It was a Monday a couple years back. We were talking Burgundy with a friend who works for David Ramey when he brought up Keller Estate. He clearly expected us to know the winery well—and was scandalized to learn that we hadn’t yet had the pleasure.

“They’re one of the greatest Pinot producers in Sonoma County! You gotta get on this!” he admonished us. We reached out to get a few bottles that day, and when we finally popped the cork on the Keller Estate Pinot Noir La Cruz Vineyard—wow.

We haven’t stopped being impressed. The 2018 is a gorgeous Pinot Noir layered with bright, juicy red fruit and vivid minerality. It reminds us of some of the most hauntingly beautiful and sublime Pinots we’ve enjoyed from the Central Coast and Burgundy.

Some of the most respected California winemakers—like David Ramey, Phil Titus, Helen Keplinger, Morgan Twain-Peterson MW, and Pax Mahle—think of the Petaluma Gap as a source of Grand Cru–quality California grapes. One of the primary reasons is the wind: Salty, powerful breezes off the Pacific funneled through the 15-mile-wide inland valley buffet the vines, which then develop small grapes sporting thick skins and packed with profound flavor.

Certified sustainable, Keller Estate’s La Cruz vineyard contains Pommard and Dijon clones rooted in mineral-rich clay soils, and the force of the wind challenges the grapes to ripen. Hand-harvesting takes place at night, then the grapes are destemmed, cold-soaked for five days, and aged in fine French oak.

Keller Estate has become a shooting star in the AVA thanks to wines that match impeccable balance with aromatic spices. The 2018 La Cruz Pinot is proof that their bottles stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best—just ask the guests at The Peninsula.

About Petaluma Gap