Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the two reds, the appellation 2017 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast reveals a ruby/purple, translucent color as well as a stunning perfume of black raspberries, cassis, crushed violets, spice box, sweet earth. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, has beautiful depth, a kiss of background oak, and a great finish. Mostly destemmed and aged 17 months in 40% new French oak, it's a brilliant wine to drink over the coming decade or more.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: I always gravitate to Pinot Noirs from Sonoma Coast. While there are quality variations because of the lack of uniformity in the AVA, the top wines are outstanding. The 2017 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is memorable. TASTING NOTES: This wine has it all. Its evocative aromas and flavors of wild strawberries and ripe blueberries are perfect. Pair this wine with roast turkey and enjoy. (Tasted: July 10, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
-
James Suckling
Lots of the blue fruits and dried flowers on the nose. Oyster shell too. Medium to full body, linear and vibrant. Energetic. Clean and intense finish. Drink or hold.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Sourced from a slew of outstanding vineyards, including Kanzler and Gap’s Crown, this coastal wine is smooth, seductive and earthy, with focused acidity and tension. Orange, blackberry and strawberry are seasoned in cardamom and dried herb.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast was aged for 10-17 months in 40% new French oak, 15% wood tanks and 6% concrete tanks. Medium ruby, it's broodily scented with black cherries, underbrush, pencil shavings and dried tobacco leaves with notions of spice and red berry sparks. Light to medium-bodied and earthy in the mouth, it has a pleasantly chalky frame and great juicy freshness, finishing long. 7,550 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.