Co-founders Dan Kosta and Michael Browne met while working at John Ash & Company in Santa Rosa, California. Dan had been the general manager and Michael the sommelier. By 1997, they saved $1,000 of their tip money to purchase one used barrel, a half ton of Russian River Pinot Noir grapes and a hand-cranked crusher-de-stemmer. They poured the wine for restaurant customers. Afterwards, they brought onboard Chris Costello and other investment partners. Upon release of their 2003 Pinot Noir, it received two 95 points scores and their 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year. Their destiny had been etched in stone.

Duckhorn Winery purchased Kosta Browne in 2018, updating the Sebastapol winery and transitioning from relying solely on purchased fruit to owning vineyards. Duckhorn broadened Kosta Browne’s appeal sourcing Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands, Santa Rita Hills and Willamette Valley, Oregon. In 2020, they initiated “Burgundy Series” Pinot Noirs sourced from select appellations in Burgundy, France.

This is one of Kosta Browne’s uniformly appealing Pinot Noirs built on a long standing reputation of consistency and quality. The glistening ruby red hue invites you inside with a soft spoken voice and a bouquet of peonies and crushed rose petals. There are multiple layers of silk laden fruits with white cherries, pomegranate, red currants and blood orange encased in warm fruitcake spices. There is a noticeable lift with freshness and savory elements to the wine contributed by Russian River's fog-laden valleys. The wine is texturally seamless and balanced leading you along a memorable journey of gratification. The potential of this wine is obvious upon opening, but a little aeration goes a long way with this youthful bottling.

By W. Peter Hoyne