Decanted for 45 minutes. Took a while to come up to temperature. Aromas of cola, dried cherry, sassafras, brown sugar and cinnamon. Flavors of cherry, cola, cinnamon, beet and a touch of anise. Ends with a cherry and cola infused finish of 25+ seconds. A tad more restrained than I was expecting. Not sure if that is because it's 10 years old and still a bit cool. Will update note if needed.
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This was one of a tasting of mature new world Pinot Noirs I organized for an Easter ham dinner. The tasting consisted of a 2006 Sea Smoke Southing, a 2008 Kosta Browne Kanzler and a 2005 Beaux Frères Ribbon Ridge. All were very good to excellent with mature earthy flavors predominant. The Kosta Browne retained a bit more fruit than the others which made it the favorite with the young palates at the table but it was my #2 wine just ahead of the Southing. My preference was for the Beaux Frères which had a somewhat lighter palate with outstanding balance and excellent acidity and more life left in it for further aging if desired. All were very enjoyable and provided an excellent broadening experience for everyone's palate.
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Dark Magenta cork. this wine has a vividness to the fruit and acidity that keeps it fresh and vital. totally fills the mouth with flavor. Don't get me wrong, it's not bright, but the fruit and acid balance makes it a joy to taste. Didn't expect it to be this powerful at 10 years but it felt like it was just waking up. Recommended and would last a few more years, but in a great place now.
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Crimson in color. 14.7% ABV. Stunning nose of red fruits, cloves, sarsaparilla and wet forest floor. Silky and plush with an abundance of fruit. Like tasting liquid velvet. Cherries, strawberries, black tea and minerals on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long. Kosta Browne at it's best. Powerful yet elegant and polished. Drink over the next 2-4 years.
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Beautiful ruby-red wine. Decanted about 90 minutes before we drank it with dinner of a wild-mushroom pasta that has cream and thyme - perfect pairing. The earthiness of the mushrooms paired with the same minerality/earthiness of the wine. The wine has great wildberry flavors of raspberry and blueberries; a very full mouth feel with the spicey notes in the finish. Definitely a great bottle - wish I had more than one.
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This pinot remains unchanged from our 2014 tasting. Regrettably, our last. Pulled it because of CT window. In short, this jewel has plenty of life left in it, and, I think could easily go another 4-6 years in bottle without a hiccup. No flaws. No sediment. Classic pinot color. Classic pinot nose and flavors. Paired perfectly with Seared Salmon with Salsa Verde with orange, spinach and farro salad.
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Fully integrated and amazing. All the favor and complexity one could hope for in a CA pinot is there and then some. Flavors of cherries, strawberries, roses, other red fruit plus some spice.
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Clear medium ruby-garnet color. Bright, boisterous, exuberant sweet red fruit, potpourri, sandalwood. Fresh, focused, balanced, nice acidity. Fruit did not seem overripe, and I did not notice any excessive cola/root beer/sassafras character commonly encountered with California pinot noir. Still lovely when re-visited an hour later, now showing slight musk. (Notes courtesy of JavaChip)
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A Weeknight at JulieD's (San Diego): Clear medium ruby-garnet color. Bright, boisterous, exuberant sweet red fruit, potpourri, sandalwood. Fresh, focused, balanced, nice acidity. Fruit did not seem overripe, and I did not notice any excessive cola/root beer/sassafras character commonly encountered with California pinot noir. Still lovely when re-visited an hour later, now showing slight musk. My #1 and group's SECOND PLACE tonight.
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Beautiful. No flaws. No sediment. No rim variation. Classic pinot nose and flavors. Very smooth in the mouth. No acid or tannin. Medium alcohol and finish. Paired perfectly with coffee rubbed duck breast. Ready to drink.
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Just a terrific Pinot that is drinking great and will continue to do so for at least three more years probably five or more. Kanzler is one of my favorite Pinot vineyards in California.
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Overall a very enjoyable wine. Notes were similar to previous bottle. Palate started out with sweet ripe fruit, but then with some air everything seemed to come into a good balance.
