Keplinger Wines

Keplinger Wines was founded by husband and wife Helen Keplinger and DJ Warner. Helen was born and raised in Ohio and grew up with parents who enjoyed wine, travel and the outdoors. Helen recalls collecting wine bottles (empty ones) when she was a child. But her interest in wine did not come until later. After graduating from Smith College in Massachusetts she was on track to go to medical school. While working for nearly two years with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Medical School) she found the work intriguing, but it wasn’t a passion and she considered the work more of a ‘job’. Discovering wines through one of the Big Y Wine stores in western Massachusetts Helen began to explore a variety of wines from different regions around the world.

Needing a break from work she took a year off and moved to Thailand – teaching English to children in a small town well north of Bangkok. Upon returning to the states, she began applying to a number of medical schools, and also applied for positions at several wine labs (although she never heard back from any of those). Her interest in wine was further piqued after reading M’Lady Vine, the memoirs of Baron Philippe Rothschild. Discovering the graduate program in Enology at the University of California Davis – Helen decided to abandon her medical school plans and applied and was accepted at UC Davis.

Helen’s first job in Napa Valley was working in the lab at Mumm Cellars. She has since built a remarkable wine making career focusing her efforts on Napa Valley. She was winemaker at Bryant Family Vineyards and is currently the winemaker at Grace Family Vineyards; throughout her career she has worked with some of the brightest winemaking minds in the valley including Heidi Barrett and David Abreu. She has been featured in numerous publications over the years and has been named ‘Winemaker of the Year’ several times by Food and Wine Magazine. And today she consults for several premium clients.

DJ worked in technology on the east coast of the U.S., eventually working at AOL. But as he puts it, “I dropped everything and moved west to Los Angeles”. He changed careers entirely and co-founded an organic foods company and then managed a wine shop focusing on Spanish wines next door to the popular at the time Cobras & Matadors Restaurant on Beverly Blvd in Beverly Hills. One day Helen walked in, in anticipation of going to Spain to work with a client who was developing a vineyard in Priorat. She asked the guy working at the shop (DJ) for a recommendation from the Priorat region. DJ admits the wine shop didn’t have the best selection of wines from Priorat, so he gave her a bottle from the Ribera del Duero region instead.

They kept in contact and after Helen’s work in Spain she returned to Napa Valley. She and DJ began Keplinger Wines in 2006 with merely 250 cases of Grenache and Syrah. Helen enjoys working with exceptional vineyard sites and has sought out a diversity of carefully managed vineyards including in both Amador and El Dorado County located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. She was introduced to Ann Kraemer (a well-respected viticulturist) by vintner Andy Erickson (Favia Wines) and sources several varieties from Ann’s acclaimed Shake Ridge Ranch.

A remarkable vineyard, Shake Ridge Ranch is located in the foothills of Amador County a short drive from the tiny Gold Rush era town of Sutter Creek. Viticulturist Ann Kraemer was raised in Southern California on her father’s citrus farm in Yorba Linda; she first came to Napa Valley taking a job at Domain Carneros. She recalls in those days finding another job through their walkie-talkie type radios which shared a channel with a vineyard management company who she overheard discussing needing someone for vineyard work. Later she worked at Swanson Vineyards and eventually become a sought-after vineyard consultant.

In 2001 she located 186 acres in Amador County and with her father, purchased the property, with grapevines not yet planted. Located in ‘Gold Country” her property still has remnants of old mining activity including a shaft tunneled into the side of a hill through quartz rock. Previously the site was planted to various fruit trees; much of the ranch was already cleared with numerous hillside exposures. Ann carefully planted vineyard blocks based on soil types, exposure and temperature differences throughout the property and today grows 12 different varieties. Unlike other parts of Amador County such as Plymouth, here, there are no immediate vineyard neighbors.

Unique to her vineyard are the numbers of producers who source grapes; through her connections in Napa Valley word spread about the quality of fruit coming from Shake Ridge and today she sells to 30+ producers of which nearly half are from Napa Valley. Select producers from Napa who work closely with Ann include Keplinger and Turley among others. Every few years Ann holds the “Shades of Shake Ridge”, a single day event on the property to showcase the wines from nearly all the producers that source grapes from the property. This is a showcase of site but just as important, according to Ann, it is a showcase of each winemaker’s style.

Ann also produces wines from the ranch under her own label, Yorba, a name that pays tribute to her heritage, honoring Jose Antonio Yorba, who came to California in 1769 as a member of the Portola Expedition.

Keplinger Wines produces a Syrah from the Hudson Ranch in Napa’s Carneros District and Cabernet Sauvignon from two exceptional Napa Valley sites including Oakville Ranch and more recently Vine Hill Ranch. In addition, Helena sources fruit from the Goldbud Vineyard in El Dorado County. And Helen and DJ purchased a 75-acre piece of property in the Willow Creek sub appellation in Paso Robles in 2020. They planted 20 acres in their Star Wagon vineyard to mostly Rhône varieties.

Select Wines
Whites
In 2022 Keplinger made their first wine from the Zio Tony Vineyard in Sonoma County. Their block is from 30+ year old Wente clone Chardonnay vines. The vineyard has been owned by the Martinelli family since 1959 and is named in homage to Zio Tony, uncle of Lee Martinelli Sr. The 2023 Keplinger Chardonnay Zio Tony Vineyard, Sonoma Coast is medium gold in color; the bouquet smells bright and elegant with aromatics of pineapple guava, lychee, golden kiwi, golden delicious apples, lemon curd and comice pear. As the wine evolves, it opens to some floral notes, including jasmine and citrus blossom. The palate is as bright as the bouquet would indicate. We love that. It tastes like red delicious apples, kiwi, mandarin orange and lime. Its slightly tangy and extended finish keeps the palate refreshing, mouthwatering and loaded with lots of movement. Superbly balanced, this wine is ready to enjoy in its youth but it is also built to age. Pair with seafood, preferably with something that has two shells.

