Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another head turner is the 2016 Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard, which saw a tiny amount of stems and aging in 40% new French oak. Loads of spice, black raspberries, wild strawberries, and earthy, forest floor characteristics, medium to full body, a voluptuous, yet weightless texture, and an awesome finish all define this heavenly Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. As with all these releases from Kosta Browne, it’s going to benefit from a year or two in bottle and cruise for a decade.
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James Suckling
The purity to this wine is very impressive with dried strawberries, floral notes and crushed stones. Some watermelon. Full-bodied, dense and layered with dark fruits that pop out of the glass. Deep and wonderful.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aged 16 months in 39% new French oak, the medium ruby colored 2016 Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard opens with touches of tar and gunflint that give way to aromas of crushed blackberries, black tea leaves, cumin seed, turned earth and red berries in the undercurrent with a cola hint. The palate is light-bodied and restrained, with meaty and earthy notions and a firm frame, finishing lifted with bright acidity. 700 cases produced.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.