot dogs…

KELLER ESTATE!

BACK again on Wine Spies! After a 5-year gap and a big return last year, we’re SO happy to have them back in the fold.

With 93 and 92 point ratings from the pros, and priced under $20 this is a no-brainer, cellar-defender, Locker-stocker for the Chardonnay lovers out there!

Coincidentally, that’s how long this well-cellared Chardonnay has been in the bottle But don’t let time fool you 0 it’s stunningly youthful and fresh. Jeb Dunnuck advised a drinking window extending through 2026-2028 so we’re primed and ready.

So, what’s ‘The Peninsula’ about you may ask?

Keller custom labeled their La Cruz Chardonnay for a luxury hotel group, without factoring in the pandemic shutdowns. And sometimes these things don’t work out - which led to us tapping into this secret stash of an otherwise long sold-out library vintage. While they are about ready to release the 2021, we get to enjoy a prime example that drinks like silk!

The Keller family story is a bit of an American Dream fairytale. Back in 2004, Wine Spectator penned that Keller Estate Races to Success in Sonoma: “Arturo Keller’s competing interests are on display at his sprawling Sonoma County ranch, southeast of Petaluma. The remote hillside, with a panoramic view of the Petaluma River winding its way into the Carneros district, is ideally suited for grapes, but for Keller, a successful automotive-parts entrepreneur from Mexico, cars came first.”

Continuing “The wines reflect Ana Keller’s respect for terroir. She credits their consulting winemaker, Ted Lemon of Littorai for setting them on the right path. In a sense, she says, they are approaching wine with the same enthusiasm the elder Keller reserves for his cars. ‘I’ve been brought up in a family where giving your best is the norm,’ she says. Her father considers wine a long-haul business and figures it will take decades to establish the kind of Old-World reputation he desires… Ana Keller sees her father’s car collection and the winery connected by ‘a glorious attempt by man to blend art with science.’ She expects that one day the wines will not only rival the auto showroom, they will surpass it.”

This certainly puts them in the running to make that expectation a reality. Graceful as it is racy; sleek, and vibrant, with just a kiss of creaminess and oak to give it enough balance and complexity to compete with both worlds, Old and New. On the tongue it’s all about baked apples, toasty brioche, jasmine flowers, honeyed almonds, and white peaches flooding the palate. Juicy, energetic, and textured - just a gorgeous example from all angles.

We can see the fans in the know scratching their heads; “Keller Chardonnay for only $22?!” Bring out the checkered flag, the race to sell out begins NOW.

93 Points – Jeb Dunnuck

“The 2017 Chardonnay La Cruz Vineyard comes from the cooler Petaluma Gap yet offers a ripe bouquet of pineapple and caramelized stone fruits intermixed with loads of brioche, white flower, and spice-driven aromas and flavors. This ripe, opulent Chardonnay stays lively and balanced on the palate, with a great finish as well as a stunning sense of minerality. This is classic all the way. Drink 2020-2028.”

92 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“The 2017 Chardonnay La Cruz Vineyard has a very pretty nose of jasmine, warm hay, almonds and honey with a core of warm golden apples, white peaches and citrus with rocky sparks. Light to medium-bodied, it’s lightly creamy in the mouth with savory fruits, juicy acidity and a long, textured and energetic finish. Drink 2019-2026.”