The 2016 Keplinger Eldorado is 70% Viognier from the Shake Ridge Ranch, 15% Grenache Blanc and 15% Roussanne, both from the Goldbud Vineyard. Each variety is treated separately in the winery, but all were fermented using non inoculated yeast. The Viognier was fermented and aged in a concrete egg while both the Roussanne and Grenache Blanc were fermented and aged in oak; the Roussanne in a once-used 300L French oak barrel and the Grenache Blanc in a neutral oak barrel. Pale straw in the glass, the wine reveals aromas of citrus including lime and a lime zest. As the wine opens further, it reveals additional tropical aromas including citrus blossom and hints of guava. This wine is balanced across the palate; a fine supple quality defines the mouth feel including a silky, creamy and oily feel. This wine has weight but is deftly balanced with acidity and rich fruit. Three characteristics about this wine are highly appealing; it’s texture, the liveliness of the wine on the palate and the intensity of fruit. But mostly the gorgeous mouth feel.

Reds
Vine Hill Ranch is one of what we have termed, Napa Valley’s ‘first greats’, a coveted collection of vineyards that stand out because of certain attributes including an established quality of production, history and location. Keplinger began working with Vine Hill Ranch in 2018; it is always a treat to try wines from this special vineyard.

The 2022 Keplinger Cabernet Sauvignon, Vine Hill Ranch, Oakville is deep ruby and opaque; we love it’s balanced aromatic character. Balance is often a word we use to describe the interplay between fruit, acidity and texture on the palate, but we do not often use it to describe bouquets on wines. It’s scents include bramble, dried herbs, including, sage, raspberry, Santa Rosa plum, and a ferrous minerally character. And the palate is as balanced as the bouquet, with flavors of plum, red cherry, boysenberry and blackberry. The wine finishes brightly lit, fresh and savory with a lasting layer of roasted herbs. The tannins are grainy and gravelly, fully coating the palate. They do not dominate. But they do outlast the fruit with a persistent dusty character. Pair this youthful and highly age worthy beauty with a well marbled cut of Wagyu steak and a barbecue. The grapes for this wine were sourced from two blocks including one planted to the Eisele clone of Cabernet Sauvignon with cuttings taking directly from the Eisele Vineyard in Calistoga.

The 2016 Keplinger Caldera is from the Goldbud Vineyard located at about 2,900 feet in El Dorado. Three varieties were sourced for this wine, 64% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, and 6% Counoise. The wines are all head-pruned and dry farmed. All varieties are co-fermented with each other. DJ recalls after about 3 months of aging, a gun flint like quality showed in the wine (from the Mourvèdre) but after another 7 months this character dissipated as the wine aged. This wine is about the fruit as only neutral barrels were used during its aging. Offers highly appealing aromatics framed by lots of fruit, but with other nuances including a meaty or savory quality, notes of truffles, an earthiness, dark spices and dried herbs. Nicely balanced, there are no harsh edges across the palate. Very much a food friendly wine with its lively acidity; the finish lingers softly and for some time.

The 2016 Keplinger Sumo is a rock star in a lineup of already exceptional wines. A wine that perhaps will appeal to big bold lovers of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, but this wine is not built on the back of that variety. Rather it is 84% Petite Sirah, 13% Syrah, and 3% Viognier. Helen co-ferments the Petite Sirah with the Viognier and later blends in the Syrah. The resulting wine is dark red with purplish tinges – one immediately notices the intensity of color. Powerful aromatics to; the wine is meaty and savory. I think we have noted this description several times now 🙂 with aromas of dark fruits, hints of old cedar, tobacco leaf and as the wine breathes a sweetness of fruit shows along with a floral nuance. As well layered as this wine is on the bouquet, it is equally as layered on the palate. Robust in structure, finishes with granular long-lasting tannins anchored by plenty of fruit. But this wine is not just about the opulence and richness of the fruit – it also features lively mouthwatering acidity.

Helen and DJ also produce Vermillion Wine, a single red wine each year with grapes sourced from small vineyards in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and the Sierra Foothills. The varietal blend and or vineyard sources change depending on the vintage.

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Keplinger’s private/appointment only tasting salon opened in August 2018; it is tucked away on an quiet alley off of Franklin Street in downtown Napa and is setup for small personalized group tastings. This space was previously used for a very short while by Mark Herold Wines for their ‘reserve’ experience. Sandwiched between Cadet Wine Bar and MOMMENPOP Spritz Bar, and across from Outer Space Wines, this is an ideal location for visitors staying in or visiting downtown. This part of downtown offers numerous other nearby tasting rooms and plenty of excellent restaurants. Both the Andaz and Archer hotels are within easy walking distance.

The look inside the tasting room is clean, modern and friendly. Helen’s mother located numerous midcentury modern items in a warehouse in Ohio and shipped the old furniture to California where DJ and Helen then had the items reupholstered.

Total production is around 1,000 cases per year and growing; each wine is typically produced in quantities of several hundred cases or less. The wines are sold direct and through a number of online retailers. For more information or to join their mailing list, visit: www.keplingerwines.com