2014 Pinot Noir 4-Barrel

There is a lot going on at Kosta Browne these days, which just goes to show how unrelentingly committed the winery is to improving quality all around. It's amazing to think how much KB has come along in the nearly twenty years since Dan Kosta and Michael Browne started off with just a few barrels of Pinot Noir. The biggest news at Kosta Browne is the winery's recently completed acquisition of the Cerise Vineyard in Anderson Valley. The vineyard includes Cerise proper, plus the Demuth and Knez parcels. It is a huge acquisition. Managing Director Scott Becker told me Kosta Browne intends to honor long-term fruit contracts to other wineries, but adds that the vineyard also will require considerable replanting so things may change in the future. In addition, Kosta Browne now has both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir under contract in Mt. Carmel, one of the very best sites in the Sta. Rita Hills. Clearly, Kosta Browne has set it sights on being a premium producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay across all of California's top appellations. If that weren't enough, Kosta Browne has retained the consulting services of Bernard Hervet, who retired from Burgundy's Domaine Faiveley at the end of last year after a long, illustrious career that included long tenures at Faiveley and Bouchard. A veteran of six vintages at Kosta Browne, Nico Cueva has recently taken over as winemaker. That is a lot of change in a very short period of time, but it is all positive and does appear to set Kosta Browne up very well for the future. Needless to say, it will be very interesting to see how things develop at Kosta Browne over the next handful of years and beyond. As for the 2014s, they are solid across the board. A number of the wines are, however, lacking a bit of depth, something that is not uncommon in this vintage more broadly. Hopefully Cueva and his team will mine the depths of Hervet's experience and take Kosta Browne to the next level.