Kosta Browne makes excellent Pinot Noir, and they have great consistency across vintages.  They have some Pinots from Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley designations, and also produce some single vineyard offerings.  With such a great track record, it is hard not to like Kosta Browne.

So what's not to like?  Well, it turns out that Kosta Browne ("KB"), has become somewhat of a status symbol amongst wine lovers.  It is rarely found at retail outlets, and almost their entire production is sold via mailing list, for which there is a waiting list to join.  Wine snobs have hyped this winery so tremendously that many people pay 3 to 4 times the retail price to obtain a bottle on the secondary market.  Now this is nothing new in the California wine world, where "Cult Cabernets" have been sold via mailing list only for years.  What makes the KB Pinots interesting is that several other wineries purchase grapes from the same, or nearly the same vineyards as KB.  I have had a slew of great Pinots that taste an awful lot like KB, but can still be purchased at retail price at the corner wine shop.  Now I don't say this to cast any negative slant on KB.  The wine is really good, and if you like Pinot, you should sign up for the waiting list and wait your turn to buy wine.  But if you are not on the mailing list, don't spend 3X the retail price for a bottle.  Just go to a good wine shop and ask your merchant for a high quality Pinot from Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, or the Central Coast.

The 2005 KB Pinot is a little hotter than the 04, and benefits from some decanting.  It is a little more smokey than some Pinots, but packs great fruit intensity and a lovely bouquet.  The wine is 15% alcohol, which explains the heat.

3.75 stars