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Medium-light cranberry-ruby color. Generous nose of primary pinot fruit and cola. Similar palate, a little simple and linear but showing decent pinot character, with tannins and heat that emerge late and linger through the finish. Minimal acidity, unlikely to improve from here but pleasant enough now.
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The K-B pinots just seem to get better and better the more they age in the cellar. What a treat to taste then. This one was rich with nice red fruit flavors and complexity.
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delicious. amazing mouthful and long long finish. cherry with spices and layers of fruit. nose was a little more muted than I expected, but it certainly did not take away from the mouthful to finish.
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We had a wonderful evening with friends. Three wines, a Phillipe Prie Champagne, a Williams Selyem 2008 Ferrington Pinot and this Kosta Browne, which was incredibly good Andy ranked third on our list! Possibly the most elegant Kosta Browne I ever had. A complex bouquet and long finish of dried fruit. Quite wonderful and everything the winery is supposed to be about.
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Great bottle of Pinot. Big and balanced with the darker tones that I find to be more common with the wines coming from the 2008 vintage. Black raspberries, black cherries, and notes of sweet cigar box.
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Decanted for about 45 minutes. Classic KB with ripe red cherries and a velvety finish. I saved a glass for night two to see how the wine evolved. It was still alive with fruit, but the finish had started to shorten.
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--- COLOR: Translucent ruby-garnet, very beautiful NOTE: I think Laube scored this a bit low, but hey it's been a couple years since he scored it and I never tried it at the same time he did (August 2010). It has a nice pomagranate and raspberry jam note with a dry rosewood undertone in the nose (yeah, I worked in my dad's wood shop for a decade and I know what many woods smell like in various stages of moisture). Mouth has a nice round richness to it, pumping out more of those pomagranate and raspberry notes. A bit of heat starts to show up as this warms up, but it's not overwhelming. The finish is very pleasant and primarily fruity, with a hint of austere astringency that gives it the negative sign on the score.
DECANT: 1-3 hours GLASS USED: PN TASTE: 9.2- OTHER: COST: 56 VALUE: 6.0 PREVIOUSLY TASTED: n/a TRY AGAIN: now - 2015 PAIRING: n/a Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net ---
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Decanted one hour. Nose of black cherry, cola, clove, spice, hints of cranberry. On the palate sweet, almost syrupy with cherry cola, brown sugar, clove. Finishes with a big whack of alcohol and decent acidity. Very well made, just can't get past the alcohol. I don't think I would be holding this much longer seems like it will continue to lose balance as the fruit fades.
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I LOVE KB Kanzler, but this one did not have the power of concentrated fruit of previous vintages. Everybody else at the table loved it. I must be spoiled...
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Frankly, a bit disappointed with this wine. Kosta Browne has set the bar so high, that this wine doesn't quite live up to my expectations. This wine has strong notes of spice and mushroom, with dark fruit and very active tannins. While the wine developed nicely after 60 minutes, it never opened up the way I expected from this producer. However, despite this commentary it is still outstanding relative to other Pinot Noir's.
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Pop and pour; served with food. Dark color; rich fruit with undertones of mushrooms and cedar. The wine shows an herbal and pine element to counter the rich fruit.
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Plenty of nice dark fruit but the thing that makes this excellent is the warm and fuzzy combination of spicy pepper, cedar, and mushroom on the midpalate. Very nice long finish. It needed a two-hour decant to get going but once it got there it was a pleasure to drink.
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Pop and pour and observed over about a 2 hour period. The nose has a wonderful bright and woodsy forest floor element with some fresh pine needles. Lots of plum and spice with bright flavors. Evolving and opening up by the time it was gone. This has a somewhat rough element that suggests some additional cellar time is in order.
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12/29/2020 - Cgorenberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Amazing. Decanted for 30 min. My favorite bottle this season.
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3/28/2020 - theharve wrote: 96 Points
Huge wine for KB. Almost at peak with plenty of life remaining.
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3/25/2020 - TwistedArmadillo wrote:
A little light, still showing the Kosta Browne expression - drink now. Drank with the 09. The 09 still has a bit of time (this year).
