PnP, spaghetti and meatballs night. Medium body with clear liquidy and glycerol. Medium strawberry on the nose, with the pomegranate reduction braise so typical. On the palate, watery fruity notes, again strawberry. There's some deeper bruised fruit notes as well, and some evidence that this is a pinot. Solid.
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Was waiting for a life changing event to open our first-ever bottle of KB purchased, but decided that Wednesday, Dec 1st was fine. Wine is starting to rust just a bit, but still full of fruit and complexity. Cherries come through, but so does a hint of licorice and many other harmonious elements. I wouldn't wait any longer to open if I had more. Lovely.
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With Artichoke Calzone.... showing its age, baker’s chocolate, sage, Brazil nuts? very linear except fruit about gone... 2nd Hour-more integrated Brown Sugar, Cherry Pit, dusty light tannin think this will still go a little further in a couple of years. 3rd Hour-Going stronger and finish is strong. Upgrade score to 91. Day 5 from 187ml-with Duck Confit salad- fading but good compliment to food. Apricot, Pruned dark fruit with cherry and more Burgundian profile.
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Decanted for an hour and then followed for two hours. This is really, really good. Light Barolo violet nose. Smooth, just starting to take on some of the tertiary flavors of age. I guessed it was a 2005 Hospices Premier Cru. Red fruit. Very long finish. No Calif pinot funk. Great balance with an almost velvety mouth feel. Some spice and a bit of acidity. Will probably last another decade.
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2006 Retrospective (Central Coast, CA): Outperformed the KB Russian River of the same vintage, with an enjoyable mix of strawberry and framboise notes. Nothing memorable though...
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Adequate acid, tannins resolved, strong notes of black cherries. Drinking terrific and likely at its peak but should hold a few more years. If memory serves, this particular bottling (Sonoma Coast) always drank 'sweeter' than the RR counterpart, but that has seemed to tone down to some extent. I wish remained on this list as I always thought KB was the better of the Pinot Posse producers.
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Deeelicious. Tannins totally resolved, but some fruit remains, although it doesnt pop like it probably used to. Raspberry, strawberry, cherries, milk chocolate, and an unexpected freshness uplifting the palate, like underripe watermelon. A truly silky finish, but a touch of heat detracts. Probably a bit past prime, drink up!
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Aged Cherry cough syrup. The 14.8% came through loud and clear (just like cough syrup.....) and the lack of acid and other fruits only exacerbated the remaining savory-ness of this hot mess.
I'm not really blaming anyone but myself for this one - I mean I knew when I bought it I was probably making a BIG mistake but I wanted to see what the new turks were doing at the time so I pretty much (totally) ignored common sense and joined the long line of lemmings marching over the cliff. Somehow there is a certain undefinable comfort in numbers (I mean if X zillion are lining up to buy this it must be good, right?!). Umm, no.
Storage conditions were perfect since I obtained this at release from the winery (underground, commercial refrigeration system, yada yada yada).
OK so is it just my particular palate or this particular bottle (I mean the reviews, even recent ones have been strong)? With respect to the particular bottle all I can say is that an earlier one tasted a few years back was just as bad so...... and as for my palate, ok, I get it - we're all different so I shared my newly opened bottle with several others, WITH NO PRIOR COMMENTS, HINTS, EYE ROLLING, SNICKERS, WHATEVERS. The first person said tasted like some kind of bad youngish port wine or something and they refused to drink more. The second person said it smelled burnt or cooked and mentioned the cherry cough syrup which I had already picked up on.
So what do I think is behind the ratings disparity? I'll save those thoughts for another day, but we just went back to the cellar and brought up a nice O-noir to drink with dinner instead!
Opened immediately after removal from the cellar, at 55 degrees. Let it breath, and warm up, for about 30 minutes. Nose was full of spices and a chocolate earthiness from the first sniff. On the palate, the wine seemed somewhat closed. I procrastinated for another half hour or so and the wine began to open. Lots of spices with come tannins slowly coming through. As the next hour went by, some berry fruit began to emerge. All in all, a very enjoyable Pinot from a not-so-great vintage. Kosta Browne is hard to beat. Well, then again, there's always Rochioli Single Vineyards.
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Best bottle we've had of this vintage - elegant and polished from the first sip, great mix of bright berries with just a bit of earthiness - still drinking really well. Gorgeous garnet color. Paired perfectly with fish and veal entrees at a French bistro. Lovely stuff.
