2016 Keller Estate La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
Tasting Notes
91 points ~ Wine Spectator
Dark cherry and dried cranberry give way to a dense, mouth-watering minerality and fruit driven mid-palate with a long-lasting finish of elegant tannins.
The La Cruz Vineyard is planted on mineral-rich clay soils left behind as the remanence of ancient sea beds. Very tight row spacing creates competition between the vines for nutrients. This results in low yields and intense fruit flavors. The La Cruz Vineyard tends to wake up under a blanket of cool fog, which is then pushed out to sea by the ever-present winds of the Petaluma Gap. These winds roar through the Petaluma Gap, past Keller Estate and out to the San Pablo Bay, leaving warm sunshine in their wake. This combination of fog, wind, and sunshine create a microclimate that is unique to our area.
The growing season for 2016 marked the return of normal annual rainfall to Sonoma County. Steady and consistent rain filled our irrigation reservoirs just short of maximum capacity. Four years of drought conditions, which have dominated the growing seasons, finally gave way to an awakening of vigor and growth. Unlike 2015, the weather during bloom was ideal and fruit set was close to maximum. The long growing season of the Petaluma Gap is always influenced by the temperatures of August. In 2016, the temperatures of August were as mild as any year in recent memory. This allowed every block on the Estate to receive 10-20 extra days of phenolic ripening compared to the previous four years.
The core of La Cruz Pinot Noir comes from the Pommard clone, which creates a wine with a dense and elegant backbone. Clones 667 & 777 are added for bright fruit and mouth-watering acidity. Small percentages of other clones provide delicacy and spice bringing all the varietal components together seamlessly. All our Pinot Noir fermentations use native yeast which help us capture a true sense of place. Our winemaking practices strive to gently guide our wines through our gravity feed cellar with minimal intervention. The wine was racked once at bottling after 10 months in barrel.
“This elegant version lengthens out nicely, featuring plush red fruit and spice flavors, accented by toasty notes. Juicy midpalate, with a minerally finish. Drink now through 2023” - Wine Spectator
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 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, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Keller Estate La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir
3 bottles for $69.99 $23.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $214.99 $17.92/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Greetings fellow Wooters… errr Casemates!
I received the shoulder tap from Alice to share my tasting experience with you all. Hopefully my interpretation guides your purchasing efforts; I suspect you won’t want to miss this one. For the record, I am a fan of the Pinot Noir varietal and was pleased to find this is an estate wine.
Note that I opened this wine for a quick sip last night between the delivery and bedtime. Most of the tasting and note taking is being completed on day 2.
Sight: This wine is a clear, cranberry red, transitioning to brick red at the edges. I don’t give much credence to a wine’s quality based on its tears or legs but, after a swirl, they are long and slow to drip down the sides of my glass.
Nose: A nice blend of red and black fruits. I detect cranberry and strawberry aromas that lean toward the ripe, jammy end of the spectrum. Along with the fruit, I’m getting the familiar Pinot Noir cherry cola aroma, combined with tennis balls, spices, and leather.
Palate: This Pinot has great depth and character compared to lower-end Pinots that can seem “thin” to me. It is neither fruit-forward nor sweet but has a good blend of complex flavors with dark, jammy fruit. Desiccated red and black fruits, cranberry, strawberry, and plum make up the fruit flavors. Leather, spices, tobacco, and mild oak round out the more earthy flavors. It is smoky, but in a desirable way. There is a good mouthfeel with medium acidity and medium-plus tannins (for a Pinot). The finish lingers long after swallowing and leaves my mouth watering. At initial pop-n-pour I detected more red cherry fruit flavors that seem to have mellowed by day 2.
My wife and I both enjoyed this wine. She guessed it to be a $60 bottle from the winery. I don’t know the case price yet but, being an Estate Pinot Noir, I’d call anything around $20/btl a solid deal.
Thanks, Casemates, for the opportunity to be your Rat on this one. Cheers!
@knlprez I’ll order a case “for Denver” - if a third person wants in that would be great (4 each), otherwise the two of us can split it. Will be in touch when it arrives, and any others from the Denver area…4 up for grabs if you want!
If anyone in Chicago is interested in a split, I’d love 3 or 4 (or 6, if needed). I just can’t do another whole case. I ran out of space too many cases ago.
88 Points. Stemmy and earthy, this wine is loaded in baking spice, exotic tea and forceful tannin. Medium bodied and brawny in texture, it’s more savory than fruity, finished in pomegranate and cranberry. VB 8/1/19
Lucky to get a magic ticket. Timely announcement was greatly appreciated, since we missed the first delivery attempt. When brought to the door next day, the bottle was nice and cool to the touch. I let it rest next to the geothermal vent for a day for gentle cooling. Popped cork and set up for a comparo taste-off with the open bottle of Y. Rousseau Son of a Butcher (day 3).