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9/15/2019 - winepog wrote: 91 Points
Thick and viscous, a reduction of concentrated cherry cola.
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1/20/2019 - Doctor Koulodare wrote: 94 Points
Still lovely, concentrated cherry cola, spice, a bit of minerally undertones. A fantastic wine.
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11/25/2018 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 45 minutes. Took a while to come up to temperature. Aromas of cola, dried cherry, sassafras, brown sugar and cinnamon. Flavors of cherry, cola, cinnamon, beet and a touch of anise. Ends with a cherry and cola infused finish of 25+ seconds. A tad more restrained than I was expecting. Not sure if that is because it's 10 years old and still a bit cool. Will update note if needed.
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4/1/2018 - D.Callahan Likes this wine: 91 Points
This was one of a tasting of mature new world Pinot Noirs I organized for an Easter ham dinner. The tasting consisted of a 2006 Sea Smoke Southing, a 2008 Kosta Browne Kanzler and a 2005 Beaux Frères Ribbon Ridge. All were very good to excellent with mature earthy flavors predominant. The Kosta Browne retained a bit more fruit than the others which made it the favorite with the young palates at the table but it was my #2 wine just ahead of the Southing. My preference was for the Beaux Frères which had a somewhat lighter palate with outstanding balance and excellent acidity and more life left in it for further aging if desired. All were very enjoyable and provided an excellent broadening experience for everyone's palate.
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3/31/2018 - pmarlo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark Magenta cork. this wine has a vividness to the fruit and acidity that keeps it fresh and vital. totally fills the mouth with flavor. Don't get me wrong, it's not bright, but the fruit and acid balance makes it a joy to taste. Didn't expect it to be this powerful at 10 years but it felt like it was just waking up. Recommended and would last a few more years, but in a great place now.
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12/25/2017 - tomlee wrote: 94 Points
Crimson in color. 14.7% ABV. Stunning nose of red fruits, cloves, sarsaparilla and wet forest floor. Silky and plush with an abundance of fruit. Like tasting liquid velvet. Cherries, strawberries, black tea and minerals on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long. Kosta Browne at it's best. Powerful yet elegant and polished. Drink over the next 2-4 years.
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7/17/2016 - smotley99 wrote: 94 Points
Excellent compliment to chicken piccata
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2/22/2016 - skerry Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful ruby-red wine. Decanted about 90 minutes before we drank it with dinner of a wild-mushroom pasta that has cream and thyme - perfect pairing. The earthiness of the mushrooms paired with the same minerality/earthiness of the wine. The wine has great wildberry flavors of raspberry and blueberries; a very full mouth feel with the spicey notes in the finish. Definitely a great bottle - wish I had more than one.
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1/22/2016 - Mark H. LeQuire wrote: 94 Points
This pinot remains unchanged from our 2014 tasting. Regrettably, our last. Pulled it because of CT window. In short, this jewel has plenty of life left in it, and, I think could easily go another 4-6 years in bottle without a hiccup. No flaws. No sediment. Classic pinot color. Classic pinot nose and flavors. Paired perfectly with Seared Salmon with Salsa Verde with orange, spinach and farro salad.
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1/1/2016 - MillerRoad wrote: 89 Points
Very much enjoyed, but I wouldn't let it sit any longer
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11/1/2015 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fully integrated and amazing. All the favor and complexity one could hope for in a CA pinot is there and then some. Flavors of cherries, strawberries, roses, other red fruit plus some spice.
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10/11/2015 - PVJC Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very tasty. Drinking beautifully. Bright, medium bodied, nice finish.
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9/24/2015 - Knicksfan wrote: 94 Points
Love the Kosta Browne "K's" and this is no exception; big cali fruit but nicely softened with time.
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9/19/2015 - MLwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking well. Delightful, classic KB. Solid fruit with nice balance.
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8/17/2015 - pjhr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully with PnP, but loses some of its vibrancy with a couple hours of air.
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4/10/2015 - shaferguy91 wrote: 93 Points
No decant.
