2013 Keller Estate Winery Pinot Noir La Cruz Vineyard Sonoma Coast 750 ml

“Game-Changer” Vintage + Sonoma’s Rising Star AVA

Not only is the 2013 Keller Estate Pinot Noir La Cruz Vineyard a “powerful coastal Pinot,” at 92 points, it’s also Exhibit A for why Sonoma’s Petaluma Gap Region is on the verge of promotion to AVA status. Showcasing fruit from the distinctive 15-mile opening in the coastal mountain range, the 2013 “La Cruz” benefits from powerful, vine-cleansing winds that keep the grapes’ sugar in check while facilitating long hang times that slow ripening. The Gap’s fog and cool temperatures keep the acid buzzing. These factors explain why top-flight producers like Ramey, Kosta Browne, and Sojourn have also staked claims in what is becoming a top location for Pinot in the Sonoma Coast. In the 2013 vintage Robert Parker immortalized as the “game-changer” and that Wine Enthusiast awarded 95 points, the mineral-laden clays of Keller’s La Cruz Vineyard yielded a downright delicious Pinot Noir, worthy of a Russian River price tag. 

The Sonoma Coast AVA, spanning from San Pablo Bay to Mendocino, is far too vast to  communicate any specific growing area’s unique properties. So Ana Keller has lobbied hard for her overachieving Petaluma Gap region, which is “defined by the wind,” to be elevated to an AVA. When this happens, it will simply codify what Flowers, Ramey, Wind Gap and Rodney Strong and the stellar wineries that have bought Keller fruit already know — that the Gap is one of the top regions in California for Pinot Noir.

Not surprisingly, the stellar 2013 vintage was kind to Keller Estate. A steady and cool season allowed for an unhurried harvest of optimally ripe Pinot. Keller intervened minimally, using native yeasts on their five different clones of Pinot. The result is a bright, rich, and pure example of the Sonoma Coast region that is truly making a name for itself.