Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast 2005

I recently acquired several half bottles of this amazing wine. I am not going to share any of them with you, dear reader, unless you can prove that you care enough about good Pinot to really enjoy them. This is not some snobbish rebuke. You have to really give a sh*t to understand and appreciate a wine like this one. And it is not even their top flight offering.

Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast 2005 is a lovely, pure, medium-ruby-cola color. The wine is quite viscous, with profound glycerine that puddles and pools all over the sides of the glass. This viscosity translates into a profoundly smooth mouthfeel with subtle, integrated tannins that carry the substantial fruit flavonals and bright, volatile acids. Classic Pinot notes of cherry, Coca-Cola and warm spices are evident. The finish is long and complex, with flavors evolving toward more of a cassis profile with vanilla and moderate oak in perfect balance. The alcohol, while substantial at 15%, is kept in check by the profound extraction and stunning fruit. The nose is lustrous and beautiful, filled with cherry, strawberry, vanilla, cinnamon, and so forth. These guys really know how to make Pinot. They are one of the best producers in Sonoma County, if not the world, and their wines sell out very quickly. I have never seen their wines for sale anywhere, so when I saw these half bottles I decided to grab a few.

This is the best, biggest Pinot I’ve had the privilege to try. It certainly ranks alongside Seasmoke Southing or any great, powerful new world Pinot Noir. It is the sort of wine that makes a person pause for a moment to reflect on his or her mortality, life choices, and reasons for being alive, and for that it is worth every penny.

Heck, it costs about as much as therapy, but works better.

Cheers!