Keller Estate Winery Comes Full Circle
Not far from downtown Petaluma on the eastern hills above the river, Keller Estate Winery ripples through the Petaluma Gap, where cool winds and fog sweep over neat rows of grapevines and olive trees, owl and bat boxes, beehives and flocks of sheep.
For about 35 years, the winery’s day-to-day rhythm ebbed and flowed precisely as decreed by its founder, Arturo Keller. Even after his daughter, Ana Keller, arrived in 1998 from Mexico to serve as its director of operations, she always followed Arturo’s lead.
“My dad was a big character,” Ana said. “Things went his way, so I did it his way.”
When Arturo passed away last year, Ana took a different course that seems almost radical. She is passing along day-today operations to women leaders: general manager Angie Hallinan and consulting winemaker Theresa Heredia, a Mexican American.
The transition signifies an evolution of sorts for the winery— from a California operation founded by transplants from Mexico to a venue for Mexican culture and heritage.
It’s a shift from the 650 acres of potential that Arturo and Deborah Keller bought when Ana was 18. Taken by the dramatic views and mild Mediterranean climate, they planted Chardonnay vines as a hobby. Meanwhile, Ana stayed in Mexico and earned degrees in bio-pharmaceutical chemistry, got married and had three sons.
“We are proud of our heritage, so we embrace and celebrate it here.”
Eventually, she was persuaded to move to California to help her parents fulfill their vision of creating their own vintages from the grapes they’d been selling to other vineyards. It was then that Ana began leading the family business in cultivating, growing, creating and selling wine.
As estate director, her science background was essential in growing the winery business. Ana was an expert in stewarding the vineyards and incorporating organic and biodynamic farming methods into their cultivation. The actual running of the business was her biggest challenge, mastered gracefully.
She found her stride while working with fellow vintners in establishing a new California appellation, Petaluma Gap, in 2017. This effort raised awareness for Keller Estate and spotlighted the unique soil and growing conditions of the region.
“Working on the team that achieved AVA status for Petaluma Gap was a fantastic experience in community building, and gave me a deep understanding of how this legal status supports farmers’ livelihood, and that of a region. It was also a volunteer experience, and living that has made me understand the importance of volunteering for a better future.”
Based in California, Ana has divided her time between California and Mexico, staying in tune with the Mexican traditions, customs and values that shaped her character. It took her six years to get her green card, “caught between Covid and Trump,” and she proudly maintains Mexican citizenship. “We have a foot on both sides of the border.”
“We are proud of our heritage,” she says, “so we embrace and celebrate it here.” That means Mexican cooking classes and wine pairings, art exhibits, a weekly lotería (Mexican bingo) where Spanish is spoken and the annual Día de los Muertos ofrenda, the altar prepared to welcome the spirits of departed loved ones. All are welcome!
Keller Estate Winery
5875 Petaluma Highway
Petaluma
KellerEstate.com
