2006 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

I said we would wait a year to re-visit this wine, and it just so happens that tonight we decided to pop this a year and just a few days later at Under the Moon in Bordentown, NJ. . Popped and poured, and showing a great ruby color in the glass, the nose on this wine showed the typical Kosta Browne fruit profile, with that creamy Kosta Browne sweetness that we have grown to love. . On the nose, there was some nice dark cherry, hints of cola, raspberry, and some cinnamon and spice. I could still sense a bit of alcohol on the nose, even more so than the last bottle we had. The nose was rounded out by some lavender and faint hints of cardamom. . On the palate, as much as I hate to say it, this bottle just didn't perform like it did when we had it last year. It had some nice creaminess and acidity to it, with a bit of earthy elegance, some herb, cherry cola, and other berry fruits. It was the finish however that didn't seem nearly as smooth as it has been the many other times we have had this wine. There was still definitely some heat on the finish, which I attribute to the alcohol, and it just seemed to be a high octane, over extracted, over ripe wine to me. . Many will say that I might just be growing out of this style of wine, but I know that is not the case. I will be the first to admit that I cannot drink this style of win on a regular basis, but I really was craving this style tonight. In short, I think that once again we'll let the remaining bottles lie on their sides in the cellar and sleep for another year before re-visiting, however, it may have just been the fact that this wine needed an aggressive decant before serving, which I did not do. . The wine definitely mellowed out with time, and the last glass was definitely the best, so who knows for sure. For now, 88 points is the score that is awarded to this wine. Cheers!

2006 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

What better way to spend the day than snowed in with a bit of vino? It's amazing how 6 inches of snow can shut down New Jersey, but I'm not complaining as it got us both the day off. So after a walk into town for a sandwich, we ran into "Raffy Two Sleeves" on the way home, and invited him over for a bottle of vino. So after a short nap on the couch, Raphael stopped by with a bottle of Bordeaux, so I figured I would grab a nice pinot noir to drink as a segway into the Bordeaux. That said, I picked a 2006 Kosta Browne Russian River Valley. These have been sleeping in the cellar for just about a year now, and with the 2007 vintage already ordered, I figured why not! This was popped and decanted through the Vinturi into a decanter, and while pouring, it had that very seductive, very familiar, Kosta Browne nose. There is something about the nose on these wines that is so identifiable as Kosta Browne, and that is a beautiful thing! The cherry was overwhelming, and such a joy on the nose, with hints of raspberry, cinnamon, and spice. Zelda and Raph picked up hints of cardamom, which I could not pick out with my nose, but she definitely has a better nose than I do. On the palate, more black cherry, candied cherry, hints of cola, creamy vanilla, and a bit of spice. This wine still seems to be very young, although it does have a nice creaminess to it. Regardless, there was a bit of heat on the finish as this wine warmed up, however, while it was still at cellar temp, the heat was much less noticable. Maybe this will settle out with another year or so in the bottle, but I think this is just the way the '06's came out. Regardeless, another gorgeous offering from Kosta Browne, and one of the reasons we love pinot noir. Will revisit this wine after another year or so. 92 points. Cheers!

2006 Frei Brothers Pinot Noir

This was a nice birthday gift from K-Fed and M-Dog next door, and was a treat. had prior vintages of this, but can't ever remember having an '05. 2005 however was not one of my favorite vintages for California pinot noir, but this wine didn't disappoint. Typical raspberry, strawberry, and cherry on the nose, but not as fruit forward smelling as pinot from the Santa Rita Hills. On the palate, lots of red berries, and the slightest touch or forest floor and moss. Nice finish, with very little tannin make this a good wine and a good QPR garnering 88 points. Cheers!