Pouring, the color reminds me of the inside of a ripe plum, so pretty typical PN coloration and translucency. I learned this week from NPR that we have stereo smelling in our nostrils which sense different bands of smells to form the full stereo smell we so intimately recognize. Amazingly, the smell duties are switched over between nostrils every 4 hours. In my sad case, one snort hole was not fully functional for this ratting and my sense bouquet was not as stereo enabled as hoped for.
Bright taste which worked well with the meat lovers GF pizza we had on FREE PIZZA WEDNESDAY. Since we had some on hand, I also heated up a few bites of last night’s eggplant mushroom curry. The Keller PN was talking to both, but not arguing with (nor singing duets with) either choice. The SOB red blend from Y. Roussseau was not markedly better with the selections.
Dessert standard treatment of various dark chocolates did not bring forward new taste vistas, nor any clashes.
On the second night, after capping, vaccing, and counter storage, we had a shrimp spinach and potato saag by our 19 y.o. whose cooking skills are coming along very nicely. Better pairing for the PN, no radical evolution. Last taste that night, finally got a expanded taste on the rear palate with more complexity and depth.
TL;DR
Food friendly, but not dependent wine. Great for classy daily drinking and could probably hold a few years. No room for me to jump in, but you should.
@louas I asked @winedavid49 about summer shipping the other day. He replied “Likely starting with the 5/31 offer, we’ll default upgrade to 2 day transit.”
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016 Keller Estate La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir - $65 = 23.20%
@abhiabhi Just saying possibly the answer includes the words “snooze” and “lose.”
EDIT which in our English language sound the same but one has two o’s and the other has one. Go figure.
2016 Keller Estate La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
Tasting Notes
91 points ~ Wine Spectator
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $600/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jun 21 - Thursday, Jun 24
Keller Estate La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir
3 bottles for $69.99 $23.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $214.99 $17.92/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2016 Keller Estate La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir
Never met a Keller Estate I didn’t like. Case price is ridiculous. Decisions
@losthighwayz is this the one we got the mini bottles of? Now I need to go check previous orders…
@losthighwayz yeah, I’ve been a fan. Very full up as always but let me know if you need help on the case.
@bunnymasseuse that was the '15
@losthighwayz thanks I eventually found it!
@bunnymasseuse @losthighwayz
And the ‘17 too.
@losthighwayz @chipgreen agreed, great % disc on the case
Greetings fellow Wooters… errr Casemates!
I received the shoulder tap from Alice to share my tasting experience with you all. Hopefully my interpretation guides your purchasing efforts; I suspect you won’t want to miss this one. For the record, I am a fan of the Pinot Noir varietal and was pleased to find this is an estate wine.
2016 Keller Estate Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap, Sonoma Coast
Note that I opened this wine for a quick sip last night between the delivery and bedtime. Most of the tasting and note taking is being completed on day 2.
Sight: This wine is a clear, cranberry red, transitioning to brick red at the edges. I don’t give much credence to a wine’s quality based on its tears or legs but, after a swirl, they are long and slow to drip down the sides of my glass.
Nose: A nice blend of red and black fruits. I detect cranberry and strawberry aromas that lean toward the ripe, jammy end of the spectrum. Along with the fruit, I’m getting the familiar Pinot Noir cherry cola aroma, combined with tennis balls, spices, and leather.
Palate: This Pinot has great depth and character compared to lower-end Pinots that can seem “thin” to me. It is neither fruit-forward nor sweet but has a good blend of complex flavors with dark, jammy fruit. Desiccated red and black fruits, cranberry, strawberry, and plum make up the fruit flavors. Leather, spices, tobacco, and mild oak round out the more earthy flavors. It is smoky, but in a desirable way. There is a good mouthfeel with medium acidity and medium-plus tannins (for a Pinot). The finish lingers long after swallowing and leaves my mouth watering. At initial pop-n-pour I detected more red cherry fruit flavors that seem to have mellowed by day 2.
Cheers!
My wife and I both enjoyed this wine. She guessed it to be a $60 bottle from the winery. I don’t know the case price yet but, being an Estate Pinot Noir, I’d call anything around $20/btl a solid deal.
Thanks, Casemates, for the opportunity to be your Rat on this one.
Anyone from Denver ordering? I’d take 4 - 6 if so!
@knlprez I’ll order a case “for Denver” - if a third person wants in that would be great (4 each), otherwise the two of us can split it. Will be in touch when it arrives, and any others from the Denver area…4 up for grabs if you want!
/giphy appetizing-massive-pin
@CObrent @knlprez
I’ll bite on 4x.
@knlprez @mtnzj
Excellent - 4 bottles each! I’ll be in touch when they arrive. Have a nice Memorial Day weekend!
Take my money…
@kasandrae THANK YOU!
Any one want to split a case in eastern MA or Southern NH?
If anyone in Chicago is interested in a split, I’d love 3 or 4 (or 6, if needed). I just can’t do another whole case. I ran out of space too many cases ago.
@karenhynes I’m in. North side here. Let me know
@gfoil77 @karenhynes I bought a case as well if anyone needs. Deerfield here
@gfoil77 @pete0744
I haven’t bought yet…Pete, are you willing to split 3 ways? Ideally, I don’t really want/need more than 4.
