Rôtie is our homage to Cote-Rotie, the Northern Rhone AOC famous for its traditional co-fermentation of Syrah and Viognier. Viognier was traditionally used in the copigmentation process where white grape tannin aids in color stability. The process also helps to bring out the aromatics of the wine while adding a floral component. We find that the Syrah that the La Cruz Vineyard produces is much more fruity and bright than our Rhone counterparts, however, using a touch of Viognier allows the subtle earthiness of the Syrah to showcase more while lending more structure and acidity to the wine.
Although Syrah can be a very powerful grape, the Rotie is soft and elegant with gorgeous aromatics. Dark fruit and wet earth rounded out with soft floral aromatics taunt the senses, giving you more as the wine opens up in the glass. Blackberries and plums with notes of exotic spices lend a perfect balance to the soft velvety tannins with a prolonged finish.
Winery: Keller Estate
Owner:Owner: Ana Keller
Founded: 2000
Location: Petaluma, CA
Our goal 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. 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 firm of Legorreta+Legorreta we designed and built our stunning, functional winery, designed specifically for gravity flow wine making. The design of our winemaking facility has served as an inpiration to other wineries.
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 has been instrumental in the upcoming Petaluma Gap AVA and promoting the wines of this region worldwide.
The terroir at Keller Estate is defined by the Petaluma Gap, a region which is subject to two major maritime influences; the San Pablo Bay lies immediately to the south, while to the northwest is an opening in the coastal hills which allows masses of fog from the Pacific to flow freely through the Petaluma Valley. This geographical signature is unique and creates a long, cool growing season for our vineyards. This climate is ideal for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which both thrive in cooler climates. Because of our unique terroir and our dedication to excellent winemaking, the resulting wines from our Estate vineyards are consistently well-balanced, complex and elegant.
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, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Happy to say that I got to be a labrat for the 2011 vintage of this wine! I took a few pictures along the way in the hopes that they’d help some of you a bit. Let me know if you have any questions!
Color/Translucence: Wine has a deep garnet color, just translucent around the edges, but in the glass is quite opaque. When I hold the wine up to a light source I see a very smooth color clarity. The wine is forming nice legs in the glass that flow smoothly down the glass.
Smell: Nose is a bit tight at PNP, but already I’m getting some dusty chocolate nibs…enticing. After ~15 minutes, those dusty chocolate nibs are accompanied by a beautiful bouquet of raspberry, white pepper, allspice and plum.
Mouth: They did a great job with the oak aging, it is not over-oaked at all. In fact, the oak along with the rest of the elements come together to make a really smooth wine with medium tannins. The flavors flourish and linger for a long elegant finish. The overall feel in the mouth is silky and almost perfectly balanced. There’s a mild amount of heat, not overpowering, but present.
Flavor: For me, the first flavor that jumps out is a bit of tart cherry, followed by some ruby red grapefruit. I’m left with some blackcurrant towards the finish. Very inviting, every sip makes me want to drink more.
Summary: I like this wine and I’ll be buying some. As mentioned, the tannins are a medium strength and very smooth, making it an enjoyable wine that I’d happily take to a party where I wanted to share a really nice, approachable wine. Overall I’d label it sophisticated and frankly it exceeds my expectation of a Cotes du Rhone wine based on my experience with that region.
As I’m finishing this review, I’m enjoying the wine with some nice dark chocolate. Delish. That said, I think this wine will shine with a red sauce and should pair extremely well with lots of foods that you’d expect a wine like this to pair with. Some examples that jump to the front of my mind: Steak au Poivre, spaghetti with meatballs, pepperoni pizza, and chilli.
Day 2 Update: The wine is better across the board. It could be that the sausage and peppers/onions I’m eating is affecting my palate a bit, but the wine tastes a little less tart today and is very enjoyable with the food I’m eating…so you can add sausage/onions/peppers to the list of things it goes well with!
