2018 Keller Estate Chardonnay La Cruz Vineyard Petaluma Gap Sonoma County 750 ml

Keller Estate’s La Cruz Chardonnay is a perpetual Wine Access favorite. Full, lush, and powerful, it’s a star with classic California style. Each year, Kosta Browne– and Merry Edwards–trained winemaker Julien Teichmann crafts this tribute to Keller’s stunning vineyards in the heart of the prestigious Petaluma Gap.

Keller Estate is the premier winery in the Petaluma Gap AVA. Carved out of a windy section of the Sonoma Coast and home to legendary vineyards like Gap’s Crown and Griffins Lair, Petaluma Gap supplies grapes to star winemakers like David Ramey, Pax Mahle, and Helen Keplinger. 

Unlike other parts of the Sonoma Coast, which are often locked in with fog all day, Petaluma Gap is cleared out with a strong sea breeze, ensuring plenty of sunshine and causing the grapes to develop thick skins—all while staying cool. Once autumn rolls around, Keller is able to let the grapes hang until they’re lusciously ripe, knowing that the bluster off the Pacific will not only keep the grapes free of disease, but keep the finished wines vibrant. Those thick skins and that long hang-time allow Teichmann to produce the full-throttle Chardonnay that’s earned Keller its sterling reputation. 

La Cruz Vineyard is planted on an ancient seabed, and its mineral-rich soils help the Chardonnay develop the stone fruit and signature spice notes we always love in this bottling, while varied Chardonnay clones ensure that there’s significant complexity in the bottle. Teeichmann ferments and then ages the juice in 25% new barrels to round out the mouthfeel and provide exemplary texture.

The 2018 comes from one of the best vintages of the decade, and is one of the finest examples of Chardonnay we’ve tasted this year.