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: 2016 Keller "El Coro Vineyard" Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir

2016 Keller "El Coro Vineyard" Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir

SKU #1489436 91 points Wine Spectator

Outer quote mark A vibrant red, with fresh acidity supporting the crisp red fruit and spice flavors, showing some forest floor notes in the mix. The juicy finish reveals a creamy texture. (KM) Inner quote mark (9/2019)

90 points Wine Enthusiast

Outer quote mark From a 20-acre block of the producer's property, and at its highest elevation, this wine offers ash, stemmy bark and forest notes up front. Cherry, orange and blackberry round out a midpalate of smooth, approachable richness with lingering oak. (VB) Inner quote mark (8/2019)

K&L Notes

Wondering where's the Petaluma Gap? Or just, what's a gap? Most American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in California seem to be named after a valley, (you've heard of Napa, Sonoma, Santa Maria, no doubt) or even a coast — like the Sonoma Coast. The Gap in question, established as an AVA in 2018, is named after a topographical feature — a gap in the moderately high hills of the Sonoma Coast before the elevations rise again to the south, culminating in Mt. Tamalpais, which provides a bird's eye view above San Francisco Bay. The hills are just high enough to block a shallow marine layer in the summer, but into the valley through the Gap rushes cool wind and fog — ideal ingredients for raising cool-climate Pinot Noir and other varietals, in California conditions. The region bumps up against the cooler, southern reach of the Russian River Valley, and the western edge of Los Carneros, which can be milder than the Petaluma Gap. Keller Estate has been making intense Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah in the hills above the Petaluma River since the 1990s. With its high elevation, the El Coro Vineyard is particularly affected by the cool breezes and produces distinctive Pinot Noir with elegant aromatics, dark fruit and bright acidity. The wine shows an array of red fruits with fine-grained tannin that has mellowed and integrated nicely. It is slightly weightier on the palate than you might expect, and strikes a perfect balance of rich, luscious fruits and vibrant acidity.

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2016 Keller "El Coro Vineyard" Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir

Price: $49.95

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$24.99

WS: 91

WE: 90

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Varietal:

Pinot Noir

- One of France's most legendary grapes and the grape that earned Burgundy its reputation. The parent of varietals like Pinot Gris/Grigio and Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir is blue to violet to indigo in color with relatively thin skins, and it is said to have been cultivated in France for more than 2,000 years. At its best, Pinot Noir creates elegant wines that are filled with primary red fruit aromas and flavors while young, revealing with an array of secondary characteristics like earth, smoke, violet, truffle and game with age. The varietal is also known, perhaps better than any, for its ability to translate terroir, or a sense of place. While the best Pinot Noir still comes from Burgundy, it is being produced with increasing success in cooler climates around the world. In France, it is part of the trifecta of grapes that can go into Champagne, and it is also grown in Alsace, Irancy, Jura, Savoie, Lorraine and Sancerre. Outside of France it is produced under the names Pinot Nero and Blauburgunder in Italy's mountainous regions, as Spätburgunder in Germany and as Blauburgunder in Austria. In the US, Pinot Noir has found suitable growing conditions in the cooler parts of California, including Carneros, the Russian River Valley, the Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast, Monterey County, the Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Barbara County, as well as in Oregon's Willamette Valley. In recent years, New Zealand has demonstrated its ability to interpret this hard-to-grow varietal, with successful bottlings coming from careful and attentive growers in Central Otago, Martinborough and Canterbury. Chile is also an up-and-coming region for Pinot Noir, creating fresh, fruit-forward, early-drinking and affordable Pinots from the coastal Casablanca Valley and the Limari Valley.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Sonoma County

- Second in fame only to Napa, this "other" valley offers just about every climate and topography imaginable. From its cool and fog-enshrouded coastal regions on the far west, to the sprawling Alexander Valley on the boarder of Napa and the many little dips and peaks in between, Sonoma has been a vital wine-grape-growing region since the mid 1800s. Important sub-AVAs include Chalk Hill (known for chardonnay and sauvignon blanc), Dry Creek Valley (where zin is king) Knights Valley (largely cabernet land), Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast (both celebrated pinot and chardonnay zones).

Alcohol Content (%):

14.1