Winemaker Notes
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.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.