2020 Keller Estate Chardonnay, La Cruz Vineyard, Petaluma Gap
Tasting Notes
Over 30 years ago, our family began farming estate wines to capture the distinct soil, topography, and climate of our property. This terroir-driven philosophy enables us to guide the process from vine to bottle, creating beautifully balanced and expressive wines with a true sense of place.
The 2020 La Cruz Chardonnay is bright and has a beautiful golden color. The wine shows aromas of tropical and stone fruit with a hint of vanillin oak. The wine is expressive in the mouth and exhibits green apple, pear, wet stone, white flowers, caramel, butter toast texture with a long, mouthwatering finish of acidity.
Vintage - Vineyard
The 2020 vintage was vastly characterized by a series of environmental challenges, putting vineyard crews and winemakers to the test. The season started well, and growing conditions were nearly ideal. Spring frost was an issue for some of our neighboring AVA’s, but our windy site was spared any frost. An August heat spell accelerated ripening, resulting in an early start to harvest and yielding a small crop. However, when the fire broke out in Bodega Bay on Sunday, August 24th, the same wind-protected our site from frost brought days and days of smoke. Immediate sampling, analysis, and micro-fermentations allowed us to determine how to proceed. The ancient seabed of the San Pablo Bay is mineral-rich with clay soils that define La Cruz Vineyard. Thirty-four acres are planted to chardonnay, in distinct blocks where clone 4, Wente, and Dijon clones are planted. Typical to this vineyard is a pronounced bright acidity and signature spice notes.
Winemaking
Our chardonnay was harvested in the cold night and came in at 23.3 Brix. The fruit was pressed using a gentle cycle, the juice settled for 12 hours prior to racking in barrels where they went through primary and second fermentation. Our 2018 La Cruz Chardonnay is filtered but not fined. We used Nomacorc 100 closure, with a specific low oxygen ingress rate, eliminating any oxidation. It is a 100% plant-based closure with a carbon-neutral footprint, aligning with our mission.
Specs
Harvest Date: September 10, 2020
Bottled Date: June 8th, 2021
pH: 3.5
Total Acidity: 5.75 g/L
Alcohol: 14.46%
Cases: 459
What’s Included
6-bottles:
6x 2020 Keller Estate Chardonnay, La Cruz Vineyard, Petaluma Gap Case:
12x 2020 Keller Estate Chardonnay, La Cruz Vineyard, Petaluma Gap
Our mission is to share the passing of time through our family’s vineyard.
Arturo Keller and his wife, Deborah, first fell in love with the site while driving a vintage car through the meandering Sonoma roads, and selected the property for its potential as a site for a world-class vineyard. Clearly, the property’s beauty, setting, and history influenced our decision to make it our home.
In 1989, we planted the first Chardonnay vines, and La Cruz vineyard was born. Our first vintage was sold to Rombauer Vineyards, who rapidly became excited with the potential of the site, giving us confidence in our fruit. By 1999, we planted a few acres of Pinot Noir and recognized the potential to make our own exceptional wines. In 2000, the Keller Estate label became a reality. Shortly after, in collaboration with the prestigious Mexican firm of Legorreta + Legorreta we designed and built our stunning and functional winery, designed specifically for gravity-flow winemaking.
Ana Keller, Arturo’s daughter and a biochemist by training, joined the team, eager to create the most exquisite wines from the Estate’s vineyards. With Arturo’s constant vision and encouragement, Ana’s passion has established Keller Estate as a benchmark for producing some of the best wines in the Sonoma Coast. Her passion and dedication have been instrumental in establishing the Petaluma Gap AVA and promoting the wines of this region worldwide.
We invite you to visit us and share our passion.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
I’m in desperate need of an IronHorse unoaked Chardonnay (or similar) replacement (not “buttery” and no or slight “oaky-ness”) since I’m almost down to my last bottle of IronHorse! Come on rats…let’s not disappoint!!
2020 Keller Estate Chardonnay, La Cruz Vineyard, Petaluma Gap
Tasting Notes
Vintage - Vineyard
Winemaking
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $576/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Oct 6 - Tuesday, Oct 7
2020 Keller Estate Chardonnay
6 bottles for $79.99 $13.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $109.99 $9.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
@ilCesare
and the best on-line price I could find is $34/btl
Despite the continued heat, it appears Summer Hold is no longer an option.
Winemaking notes are for the 2018
2020 fires in the area
I’m in desperate need of an IronHorse unoaked Chardonnay (or similar) replacement (not “buttery” and no or slight “oaky-ness”) since I’m almost down to my last bottle of IronHorse! Come on rats…let’s not disappoint!!