“Rôtie is indeed Côte-Rôtie-like.” – Jeb Dunnuck

Per the San Francisco Chronicle, Keller Estate is “Petaluma’s best-kept secret”.

And they are BACK today with a top Rhône doppelgänger.

But there’s one key difference. It comes at a price that you can’t even find a half bottle of Côte-Rôtie for.

Hint: Like Guigal’s 2019 La La Côte-Rôtie bottlings cost $500+++ these days!

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 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.”

When The Press Democrat picked it as a Wine of the Week a few years back they wrote “With the Rôtie, the style Keller is shooting for is a food-savvy Syrah. ‘We make wines that are meant to be shared around a table,’ Keller explained… In particular, our Rôtie has a lovely acid backbone, which makes it juicy and mouthwatering.’ The Rôtie is a tribute to the wines of the Rhône Valley called Côte-Rôtie. There winemakers harvest and co-ferment Syrah with Viognier. ‘We do the wine in this same style, it created a beautiful cool-climate Syrah, with some lovely aromatics from the viognier and an excellent tannin structure.’ the vintner explained.”

Indeed, it’s a superb red that delivers a punch with elegance and grace. With our best-ever price on this boutique beauty, drink with abandon this grill season. Too bad there wasn’t much left…

92 Points – Jeb Dunnuck

“A nod to the Northern Rhône, the 2019 Rôtie Red is Syrah co-fermented with a touch of Viognier. It offers beautiful aromas of black pepper, crushed violets, olive tapenade, and pure blackberry fruit. The palate is firmly structured with black tea, black plum skin, and dried apricot. Drink 2024-2028.”