The Kosta Browne story began in 1997 when two friends pooled their tip money with a singular ambition: to create wines that rival the finest in the world. Today, they are a true icon among California’s wine producers.

Located in the heart of Anderson Valley, the Cerise Vineyard has emerged as one of that AVA’s most acclaimed sites, with hillsides rising from 700 to 1,600 feet, and exposures that push the vines to their limits.

The vineyard’s Pinot Noir blocks sit on the eastern side of the valley, facing west and southwest, just 16 miles from the Pacific coast. And, there is not a single block that rests on flat ground.

Originally planted in 1996 and acquired by Kosta Browne in 2016, the vineyard had long supplied fruit for some of Anderson Valley’s most celebrated producers, but it is under Kosta Browne’s stewardship that it has become the winery’s Anderson Valley estate centerpiece.

The 2021 vintage is a compelling expression of this singular site. On the nose, a lovely medley of cherry, raspberry, hints of cedar, anise, bark, and mushroom introduce a palate rich with strawberry, blackberry, cinnamon, vibrant acidity, well-integrated tannins, and a “heaven-on-earthy” finish.

This is Pinot Noir of real ambition and precision, intense yet refined, and unmistakably Cerise.

By Peter Pretzer