Winemaker Notes
This is really a crowd-pleasing wine. Ideal serving temp: 63°F (preferably in a large white Burgundy glass!).
Kerr Cellars was founded in 2013 by professional golf star Cristie Kerr to share her passion for fine wines that exhibit power, complexity, and finesse. Guided by the principle of their Latin motto "Agro Ad Amphorum" meaning from soil to bottle, all wines are meticulously crafted by acclaimed Winemaker Helen Keplinger. Kerr Cellars wines continue to earn critical acclaim, high scores, and placements throughout the fine wine world and are popular among collectors. They are best known for their Reserve Red, a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot which has received scores in the mid to high 90’s upon every release. Most notably, the inaugural release in 2013 received 98 points from Robert Parker.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.