Kosta Browne
Kosta Browne is known for their intensely-flavored and balanced wines from the Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast and Santa Lucia Highlands appellations. Founders Dan Kosta and Michael Browne were friends working together at John Ash & Co restaurant in Santa Rosa when they pooled their tips and made their first barrel of Pinot Noir. A couple years later, a business plan and some capital injections from angel investors and a new partner, Chris Costello, and the Kosta Browne business really started to take off. Rising from (essentially) garagistes in 1997 to scoring 95 points from Wine Spectator for the 2003 vintage is almost unheard of, but Kosta Browne did it. And their success has continued, making them one of the most sought-after pinot noirs from California. In fact, I recently read that the current wine club membership is maxed out at around 12,000 members and there are currently over 15,000 on the waitlist! Their 2009 Sonoma Coast received Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year award. If you love big pinots and chardonnays, then this is definitely the wine for you.