@jmdavidson1 Yeah, I was just now looking at the offering. Didn’t realize it was a vertical…!!! Definitely getting a case and excited to try the “better” years. (And Virginia is now lit up on the map!)
@vaaccess What a great review! Thank you @vaaccess! We find that this wine pairs excellently with most dishes and can be very approachable one recipe that I love to pair it with is Coq au vin.
@vaaccess@Winedavid49 Hi Winedaavid49, typically the drinking window for these are 10 years from the vintage, but I personally look at that as a subjective view of the drinker, between the younger and older wines. I think in the case of our 2011 Rotie it is doing beautifully now and is ready, the 2012 and 2013 are also ready to drink now. However, I think that the 12 and 13 would hold up better longer. So overall, Drink between now and 2023.
@ScottW58 Yeah, for some reason I thought that was a reference they had made on their website or something. But now I don’t see it so maybe I just goofed that! Doh!
BTW… While on their website I saw that the 2013 received a 93 from Wine Spectator!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Keller Estate Rôtie Vertical - $80 = 24.99%
@happyboy@rainybank@kapok6@debsters7
We have too many now. I’m in for 1 vert, got a friend who wants 2 verts, so 1 left. Looks like enough demand for a second case split. Rainy I’ll include you since we’ve exchanged before. It’s a good problem to have for Casemates.
@debsters7@happyboy@johnnelson7333@rainybank If I get the boot, it is what it is. I won’t lose sleep over it. But if someone winds up wanting to let me have 2-3 bottles, i’m in for that too. Will just need to know who to pay.
@debsters7@happyboy@johnnelson7333@rainybank I’m in for up to 3 if there are enough spots if someone pulls the trigger. If anyone does, I can paypal them my portion once they let me know the total.
@coxxoc@debsters7@kapok6 I guess all four of us are in? Kapok6, I already have an order with you, so I can buy this round. Does everyone confirm? If so, I’ll order.
@coxxoc@debsters7@happyboy Yes Sir. The Pavi. So if you order this, we can swap/pay at the same time if you like, or however you want to do it. I am ooen to 3 or 4 bottles on this one depending on how many commit, but i am in for at least 3.
@coxxoc@debsters7@kapok6 Keep in mind, it’s a vintage vertical, 2011, 2012, and 2013. We have three confirmed, which works for me. Deb, I’ll hold a place for you, but I’m sure we can find these bottles a home if you later decide to pass.
Invited some friends over for dinner and to enjoy this wine. Set out some dried fruit and nuts, the Beehive Promontory and Beehive cheeses, plus the Chardonnay & Fig jam from the Kickstarter remote pack that we hadn’t finished. There wasn’t any wine left by the time we got to dinner, so I can’t comment on how well it went with the Roast Pork Tenderloin with Carrot Romesco. I thought it would go really well with barbeque anything.
We let the wine breathe for about a half hour, but also used the aerator.
We all liked the wine. My friend Bob thought it had some body to it - he thought the wine looked like a Pinot in the glass, but the taste was closer to a Cabernet.
I got a bit of spice and flavors of earth and cherries. My friend Lori detected a little acidity, but thought it went well with the food.
We all thought the wine definitely had some oompf to it, and not a bitter aftertaste, like some other Syrahs.
Bob’s only criticism was that it didn’t have as smooth a finish as he’d like.
Has anyone else noticed that the e-mail notifications, subject: A new wine event launched at Casemates, are sent 24 hours AFTER the actual launch? For example, the Keller Rotie Vertical started on Sunday at 9 pm [P], but I did not get the e-mail until Monday at 9:01 pm [P]. Is that deliberate?
@SoSmellyAir I’m up for joining in on this with you guys. I’m in Fullerton area, haven’t participated in a case buy and not sure how you guys set up the meet up, but you can count me in.
@i8dacat@rjquillin No, only 3 of us expressed interest. Having bought Cornerstone Syrahs, I did not want to commit to more than 1 vertical of this one.