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3/24/2015 - JuliannaDHS Likes this wine: 93 Points
Clear medium ruby-garnet color. Bright, boisterous, exuberant sweet red fruit, potpourri, sandalwood. Fresh, focused, balanced, nice acidity. Fruit did not seem overripe, and I did not notice any excessive cola/root beer/sassafras character commonly encountered with California pinot noir. Still lovely when re-visited an hour later, now showing slight musk. (Notes courtesy of JavaChip)
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3/24/2015 - Javachip wrote: 93 Points
A Weeknight at JulieD's (San Diego): Clear medium ruby-garnet color. Bright, boisterous, exuberant sweet red fruit, potpourri, sandalwood. Fresh, focused, balanced, nice acidity. Fruit did not seem overripe, and I did not notice any excessive cola/root beer/sassafras character commonly encountered with California pinot noir. Still lovely when re-visited an hour later, now showing slight musk. My #1 and group's SECOND PLACE tonight.
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2/1/2015 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Layers of rich black cherry and blackberry aromas and flavors with spice notes culminating in a long finish.
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11/27/2014 - Mark H. LeQuire wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful. No flaws. No sediment. No rim variation. Classic pinot nose and flavors. Very smooth in the mouth. No acid or tannin. Medium alcohol and finish. Paired perfectly with coffee rubbed duck breast. Ready to drink.
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8/4/2014 - shaferguy91 wrote: 93 Points
No decant.
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6/9/2014 - Screameagle Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just a terrific Pinot that is drinking great and will continue to do so for at least three more years probably five or more. Kanzler is one of my favorite Pinot vineyards in California.
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5/14/2014 - GalvezGuy wrote: 91 Points
Similar to previous notes. Well made, but just can't get by the obvious alcohol.
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2/13/2014 - CADomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Overall a very enjoyable wine. Notes were similar to previous bottle. Palate started out with sweet ripe fruit, but then with some air everything seemed to come into a good balance.
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2/12/2014 - petitblanc wrote: 90 Points
Medium-light cranberry-ruby color. Generous nose of primary pinot fruit and cola. Similar palate, a little simple and linear but showing decent pinot character, with tannins and heat that emerge late and linger through the finish. Minimal acidity, unlikely to improve from here but pleasant enough now.
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1/12/2014 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 94 Points
The K-B pinots just seem to get better and better the more they age in the cellar. What a treat to taste then. This one was rich with nice red fruit flavors and complexity.
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12/18/2013 - Knicksfan wrote: 94 Points
Bang! Loved this. Powerful fruit and great mouthfeel.
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10/25/2013 - Naso wrote: 93 Points
Very nice balanced PN. Kanzler vineyard produces some awesome grapes
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8/18/2013 - winelover1808 wrote: 93 Points
delicious. amazing mouthful and long long finish. cherry with spices and layers of fruit. nose was a little more muted than I expected, but it certainly did not take away from the mouthful to finish.
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7/28/2013 - brujazz wrote: 94 Points
We had a wonderful evening with friends. Three wines, a Phillipe Prie Champagne, a Williams Selyem 2008 Ferrington Pinot and this Kosta Browne, which was incredibly good Andy ranked third on our list! Possibly the most elegant Kosta Browne I ever had. A complex bouquet and long finish of dried fruit. Quite wonderful and everything the winery is supposed to be about.
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6/10/2013 - joeroth wrote: 93 Points
Very special.
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5/31/2013 - Javier wrote: 94 Points
Fabulous Pinot. Best of the best
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2/19/2013 - CRAUBER4242 Likes this wine: 92 Points
No formal notes, but this was tasty as usual. It seemed similar to the '05.
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12/31/2012 - CADomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great bottle of Pinot. Big and balanced with the darker tones that I find to be more common with the wines coming from the 2008 vintage. Black raspberries, black cherries, and notes of sweet cigar box.
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11/24/2012 - quagland wrote:
Dark ruby color. Did not decant which was a mistake. Very concentrated juice in a style to be expected from kb. Good.
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9/26/2012 - jimmythesaint wrote:
Drinking well.
