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
@losthighwayz LNU Lightning Complex would have impacted this area before the pick date but it sounds like the winery did their due diligence and feel the wine is clean
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!!
@TimW i hear ya, would love some SS or concrete vessel aged Chard but considering this one fir time being.
While not offered here…yet Keller does make an entirley SS tank aged Chard. Keller Oro de Plata Chardonnay.
I searched for how “oakie” the Santa Cruz was and got “Not an Oak bomb”
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2020 Keller Estate Chardonnay - $50 = 31.25%
We opened this bottle with neighbors and friends, pairing it with pizza and pasta. In the glass, the wine shows a nice color like a golden hue. Nose of butter, vanilla with tropical fruit notes.
On the palate, it’s plush and creamy, with oak and butter giving a smooth mouthfeel. The fruit keeps it lively. Despite 2020 being a fire year, none of us detected smoke or fire character. Keller notes they harvested La Cruz early in September, before the worst of the Glass Fire impacts in Napa/Sonoma.
This wine had tough competition at our table, as it was poured alongside two of our favorites: the Terraces Riesling and Chateau St. Jean Cin Cépages. So while it wasn’t the favorite at the table, the Keller still held its own—particularly with food, where its acidity balanced the pasta’s creaminess and the pizza’s savory toppings.
Value: The table would have struggled if I called out the $48 retail price, but at the Casemates case price of $9.17 per bottle, it’s an obvious win. Sub $10 a bottle from a well known winery with a solid AVA is something you don’t see often. This is a Chardonnay that’s easy to enjoy and well worth stocking up for dinners, gatherings, or nights when you want a solid glass with a meal.
It’s always a good day when you see a golden ticket in your inbox. And it was fortuitous for it to be a white, as I’ve been increasingly drawn to these as of late. It must have been the day I noticed that reds composed almost 90% of my cellar. I’ve been trying to remedy that, and with recent purchases that number has dropped to around 80%. I’m somewhat familiar with this producer, having tried a mixed 6 pack five years ago. That mix included the 2015 of this very wine. So a revisit was long overdue.
SWMBO and I brought the bottle to our favorite BYO AYCE sushi place. But this time we decided to change it up a bit and put it up against another chard. That turned out to be a 2018 Talley, Oliver’s vineyard. I’m not sure why we hadn’t done this sooner. Having a second wine was a nice contrast, helping tease out details we might have otherwise missed.
On pnp, the sniffy-sniff was lemon curd and the slightest hint of oak. Perhaps a teeny bit of alcohol also made itself known but was in no way dominant. The color was a clear, deep gold, noticeably darker than the Talley.
Moving to the tasting, let me tackle the 2020 issue straight away. Neither of us noticed any presence of smoke or taint on either day 1 or 2. What we did get was more citrus with lemon grass being the main note. This is a more restrained wine without that heavy punch of fruit. It was there, but balanced by an earthy minerality that reminded me more of old world than new. The Talley, on the other hand, was more fruit dominant.
We also tasted some oak, but it was in no way over the top. We also felt a crisp acidity, which went very well with our sushi dinner and dessert on day 2. The wine was more full bodied than the Talley which also helped it stand up to the soy sauce and wasabi flavors that co-mingled with the fish.
Day 2 was similar to day 1 in most respects. I did notice a slight hint of bitterness on the finish as it warmed to room temp, but otherwise felt it was very much the same wine we had the day before. I think this wine is best served in the 50º range, which allowed aromas and flavors to express themselves fully.
Did we like the wine, you might ask? We sure did! I thought it was a great food wine and interesting enough for me to ponder as I wrote this report. I would consider this a buy at $17 or less for the case price.
Thanks to WD and the good folks at Keller for allowing us the opportunity to sample this very enjoyable chard. I’ll be checking back to answer any questions so fire away!
Edit: now seeing the case price, I’m tempted to go in, even with so much recent buying. Any NJ mates (or Philly area) want to split?
@hscottk@stevenfarber527 Drink sooner rather than later? I certainly have a smattering of older chards and enjoy them, just trying to read between the lines on your notes. Sounds right up my bride’s alley and quite honestly, they wouldn’t last long anyway
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
@losthighwayz LNU Lightning Complex would have impacted this area before the pick date but it sounds like the winery did their due diligence and feel the wine is clean
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!!