Tasting Notes
Rôtie is our homage to Cote-Rotie, the Northern Rhone AOC famous for its traditional co-fermentation of Syrah and Viognier. Viognier was traditionally used in the copigmentation process where white grape tannin aids in color stability. The process also helps to bring out the aromatics of the wine while adding a floral component. We find that the Syrah that the La Cruz Vineyard produces is much more fruity and bright than our Rhone counterparts, however, using a touch of Viognier allows the subtle earthiness of the Syrah to showcase more while lending more structure and acidity to the wine.
Although Syrah can be a very powerful grape, the Rotie is soft and elegant with gorgeous aromatics. Dark fruit and wet earth rounded out with soft floral aromatics taunt the senses, giving you more as the wine opens up in the glass. Blackberries and plums with notes of exotic spices lend a perfect balance to the soft velvety tannins with a prolonged finish.
Specifications
Rôtie
Price Comparison
$700.50/case at Keller Estate for the 2013 Rôtie
About The Winery
Winery: Keller Estate
Owner:Owner: Ana Keller
Founded: 2000
Location: Petaluma, CA
Our goal 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. 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 firm of Legorreta+Legorreta we designed and built our stunning, functional winery, designed specifically for gravity flow wine making. The design of our winemaking facility has served as an inpiration to other wineries.
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 has been instrumental in the upcoming Petaluma Gap AVA and promoting the wines of this region worldwide.
The terroir at Keller Estate is defined by the Petaluma Gap, a region which is subject to two major maritime influences; the San Pablo Bay lies immediately to the south, while to the northwest is an opening in the coastal hills which allows masses of fog from the Pacific to flow freely through the Petaluma Valley. This geographical signature is unique and creates a long, cool growing season for our vineyards. This climate is ideal for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which both thrive in cooler climates. Because of our unique terroir and our dedication to excellent winemaking, the resulting wines from our Estate vineyards are consistently well-balanced, complex and elegant.
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, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Apr 12 - Monday, Apr 16
@vaaccess has a Lab Rat Report for the 2011 vintage.
@kfroehlich got to try the 2013.
Keller Estate Rôtie Vertical
3 bottles for $79.99 $26.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $239.99 $20/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2011 Keller Estate Syrah Rotie
2012 Keller Estate Syrah Rotie
2013 Keller Estate Syrah Rotie
Looks very interesting. Hope there are some lab assistants out there for this one.
Happy to say that I got to be a labrat for the 2011 vintage of this wine! I took a few pictures along the way in the hopes that they’d help some of you a bit. Let me know if you have any questions!
Color/Translucence: Wine has a deep garnet color, just translucent around the edges, but in the glass is quite opaque. When I hold the wine up to a light source I see a very smooth color clarity. The wine is forming nice legs in the glass that flow smoothly down the glass.
Smell: Nose is a bit tight at PNP, but already I’m getting some dusty chocolate nibs…enticing. After ~15 minutes, those dusty chocolate nibs are accompanied by a beautiful bouquet of raspberry, white pepper, allspice and plum.
Mouth: They did a great job with the oak aging, it is not over-oaked at all. In fact, the oak along with the rest of the elements come together to make a really smooth wine with medium tannins. The flavors flourish and linger for a long elegant finish. The overall feel in the mouth is silky and almost perfectly balanced. There’s a mild amount of heat, not overpowering, but present.
Flavor: For me, the first flavor that jumps out is a bit of tart cherry, followed by some ruby red grapefruit. I’m left with some blackcurrant towards the finish. Very inviting, every sip makes me want to drink more.
Summary: I like this wine and I’ll be buying some. As mentioned, the tannins are a medium strength and very smooth, making it an enjoyable wine that I’d happily take to a party where I wanted to share a really nice, approachable wine. Overall I’d label it sophisticated and frankly it exceeds my expectation of a Cotes du Rhone wine based on my experience with that region.
