2011 Pinot Noir Treehouse

This is the new project of Michael Browne, of Kosta-Browne renown, and is centered around a 13.5-acre, hilltop vineyard called Treehouse that Browne and Charlie Chenoweth planted in 2008 to five different pinot noir clones.A second, newer site, named Bootlegger's Hill, which comprises 26 acres of pinot noir and 4 acres of chardonnay, will come on line soon.My extremely early impression of the Treehouse pinot is that the wine hearkens back somewhat to the Kosta-Browne style of a few years back, with generous fruit character and velvety texture.That's not to say that it's a heavy style, but perhaps less filigreed than most of the current K-B bottlings.Again, this is based on only two vintages, from very young vines, so don't hold me to that viewpoint.

Michael Browne remains deeply involved at Kosta-Browne, which he co-founded in 1997. Cirq is Browne's new Pinot project. The first Cirq Pinot emerges from Treehouse, a site on the Forestville/Sebastopol border, next to Silver Eagle, that informed the Kosta-Browne Russian River Pinot for a few years. A second site, Bootleg Hill, which sits at the top of Occidental Road, produced its first crop for Cirq in 2013. The first wines I have tasted from Cirq are very impressive. Production in the inaugural 2011 vintage was just 480 cases, mostly because of the challenges of the year, but production goes up to about 1500 cases in the more bountiful 2012. Incidentally, I am told the mailing list is still open for the 2012 vintage. Given that the waiting list for Kosta-Browne now streches into multiple years, readers who enjoy Michael Browne's Pinots should seriously consider joining the Cirq list. For those who are wondering, the name Cirq and the overall design of the packaging are inspired by Browne's years of performing in the local circus when he was a child.