| Region of production: | Russian River Valley AVA, Sonoma Coast AVA |
| Winery Location: | Sebastopol |
| Year Established: | 1997 |
Vineyard Holdings
- Keefer Ranch (8 ha): Planted in 1996 on Goldridge soil. Purchased in 2005.
- Gap’s Crown (58 ha): In the Petaluma Gap section of the Sonoma Coast, planted between 1999 and 2005.
- Cerise Vineyard (24 ha): Chardonnay and Pinot Noir planted in the 1980s, 1996, and 2009 at 700 to 1,700 feet. Purchased in 2016.
- Keefer Ranch (8 ha): Planted in 1996.
Sourced Vineyards
- Kanzler Vineyard (8 ha): Planted in 1996 on Goldridge soil.
- Giusti Vineyard (3.5 ha): Planted in 2000 and 2007 on Josephine soil.
- Koplen Vineyard (2 ha): Planted in 1998 on Huichica loam.
- Cohn Vineyard (7.2 ha): Planted in 1970 on Josephine soil.
- Garys’ Vineyard: Managed by grapegrowing partners Gary Franscioni and Gary Pisoni. Planted in 1997.
- Pisoni Vineyard: Planted in 1982 and managed by the Pisoni family.
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Cohn Vineyard (Russian River Valley AVA): Inaugural vintage 2000.
- Giusti Vineyard (Russian River Valley AVA): Inaugural vintage 2004.
- Keefer Ranch (Russian River Valley AVA): Inaugural vintage 2005.
- Koplen Vineyard (Russian River Valley AVA): Inaugural vintage 2001.
- Gap’s Crown Vineyard (Sonoma Coast AVA): Inaugural vintage 2006.
- Kanzler Vineyard (Sonoma Coast AVA): Inaugural vintage 2002.
Average Total Production
- 360,000 bottles
Summary
Dan Kosta and Michael Browne worked together at Santa Rosa’s John Ash & Co. Restaurant as GM and sommelier, respectively. With dreams of starting a winery, they saved a portion of tips from each shift until they had enough for a hand-crank destemmer and a half ton of Pinot Noir from Everett Ridge in Russian River Valley. Without any winemaking experience, the duo managed to sell out their first few vintages, eventually bringing on a third partner, Chris Costello. When all six Pinot Noir bottlings from the 2003 vintage received multiple scores at or above 90 points, popularity skyrocketed. The winery then received multiple top-10 placements in Wine Spectator’s Annual Top 100 Wines, culminating with Wine of the Year in 2011 for their 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir – the only Pinot Noir that has received this honor. The majority stake of Kosta Browne was sold to Vincraft Group in 2009, private equity firm J.W. Childs Associates in 2015, and Duckhorn Wine Company in 2018. Founders Kosta and Browne stepped down in 2017, and Nico Cueva is currently the winemaker.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Kosta Browne made a name for itself with a ripe, fruit-forward style of wines, routinely picking Pinot Noir close to 26 Brix and aging in generous amounts of new French oak. However, Nico Cueva has begun experimenting with more restrained techniques as of 2017: natural fermentations, incorporating large foudres, and selecting lighter toast oak barrels. It remains to be seen how much this will reflect in the wines.
Producer Website: Kosta Browne