As I’m finishing this review, I’m enjoying the wine with some nice dark chocolate. Delish. That said, I think this wine will shine with a red sauce and should pair extremely well with lots of foods that you’d expect a wine like this to pair with. Some examples that jump to the front of my mind: Steak au Poivre, spaghetti with meatballs, pepperoni pizza, and chilli.
Day 2 Update: The wine is better across the board. It could be that the sausage and peppers/onions I’m eating is affecting my palate a bit, but the wine tastes a little less tart today and is very enjoyable with the food I’m eating…so you can add sausage/onions/peppers to the list of things it goes well with!
@vaaccess Nice review. Good to know than an off year (2011) is IYHO very good. So, even higher expectations for two solid years, 12 and 13.
@jmdavidson1 Yeah, I was just now looking at the offering. Didn’t realize it was a vertical…!!! Definitely getting a case and excited to try the “better” years. (And Virginia is now lit up on the map!)
@vaaccess Nice report! Thanks!
@winedavid49 – any chance someone can provide info on the expected drinking windows for each of these?
@vaaccess What a great review! Thank you @vaaccess! We find that this wine pairs excellently with most dishes and can be very approachable one recipe that I love to pair it with is Coq au vin.
@vaaccess @Winedavid49 Hi Winedaavid49, typically the drinking window for these are 10 years from the vintage, but I personally look at that as a subjective view of the drinker, between the younger and older wines. I think in the case of our 2011 Rotie it is doing beautifully now and is ready, the 2012 and 2013 are also ready to drink now. However, I think that the 12 and 13 would hold up better longer. So overall, Drink between now and 2023.
I’ve always enjoyed Keller Estate’s wines. That makes this an intriguing offer!
Most interesting wine I have seen yet, to me anyways. Btw I would not compare Cotes du Rhone to Cote Rotie. Nice report!
@ScottW58 Yeah, for some reason I thought that was a reference they had made on their website or something. But now I don’t see it so maybe I just goofed that! Doh!
BTW… While on their website I saw that the 2013 received a 93 from Wine Spectator!
/giphy superb
@ScottW58 @vaaccess And the 2012 Rotie got a 93 point rating from Wine Enthusiast
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Keller Estate Rôtie Vertical - $80 = 24.99%
What say the Dallas crew? 4 way split for a vertical each?
@johnnelson7333 I am really Intrigued…
@johnnelson7333 @kapok6 I’ll do it, if you do.
@happyboy @johnnelson7333 @kapok6 I’m in too if you need a 4th.
@happyboy @johnnelson7333 @rainybank I’m in for 3 if someone else hits the magical button. I’ve bought too much this current CC statement, lulz.
@happyboy @rainybank @kapok6 @debsters7
We have too many now. I’m in for 1 vert, got a friend who wants 2 verts, so 1 left. Looks like enough demand for a second case split. Rainy I’ll include you since we’ve exchanged before. It’s a good problem to have for Casemates.
@rainybank
/giphy odd-picturesque-banana
@debsters7 @happyboy @johnnelson7333 @rainybank If I get the boot, it is what it is. I won’t lose sleep over it. But if someone winds up wanting to let me have 2-3 bottles, i’m in for that too. Will just need to know who to pay.
@debsters7 @johnnelson7333 @kapok6 @rainybank I’m jumping on a plane soon, but can go either way on this. If an order needs to be placed, I’m happy to do it.
@debsters7 @happyboy @johnnelson7333 @rainybank I’m in for up to 3 if there are enough spots if someone pulls the trigger. If anyone does, I can paypal them my portion once they let me know the total.
@debsters7 @happyboy @johnnelson7333 @kapok6 @rainybank
I lost track but If you still need someone for split I would be up for it
@coxxoc @debsters7 @kapok6 I guess all four of us are in? Kapok6, I already have an order with you, so I can buy this round. Does everyone confirm? If so, I’ll order.
