Winemaker Notes
An intriguing fusion of blackberry blossom and strawberry with a hint of baking spice. Elegantly structured with bramble fruit notes and bolstered tannins, this wine unfolds on the palate, culminating in a memorable finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The Sta. Rita Hills AVA, established on May 31, 2001, and expanded by approximately 2,296 acres in 2016, has shown why it became an important Pinot Noir growing region—the remarkable 2022 Kosta Browne Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir shines with aromas and flavors of fragrant spices, alluring graphite, and pleasing toasty oak. It is readymade for grilled lamb chops. (Tasted: April 15, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Perfumed aromas of wild blackberry bush, dried strawberries and citrus peel. The palate is medium-bodied with bright acidity and fine tannins, giving notes of sarsaparilla, dried herbs and potpourri. Refined and generous.
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.