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8/26/2012 - Troon wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for about 45 minutes. Classic KB with ripe red cherries and a velvety finish. I saved a glass for night two to see how the wine evolved. It was still alive with fruit, but the finish had started to shorten.
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8/10/2012 - jimmythesaint wrote:
Nice effort but a tad hot when wine warms to room temp.
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8/1/2012 - tp096255 wrote: 92 Points
---
COLOR: Translucent ruby-garnet, very beautiful
NOTE: I think Laube scored this a bit low, but hey it's been a couple years since he scored it and I never tried it at the same time he did (August 2010). It has a nice pomagranate and raspberry jam note with a dry rosewood undertone in the nose (yeah, I worked in my dad's wood shop for a decade and I know what many woods smell like in various stages of moisture). Mouth has a nice round richness to it, pumping out more of those pomagranate and raspberry notes. A bit of heat starts to show up as this warms up, but it's not overwhelming. The finish is very pleasant and primarily fruity, with a hint of austere astringency that gives it the negative sign on the score.
DECANT: 1-3 hours
GLASS USED: PN
TASTE: 9.2-
OTHER:
COST: 56
VALUE: 6.0
PREVIOUSLY TASTED: n/a
TRY AGAIN: now - 2015
PAIRING: n/a
Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net
---
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7/29/2012 - GalvezGuy wrote: 91 Points
Decanted one hour. Nose of black cherry, cola, clove, spice, hints of cranberry. On the palate sweet, almost syrupy with cherry cola, brown sugar, clove. Finishes with a big whack of alcohol and decent acidity. Very well made, just can't get past the alcohol. I don't think I would be holding this much longer seems like it will continue to lose balance as the fruit fades.
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4/20/2012 - mojowine wrote: 90 Points
I LOVE KB Kanzler, but this one did not have the power of concentrated fruit of previous vintages. Everybody else at the table loved it. I must be spoiled...
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4/13/2012 - sumshark wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding
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3/27/2012 - norsktorsk wrote: 92 Points
Great as usual.
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3/15/2012 - wineduggery wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful depth and complexity. My favorite single-vineyard KB.
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3/9/2012 - Schiffy wrote: 90 Points
Frankly, a bit disappointed with this wine. Kosta Browne has set the bar so high, that this wine doesn't quite live up to my expectations. This wine has strong notes of spice and mushroom, with dark fruit and very active tannins. While the wine developed nicely after 60 minutes, it never opened up the way I expected from this producer. However, despite this commentary it is still outstanding relative to other Pinot Noir's.
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12/2/2011 - t_moderne wrote: 91 Points
Pop and pour; served with food. Dark color; rich fruit with undertones of mushrooms and cedar. The wine shows an herbal and pine element to counter the rich fruit.
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10/29/2011 - SanFranSoxFan04 wrote: 90 Points
BIG, big son of a gun. Loaded with flavor but so rich, so much heat not for me.
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8/10/2011 - dhammer53 wrote:
Dark color. Full and rich. Some alch. Enjoyable.
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7/5/2011 - daved wrote: 92 Points
great, but still too young....
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6/29/2011 - mreinitz wrote: 92 Points
Plenty of nice dark fruit but the thing that makes this excellent is the warm and fuzzy combination of spicy pepper, cedar, and mushroom on the midpalate. Very nice long finish. It needed a two-hour decant to get going but once it got there it was a pleasure to drink.
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2/12/2011 - tanglenet wrote:
Tasted at the winery. Some of the wines were recently bottled. Quick notes: dark black fruit with citrus and fragrant spices. Very Good to Excellent.
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2/5/2011 - kleinahoe wrote: 90 Points
Should have laid down longer.
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12/3/2010 - t_moderne wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour and observed over about a 2 hour period. The nose has a wonderful bright and woodsy forest floor element with some fresh pine needles. Lots of plum and spice with bright flavors. Evolving and opening up by the time it was gone. This has a somewhat rough element that suggests some additional cellar time is in order.
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2/20/2010 - tanglenet wrote:
Freeman Caves Weekend - quick impressions: smoke, oak, dry spice. Good.
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