@coxxoc @debsters7 @happyboy Yes Sir. The Pavi. So if you order this, we can swap/pay at the same time if you like, or however you want to do it. I am ooen to 3 or 4 bottles on this one depending on how many commit, but i am in for at least 3.
@debsters7 @happyboy @kapok6
I am confirmed. Anyone got any extra Pavi? I missed that one
@coxxoc @debsters7 @kapok6 Keep in mind, it’s a vintage vertical, 2011, 2012, and 2013. We have three confirmed, which works for me. Deb, I’ll hold a place for you, but I’m sure we can find these bottles a home if you later decide to pass.
@coxxoc @happyboy @kapok6 sorry I bought on my own because I thought I was out. Maybe next time.
@coxxoc @debsters7 @kapok6 No worries, I’ll drink them.
Anyone in Buffalo want to split?
Excited to be the Lab Rat for the 2013 Rotie.
Invited some friends over for dinner and to enjoy this wine. Set out some dried fruit and nuts, the Beehive Promontory and Beehive cheeses, plus the Chardonnay & Fig jam from the Kickstarter remote pack that we hadn’t finished. There wasn’t any wine left by the time we got to dinner, so I can’t comment on how well it went with the Roast Pork Tenderloin with Carrot Romesco. I thought it would go really well with barbeque anything.
We let the wine breathe for about a half hour, but also used the aerator.
We all liked the wine. My friend Bob thought it had some body to it - he thought the wine looked like a Pinot in the glass, but the taste was closer to a Cabernet.
I got a bit of spice and flavors of earth and cherries. My friend Lori detected a little acidity, but thought it went well with the food.
We all thought the wine definitely had some oompf to it, and not a bitter aftertaste, like some other Syrahs.
Bob’s only criticism was that it didn’t have as smooth a finish as he’d like.
Overall, we all agreed that we’d buy it.
Anyone in Albany/Capital Region NY want to do a split? I could go over half a case.
Anyone near Broomfield, CO interested in doing a split?
Any NOVA interest?
@thelecroy checkout nova group. I can get 3 or 6.
Not sure how SD interest may be, but if any of the normal LA/SoCal peeps grab a case I’ll help out with three (one each).
Im curious, so in for a case.
NYC let me know if you want to split. Took a flier on a case, seems interesting.
Just out of couriosity…does casemates ever offer coupon codes or free shipping specials?
Has anyone else noticed that the e-mail notifications, subject: A new wine event launched at Casemates, are sent 24 hours AFTER the actual launch? For example, the Keller Rotie Vertical started on Sunday at 9 pm [P], but I did not get the e-mail until Monday at 9:01 pm [P]. Is that deliberate?
@SoSmellyAir Yes
@SoSmellyAir Intentionally so, we were informed.
You want three?
@rjquillin The 24 hour delay makes no sense to me. And, yes, I am in for a 2011-2013 vertical as part of a case split. Who else from San Diego is in?
@rjquillin @SoSmellyAir It has been previously established that this makes no sense because it is dumb.
Nice reviews, Keller has always been solid.
@bsevern Thank You! We are excited about this one, it is a fun way to experience some great Petaluma Gap wines.
@ScottW58 @SoSmellyAir
Hey Scott, you in on this?
That would make three so we’d only need one additional to do a case.
Any other SD or LA want to help out?
@rjquillin
No i’m tapped out right now.
Anyone in Orange County want in on this?
@SoSmellyAir I’m up for joining in on this with you guys. I’m in Fullerton area, haven’t participated in a case buy and not sure how you guys set up the meet up, but you can count me in.
@i8dacat @SoSmellyAir Just back online.
Did either of you grab a case?
@i8dacat @rjquillin No, only 3 of us expressed interest. Having bought Cornerstone Syrahs, I did not want to commit to more than 1 vertical of this one.
@i8dacat @SoSmellyAir Guess I should be relieved. Saved $ and storage. Can’t get 'em all.
Last wooter to woot…oops, wrong site. JMD.