2014 Olive Harvest is under way

We are happy to see the first olives come into the winery and then head to The Olive Press to produce our 2014 Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We are excited to keep our different olive varieties separate so that we can continue to learn about the Nocchiola, Manzanillo and Mission olives that we have eon the property. Bottling should happen soon, so Club Members get ready to come and get your gallons of oil!

Let's get the Thanksgiving Recipes out!

Cranberry Sauce with Pinot and Figs

Looking for some inspiration? Pinot, cranberries and figs: this is the beginning of a wonderful conversation about the aromas and flavors of wine. Hope you enjoy!

Prep:10 min Inactive: 30 min Cook:15 min Yield:12 servings

Ingredients

For the Base Cranberry Sauce:
+ 2 tablespoons canola oil
+ 1 tablespoon grated ginger
+ 1 large shallot, finely diced
+ 3/4 cup brown sugar
+ 1/2 cup honey
+ 1/4 cup orange juice
+ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
+ Pinch kosher salt
+ 1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries + 1⁄4 pound dried figs.
+ 1⁄2 cup of Keller Estate Pinot Noir

Directions

Heat the canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ginger and shallots and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, honey, orange juice, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and salt. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves and mixture is nice and bubbly.
Add half the cranberries, all the figs and the pinot noir and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries pop and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining cranberries and cook another 5 minutes or so. 

Petaluma Gap AVA

Let's answer some questions!

What is an AVA?
An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a defined grape-growing region having distinguishing features, a name and a delineated boundary. The establishment of an AVA allows vintners to describe more accurately the origin of their wines to consumers, and, in turn, helps consumers to geographically identify wines that they may purchase.

Why do we need AVA status for the Petaluma Gap?
The Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has recently begun to disallow the term "Petaluma Gap" anywhere on wine labels, because they consider the Petaluma Gap to be "viticulturally significant". Achieving AVA status will allow vintner to clearly label their wines as Petaluma Gap.
The new conjunctive labeling law requires the use of "Sonoma County" on the labels of all wines produced from grapes grown in Sonoma County. "Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County" is redundant, while "Petaluma Gap, Sonoma County" (or "Petaluma Gap, Marin County") is clear and informative to the consumer. (Vintners who wish to continue to use "Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, or simply "Marin County" will be able to do so.)

What are the benefits to growers, vintners, consumer and the Petaluma community?
For years, the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance has been diligently promoting Petaluma Gap wines to media and consumers, and has helped to establish a strong reputation for wines crafted from Petaluma Gap grapes. With "Petaluma Gap" on a wine label, consumers will be able to find Gap wines more easily thereby driving up demand and increasing the value of Gap grapes and the wines crafted from them. The community will benefit from increased tourism as Petaluma becomes known as a wine country destination rather than a place to pass through on your way to wine country.

And Keller Estate?
We are located at the heart of the Petaluma Gap and we are some of the oldest vineyards planted in the region. We strongly believe that as we understand better Sonoma it is critical to carve out the different regions and showcase the significant traits of the Petaluma Gap.

2014 Harvest update: At Keller Estate we started harvest 2 days before labor day and we were done picking all the estate by September 20th: The earliest and most compact harvest ever. We had lovely flavor development and are very pleased with the quality of the fruit, which despite the early pick ripened and is showing an amazing depth of flavor. Our crew worked very hard both at night time when we picked and during the day time as the fruit was processed diligently and in the winery we continue to ferment, fill barrels and continue with the hard but rewarding work that harvest is. Cheers!

I am so excited to start our blog project again. As much as I love Facebook (Twitter's a bit of  a mystery) I always feel that I can't really keep our friends up to date on what we are doing and have genuine conversations. For me the bare minimum that a friend's conversation needs is at least a cup of tea, ideally a couple glasses of wine and a nice meal. So I hope that you''ll enjoy our comeback to the world of blogging!
Yesterday we had the trade tasting for PinotFest 2014 at Farallon Restaurant. This event always feels like a class reunion: all our wines are safely in barrel, the tremendous fatigue of harvest is starting to be a memory and we get a chance to see our fellow vintners, chat, share some wine and yes… of course … show the trade what we've got! Here's a picture of our friend Willie Wong, showing us that he is indeed taking notes!
Today later in the day we'll be there to continue showing our wines alongside some fantastic Pinot Noirs from Oregon and California. We did sneak in our Pinot Gris and Rose! Hope to see you there.

Ana

The development of our family’s Estate has been a 30 year love affair with our 650 acre ranch. Although Arturo Keller and his wife Deborah first fell in love with the site while driving a vintage car through the meandering Sonoma roads, we selected the property  for its potential as a site for a world-class vineyard. Clearly, the properties beauty, setting, and history, influenced our decision to make it our home.

In 1989, we planted the first Chardonnay vineyard, and La Cruz vineyard was born. Our first vintage was sold to Rombauer, who rapidly became excited with the potential of the site. By 1999, we planted a few acres of Pinot Noir, and immediately 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. We have helped place the Petaluma Gap firmly on the map as the most promising region within the Sonoma Coast appellation. 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 cool and long growing season for our vineyards.

Discover our passion for making gorgeous wines from our family's vineyards. Wine is a journey, and we hope you'll join us as we celebrate 24 years of caring for our property, growing exceptional grapes, and setting the foundation for the most iconic region of the Sonoma Coast: the Petaluma Gap.