Kosta Browne Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2020
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
An explosion of red fruit with an understated yet elegant savory quality. Nostalgic notes of cinnamon stick and clove mesmerize. Deeply rich with an earthy core and copious amounts of fruit. Refreshingly light on the palate with well-integrated tannins and unique flair.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Snappy red-cherry aromas meet with tarragon and other fresh garden herbs on the nose of this appellation bottling. The palate is vibrant and fresh with red fruit as well as prominent spices like mace and cinnamon, but that minty tarragon tone is what ups the uniquely delicious quotient.
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Tasting Panel
This elegant and restrained Pinot Noir shows earthy and savory notes of baking spices, mocha, and cinnamon within a juicy, lithe, revelatory texture. A line of salinity wraps around blue- berry, sage, and mulberry on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Very alluring, with damson plum, griotte and mulberry fruit seamlessly layered with black tea, sous-bois and sandalwood. The long, refined finish lets all the perfume linger prettily. Drink now
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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.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.