@gfoil77 @karenhynes yep no problem - same boat as you.
@karenhynes @pete0744 Thanks Pete!
@gfoil77 @pete0744
Yes, thanks Pete! We should try to get together soon!
well of course there is a Wine Enthusiast review…
88 Points. Stemmy and earthy, this wine is loaded in baking spice, exotic tea and forceful tannin. Medium bodied and brawny in texture, it’s more savory than fruity, finished in pomegranate and cranberry. VB 8/1/19
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/keller-estate-2016-la-cruz-vineyard-pinot-noir-sonoma-coast/
and according to winery website 410 cases produced…
fwiw
@kaolis for every review one way, there’s always another one. So, yes, it also depends when each reviewer tasted and how the wine was at that time.
/giphy afraid expensive chocolate
Tempting! I’m whittling down my stash so not overfull but it’s so hot out now. Any chilled shipping available?
@GatorFL
With that moniker I assume you’re in the sunshine state. If you’re in Tampa and looking to split, let me know.
@pseudogourmet98 Sadly I am in West Palm or I would split with you.
Pouring, the color reminds me of the inside of a ripe plum, so pretty typical PN coloration and translucency. I learned this week from NPR that we have stereo smelling in our nostrils which sense different bands of smells to form the full stereo smell we so intimately recognize. Amazingly, the smell duties are switched over between nostrils every 4 hours. In my sad case, one snort hole was not fully functional for this ratting and my sense bouquet was not as stereo enabled as hoped for.
Bright taste which worked well with the meat lovers GF pizza we had on FREE PIZZA WEDNESDAY. Since we had some on hand, I also heated up a few bites of last night’s eggplant mushroom curry. The Keller PN was talking to both, but not arguing with (nor singing duets with) either choice. The SOB red blend from Y. Roussseau was not markedly better with the selections.
Dessert standard treatment of various dark chocolates did not bring forward new taste vistas, nor any clashes.
On the second night, after capping, vaccing, and counter storage, we had a shrimp spinach and potato saag by our 19 y.o. whose cooking skills are coming along very nicely. Better pairing for the PN, no radical evolution. Last taste that night, finally got a expanded taste on the rear palate with more complexity and depth.
TL;DR
Food friendly, but not dependent wine. Great for classy daily drinking and could probably hold a few years. No room for me to jump in, but you should.
@kls_in_MD GRRRR having trouble getting image of the front uploaded.
@kls_in_MD extra credit for opening our eyes (and nostrils) to the concept of stereo smelling.
Anyone in the Bay Area wanna split a case?
@ponyo4 East Bay over here … I’d be interested in splitting!
@j_lantz Great ! my email is: branch at hotmail dot com
also more people are welcome if they are in the area !
Sounds like a case is coming to West LA. There are 4-6 bottles available. Who wants?
@klezman I’m in if not too late
Anybody interested in some? I think there’s still 4-6 available.
@cortot @scottw58 @merrybill @markdaspark @halwarning @i8dacat @funnywontons @davirom
@davirom @funnywontons @halwarning @i8dacat @klezman @MarkDaSpark @merrybill @ScottW58 I’ll take 3.
@CorTot @davirom @funnywontons @halwarning @klezman @MarkDaSpark @merrybill @ScottW58
If 3 are available, I’m in.
@CorTot @i8dacat
Perfect. You reach owe Ron $60.
@CorTot @i8dacat Actually, I was overzealous in my rounding - it’s $58.05 each, $19.35/bottle.
/giphy stormy-low-country
Any St Louisians interested in a split?
@Nyxen
I would take 3, @james might be interested
@chefjess @Nyxen
@chefjess @james @Nyxen I am also interested
/giphy fidgety-guiltless-creator
short on pinot and heckuva discount for Keller Estate! Two cases in the same week? Who am I, @DrHellKnow?
PS what the heck is this “Creator Games”? I was hoping for a fidgety or guiltless giphy
@KitMarlot Heck if I know–I haven’t seen you in a month. Maybe you’re just missing me.
@KitMarlot maybe this is better
/giphy fidgety-guiltless-creator
@KitMarlot meh on my giphy, too
will there be summer shipping? and if so, when is it scheduled to begin?
@louas I asked @winedavid49 about summer shipping the other day. He replied “Likely starting with the 5/31 offer, we’ll default upgrade to 2 day transit.”
@kaolis @louas confirmed.
/giphy skilled-queenly-commander
@pmarin terminate … with extreme prejudice
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016 Keller Estate La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir - $65 = 23.20%
/giphy bitty-nasally-light
If anyone in Pdx fancies a split I got 12.
Damn, missed it yesterday!
@WineDavid49, any way to hook up with the winery directly for the same deal?
@abhiabhi Just saying possibly the answer includes the words “snooze” and “lose.”
EDIT which in our English language sound the same but one has two o’s and the other has one. Go figure.