2017 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills

Vintage: 2017
Region: Santa Rita Hills AVA
Country: USA
Tasting Notes
Aged 15 months in 42% new French oak, the 2017 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills has a medium ruby-purple color and gives up cinnamon toast, raspberry coulis, macerated strawberries and rosewater perfume with accents of musk, lilac, blood orange and scorched earth—what a gorgeous perfume! Medium-bodied, it slowly builds in amplitude in the mouth, releasing gobs of perfumed red berry fruits. It has a sturdy but finely grained frame and seamless freshness, finishing very long, layered and fantastically perfumed. Wow!
About Winery
Founded in 1997, Kosta Browne is one of North America’s most revered wineries, recognized for making some of the world’s finest Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. Located in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, and guided by an acclaimed team that includes renowned Winemaker Julien Howsepian, Kosta Browne makes appellation and single-vineyard wines from the most coveted cool-climate vineyards across the Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley, Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Lucia Highlands appellations. In addition to partnering with the finest growers in California, Kosta Browne has an estate program that features 170 acres of vineyards through ownership or long-term leases that includes the Cerise Vineyard in Anderson Valley, Keefer Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, and a prized section of the Gap’s Crown Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast. Kosta Browne has earned a place on Wine Spectator’s annual list of the world’s “Top 100 Wines” seven times since 2005, including “Wine of the Year” in 2011.
Celebrating the cool-climate character and complexity of California’s most revered winegrowing regions, our Appellation Series wines are a study in terroir with soulful elegance and energetic intensity. The Sonoma Coast appellation overlaps with that of the
Russian River Valley in many places and is similarly shaped by the ocean.
Local geology can be complex here, a direct result of being located at the intersection of two tectonic plates.
The vineyards we source from lie in both the southern portion of the appellation and in the northern true coastal zone. Together, they form a singular wine that is distinctively Sonoma Coast with deep flavors, rich texture, and savory spice characteristics. To showcase the terrific vintage and the purity of each site, we used a balanced selection of fermentation vessels. The resulting Pinot Noir has enticing energy with pristine dark fruit, dimension, and a long, driving finish
Founded in 1997, Kosta Browne is one of North America’s most revered wineries, recognized for making some of the world’s finest Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. Located in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, and guided by an acclaimed team that includes renowned Winemaker Julien Howsepian, Kosta Browne makes appellation and single-vineyard wines from the most coveted cool-climate vineyards across the Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley, Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Lucia Highlands appellations. In addition to partnering with the finest growers in California, Kosta Browne has an estate program that features 170 acres of vineyards through ownership or long-term leases that includes the Cerise Vineyard in Anderson Valley, Keefer Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, and a prized section of the Gap’s Crown Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast. Kosta Browne has earned a place on Wine Spectator’s annual list of the world’s “Top 100 Wines” seven times since 2005, including “Wine of the Year” in 2011.
Celebrating the cool-climate character and complexity of California’s most revered winegrowing regions, our Appellation Series wines are a study in terroir with soulful elegance and energetic intensity. The Sonoma Coast appellation overlaps with that of the
Russian River Valley in many places and is similarly shaped by the ocean.
Local geology can be complex here, a direct result of being located at the intersection of two tectonic plates.
The vineyards we source from lie in both the southern portion of the appellation and in the northern true coastal zone. Together, they form a singular wine that is distinctively Sonoma Coast with deep flavors, rich texture, and savory spice characteristics. To showcase the terrific vintage and the purity of each site, we used a balanced selection of fermentation vessels. The resulting Pinot Noir has enticing energy with pristine dark fruit, dimension, and a long, driving finish
Robert Parker 95
"Aged 15 months in 42% new French oak, the 2017 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills has a medium ruby-purple color and gives up cinnamon toast, raspberry coulis, macerated strawberries and rosewater perfume with accents of musk, lilac, blood orange and scorched earth—what a gorgeous perfume! Medium-bodied, it slowly builds in amplitude in the mouth, releasing gobs of perfumed red berry fruits. It has a sturdy but finely grained frame and seamless freshness, finishing very long, layered and fantastically perfumed. Wow!"
Jeb Dunnuck 93
"Brought up mostly in stainless steel (19% in open-top oak tanks), the appellation 2017 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills from this terrific estate is a beautiful effort. Ripe cherries, raspberries, spice box, and forest floor notes all emerge from this elegant, balanced, incredibly classic Pinot Noir that has the charm and fruit to shine today, yet the class to evolve for over a decade."