@TimW i hear ya, would love some SS or concrete vessel aged Chard but considering this one fir time being.
While not offered here…yet Keller does make an entirley SS tank aged Chard. Keller Oro de Plata Chardonnay.
I searched for how “oakie” the Santa Cruz was and got “Not an Oak bomb”
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2020 Keller Estate Chardonnay - $50 = 31.25%
We opened this bottle with neighbors and friends, pairing it with pizza and pasta. In the glass, the wine shows a nice color like a golden hue. Nose of butter, vanilla with tropical fruit notes.
On the palate, it’s plush and creamy, with oak and butter giving a smooth mouthfeel. The fruit keeps it lively. Despite 2020 being a fire year, none of us detected smoke or fire character. Keller notes they harvested La Cruz early in September, before the worst of the Glass Fire impacts in Napa/Sonoma.
This wine had tough competition at our table, as it was poured alongside two of our favorites: the Terraces Riesling and Chateau St. Jean Cin Cépages. So while it wasn’t the favorite at the table, the Keller still held its own—particularly with food, where its acidity balanced the pasta’s creaminess and the pizza’s savory toppings.
Value: The table would have struggled if I called out the $48 retail price, but at the Casemates case price of $9.17 per bottle, it’s an obvious win. Sub $10 a bottle from a well known winery with a solid AVA is something you don’t see often. This is a Chardonnay that’s easy to enjoy and well worth stocking up for dinners, gatherings, or nights when you want a solid glass with a meal.
2020 Keller Estate Chardonnay, La Cruz vineyard
It’s always a good day when you see a golden ticket in your inbox. And it was fortuitous for it to be a white, as I’ve been increasingly drawn to these as of late. It must have been the day I noticed that reds composed almost 90% of my cellar. I’ve been trying to remedy that, and with recent purchases that number has dropped to around 80%. I’m somewhat familiar with this producer, having tried a mixed 6 pack five years ago. That mix included the 2015 of this very wine. So a revisit was long overdue.
SWMBO and I brought the bottle to our favorite BYO AYCE sushi place. But this time we decided to change it up a bit and put it up against another chard. That turned out to be a 2018 Talley, Oliver’s vineyard. I’m not sure why we hadn’t done this sooner. Having a second wine was a nice contrast, helping tease out details we might have otherwise missed.
On pnp, the sniffy-sniff was lemon curd and the slightest hint of oak. Perhaps a teeny bit of alcohol also made itself known but was in no way dominant. The color was a clear, deep gold, noticeably darker than the Talley.
Moving to the tasting, let me tackle the 2020 issue straight away. Neither of us noticed any presence of smoke or taint on either day 1 or 2. What we did get was more citrus with lemon grass being the main note. This is a more restrained wine without that heavy punch of fruit. It was there, but balanced by an earthy minerality that reminded me more of old world than new. The Talley, on the other hand, was more fruit dominant.
We also tasted some oak, but it was in no way over the top. We also felt a crisp acidity, which went very well with our sushi dinner and dessert on day 2. The wine was more full bodied than the Talley which also helped it stand up to the soy sauce and wasabi flavors that co-mingled with the fish.
Day 2 was similar to day 1 in most respects. I did notice a slight hint of bitterness on the finish as it warmed to room temp, but otherwise felt it was very much the same wine we had the day before. I think this wine is best served in the 50º range, which allowed aromas and flavors to express themselves fully.
Did we like the wine, you might ask? We sure did! I thought it was a great food wine and interesting enough for me to ponder as I wrote this report. I would consider this a buy at $17 or less for the case price.
Thanks to WD and the good folks at Keller for allowing us the opportunity to sample this very enjoyable chard. I’ll be checking back to answer any questions so fire away!
Edit: now seeing the case price, I’m tempted to go in, even with so much recent buying. Any NJ mates (or Philly area) want to split?
@hscottk @stevenfarber527 Drink sooner rather than later? I certainly have a smattering of older chards and enjoy them, just trying to read between the lines on your notes. Sounds right up my bride’s alley and quite honestly, they wouldn’t last long anyway
@hscottk @kaolis @stevenfarber527 Great spread there! Thank you for the support.
Worth a shot at this price…
/giphy uncaring-exclusive-behavior
I always call La Cruz Chardonnay, my comfort wine. Perfect before dinner, and great with friends. Think of this as getting Thanksgiving organized!