At Keller Estate, our viticultural approach is to replenish our soils with high quality amendments starting with our own compost. Using the waste stream of grape material from the winery, including grape skins, stems, seeds, and red wine pomace, we create an outdoor fermentation with the grape material and additional carbohydrates from straw. Microorganisms break down the grape and straw material and make rich humus over the winter and into the spring. When the pile is properly ‘cooked,’ we distribute the composted soil back into the vineyard to begin replenishing the nutrients we have taken from the soil. This cycle is part of a sustainable agriculture plan where we recycle our waste stream and use local materials to amend our soils. This is an essential part of our viticultural philosophy.

We poured our La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir, our El Coro Vineyard Pinot Noir and our Precioso Pinot Noir. One of the neat things about this event is that I have the opportunity to hear consumers’ first impressions about our wines. I work primarily with the wholesale market, so it is great to hear what our final consumers actually think! We had some glowing reviews, so it was music to my ears.

Why is Pinot Noir so adored? Pinot is a fickle fruit to grow and a tough grape to use in winemaking. But the rewards are so alluring. Complex, gorgeous fruit and floral perfumes blend in with earthy, mineral aromas. Pinot is also a lovely wine to pair with food; it is versatile, making it a perfect pairing for vegetarian dishes, fish and meats.

Tonight, I’m heading home to pan-sear a fresh piece of Steelhead trout (a pink-fleshed trout with flavors more akin to salmon than rainbow trout) with crushed rosemary and will pour myself a glass of our La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir. Ahhhh….

Rather than trying to make it to an overpriced, overcrowded restaurant for Valentine’s Day, I think the perfect plan is to spend a romantic evening at home. Forget the cheesy candles and rose petals, the way to anyone’s heart is a lovely, home-cooked meal and sharing a fabulous bottle of wine.

Here’s our recipe for Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb. I love the way the parsley, thyme and rosemary crisp up on this rich cut of lamb. Perfect, by the way, with Keller Estate’s 2005 La Cruz Vineyard Syrah.

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb

Ingredients:

• 1 frenched rack of Lamb (available by request from your butcher)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup mixed herbs such thyme and rosemary
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves
• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons)
• Unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425*F. We highly recommend getting an oven thermometer, as many ovens do not have adequate thermometers.

2. Rub the lamb with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer lamb, meat side up, to a roasting pan and roast 15 minutes. Remove lamb from oven and let stand 10 minutes.

3. In a small bowl stir together herbs and butter. Spread meat side of lamb with mustard and top mustard with herb butter in an even layer.

4. Change oven setting to broil. Broil lamb about 3 inches from the heat until herb crust is crisp and slightly charred, 5 to 7 minutes (an instant-read thermometer will register 130*F for medium- rare). Transfer lamb to cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Cut lamb into chops.

Serves 2 generously.

Where will you find Keller Estate on your next trip to Vegas?

Fiamma - This luxurious Italian food spot will be featuring Keller Estate’s second label, Casa de la Cruz, on their tasting menu.

Emeril’s Fish House at the MGM Casino -  Pair classic New Orleans cuisine at this seafood-themed spot and you can sip Keller Estate’s Oro de Plata Chardonnay by the glass.

Nora’s Wine Bar & Restaurant - This amazing off-the-strip wine offers some incredible pizzas (white anchovies or roasted boar, anyone?), incredible pastas (if you don’t try their pappardelle, you are truly missing out on one of the world’s greatest creamy pleasures) and they will be serving Keller Estate’s La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Gris by the glass.

 Craft Steak at MGM Casino - Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio’s restaurant will be serving La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir at this hotspot featuring food from small, local farms. Try the fabulous lobster bisque or grilled short ribs.

We paired 2006 Keller Estate Precioso Pinot Noir and paired it with these lovely rice paper rolls stuffed with bibb lettuce, shrimp and an orange vinaigrette.

Uncommon Ground is a truly special spot. Helen and Mike make an effort to source everything from either local farmers or at least sustainable providers from around the United States. Even their spirits and wines are sourced either locally or nationally. I was in a bit of a rush when I arrived, so Mike quickly whipped me up a cocktail with local apple cider, ginger-infused vodka, organic grated ginger, homemade bitters and homemade vermouth. Perfection. This gives you a sense of the level of detail that Mike & Helen give to everything they do.

After the tasting, which was really nice and I was so happy to meet so many Pinot Noir lovers, Helen and Michael treated us to dinner at their restaurant. We feasted on Korean-spiced calamari, creamy mac-and-cheese with luxurious butterkase, an amazingly supple duck (a perfect Pinot Noir pairing!).

Absolutely perfect.

I’m off today and then the big event happens this Saturday, November 14th. Hopefully you can make it!

Keller Estate Precioso Chardonnay Selection

We are thrilled about the wines from the season. A few days, Ana Keller, Brittany Nichols (our enologist), Jacqueline and I tasted all of the pinot noir wines made this harvest and they are fantastic. Deep and brooding, with gorgeous floral notes and lovely tannins, this is going to be an excellent vintage.

I wanted to share some great photos from the vintage, from our great harvest dinner with Chef Amaury of Chicago to a recent walk I took with the dogs around the vineyard to show you the changing colors of the leaves.

Here are some photos from our recent harvest dinner:

Jaqueline and Chef Amaury discuss the beauty of locally sourced food.

Chef Amaury busy in the kitchen, whipping up the amaranth risotto - delicious!

Chef Amaury reveals the night’s menu.

Here are some photos from the pinot noir vintage:

Ana Keller samples some of the fruit coming in.

The pinot noir punchdowns, where we break the cap of skins & seeds and push it to the bottom to expose the juice to color & flavor.

Our intern Dan tastes the fermenting pinot noir juice.

Our second Kiwi intern Biddy takes a bite out of the harvest!

The colors of the leaves begin to change colors throughout the vineyard. This is truly one of the most beautiful times in wine country.

The Pinot Noir is being drained today, which is to say that we are taking the free-run fermented juice and putting it into the barrels.  We also pressed the seeds and skins today to make what is known as pressed wine. I had the chance to sample some of this stuff with Brittany, our enologist/cellar assistant today — there were a few very pretty lots.

The syrah is still hanging on the vine, but fortunately warm, dry weather is forecasted ahead, so the syrah will have plenty of time to lose the excess water. Because the syrah clusters are so loose, we’re not worried about mold, something that can be a problem when the grape clusters are more tightly packed.

The pinot gris is all finished; it will just stay in the stainless steel tanks for a few more month developing in complexity. This year, we are making a wine that is a little plumper and rounder. I am excited to see how it will develop.