The Keller family’s origins lie in the small town of Aarau in Switzerland. The Keller last name originates from the German word for “cellar.” For centuries throughout the Old World, cellars were a special place in a family’s home, a place where food, wine, and valuable commodities were kept and passed on from family to family. The Keller family’s Coat of Arms, which is printed on our labels, represents the cellar guard, who guards his prized treasures with a well-kept key. The colors of Switzerland fly proudly next to the key. It seemed fitting to name our winery “Keller Estate,” harking back to our family’s profession as the keeper of the treasures for your cellar.

Our family has since then moved throughout the world and we pride ourselves on our multicultural background. In the early 1900s, Wilheim Keller emigrated from Switzerland to Mexico to build the first hydroelectric plant. Soon after, he fell in love with a beautiful woman and established his home in Mexico City. His grandson, Arturo Keller, the founder of Keller Estate, worked for many years as a supplier to the automotive industry. His greatest passions are vintage automobiles and searching for elegance, class and perfection in everything he does. In the late 1970s, his passion took him to the San Francisco Bay area, a hub for car collectors. As he drove his treasured vehicles through the winding roads and windy hills of Sonoma, he came across a large ranch for sale in Petaluma. He was instantly taken aback with the views and the land. He made this his home in a piece of property across from the Russian River in 1983 alongside his wife Deborah. Recognizing that the land was wonderful for growing cooler weather varietals, Arturo and Deborah planted our first Chardonnay vineyard in 1989. The grapes were sold for many vintages to Rombauer, who found that the minerality and depth of flavors of our Chardonnay contributed to their wines in a beautiful way.

In 1998, Ana Keller, Arturo’s daughter, joined him in the exciting and daunting venture of building a winery and creating Keller Estate. Ana first fell in love with craft of winemaking early in life when she spent several holidays in the Loire Valley, harvesting grapes from the vineyards. Ana holds a degree in Biopharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Mexico and a Masters in Pharmaceutical development from King’s College London. London was critical to Ana’s passion for wine because it was there that she first took her formal tasting lessons.

In 2000, Keller Estate was established and we released our first vintage in 2001. Alongside Ted Lemon, the Keller Family worked at making the vineyards exceptional and designed a winery emphasizing elements of ease of flow and gravity flow to preserve the delicate flavors in the wine. The winery, designed by Ricardo Legorreta, an exceptional Mexican Architect, was completed in 2003 and is among the most beautiful wineries in Sonoma.