Now owned by the Duckhorn Wine Company, the Kosta Browne brand has made a noticeable pivot in style in recent years, turning from making very dense, ultra-ripe wines to more elegant, precise wines. It's a pivot that I quite appreciate, frankly. These are perhaps the most expensive Pinot Noirs in California, and the wines are mostly shipped directly to well-heeled collectors and afficionados in the U.S. Today, I'd describe the house style as genuinely refined, and if you're going to charge almost three times what competitors charge for top Pinot Noir, the wines sure better be on par. This Keefer Ranch comes from a particularly cool part of Russian River Valley in a sub-AVA called Green Valley. It's foggy and has the goldridge loam soils RRV is known for. This very complex wine looks like Pinot - lucid and crimson. It has a fresh nose of lavender, cherry, cinnamon, and white pepper, with celery, raspberry, cherry, cola, earth, coriander spice and blueberry notes on the palate. The tannins are moderate, the alcohol seems just barely in balance at 14.3%, and the wine has lovely acidity and elegance. Very, very impressive. (95 Points)
- Tim Teichgraeber
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