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Wow, drinking well, needs time in a great glass, like a Zalto. Bright color, tasting pinot natural, strawberry, good finish, still has time and that s what a great btl of wine needs.
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My last bottle. A dark purple in color. Nice hints of strawberry, bing cherry, and baking spices. A really smooth and classy Pinot. Highly recommended. Paired nicely with a beautifully prepared steak at Central Market in Petaluma.
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Medium purple in color, with cranberry, sandalwood, and black tea aromas. On the palate, red berry, blueberry, sweet leather, and wet earth flavors show. Round mouth feel, with a bit of heat on the finish.
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The mid-palate wasn't as full as I had hoped on this. Great aromatics (no heat that I noticed), good attack, but a thin middle. Good finish. Red and blue fruits, some cola, some we earth. Drink up.
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After drinking this wine and the KB Russian River Valley consecutively, I think they both are excellent offerings but I give the slight nod to the KB Sonoma Coast which came across with a little bigger and fuller presentation.
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This is now a very, very good wine, dark ruby in the glass with a hint of age on the edge. The fruit has mellowed quite a bit, as have the tannins and there is a lot more spice along with earthy aromas. Feels lighter than it did three years ago, significant residue at the bottom of the bottle. In general I liked this a lot more than I did when it was young, it feels like a more refined, cooler-climate Pinot now, what I would expect from Sonoma. Popped and poured, was almost perfect, left it in the bottle with a little vacuvin overnight, tasted great the next day though the aromas were fainter. I expect this will last another 5-7 years, but it was my last bottle. Bravo!
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Second unpleasant bottle (purchased on release, stored at 55 degrees) this year confirms that this wine is over the hill. Roasted/raisin/prune/oxidized nose, with a hint of cherry of liqueur. On the palate, more cherry liqueur, with a healthy dallop of raisin and roasted meat. I have many '06 California pinots that are really hitting their stride now. This one is done and gasping for air on the infield.
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This reaffirms to me the staying power and excellent winemaking prowess of KB. I referenced my earlier tasting notes on this vintage and this bottle still exemplified much of those comments while presenting a mature, fully integrated drinking experience. Lovely black fruit on a lovely palate delivery that orchestrates nose, mouth feel and flavor in a winning collaboration. Still presents the fresh, quality fruit you expect from this standard-bearer. Excellent bottle.
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I think I missed the peak on this one. Had just enough of a candied nose and mouthfeel, a bit on the pruney side. Would have been better when the fruit was more primary. Was better than tonight 'back in the day'. Drink 'em up!
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Medium purple, with the slightest bricking in color. Cranberry and orange rind aromas show with sandalwood and cedar notes. The mouth features dried cherry, tart blackberry, cranberry, and damp earth flavors, which are full but not heavy. There’s a touch of heat on the finish.
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Popped and poured 30 min later. Served in Riedel Vinum Burgundy stems. @ 65 F . Medium intensity garnet color,pronounced nose and palate of baked black cherry, cola, vanilla oak . Medium body... Palate was dry with medium plus acidity and low to medium tannins, with a pronounced intensity of fruit. very new world fruit forward fuller bodied style pinot.
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Wine has really mellowed out and showing great spice. Fruit is still there big time, but less dominant than most KB's. These can actually age pretty well...at least this one did.
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Of all the wines I have consumed over the years KB wines haven been the toughest to judge. Sometimes I think they are great with layers of fruit and long finish. Then there are times they seem over the top, off balance with too hot on the finish. Last night it drank beautifully. Maybe because it followed a white. Maybe because it was opened for about an hour before drinking. Whatever the reason when it drinks so beautifully, I regret stop buying KB.
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clear, red ruby in color. blackberry, cherry, floral, earth, on the nose. blueberry, blackberry, cherry, black tea, smoke, earth, on the palate. big acid on this lingering finish.
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Quick TN: My last bottle of Kosta Browne. Popped and poured. Big dark fruit and alcohol jumped out of the glass. On the palate, it was fairly dense for a pinot and the only pinot typicity I could detect was cola - otherwise it was more syrah-like with a bit of heat on the back end. Not my cup of tea anymore, but drinking well enough if you go for that sort of thing. Decent pairing with beef tacos.
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Boozy nose of stewed fruit and alcohol. Very ripe dark fruits on the nose, not quite as hot as the nose would imply, but for me this was a bit overdone, and I think age has not helped as it seems a bit tired as well.
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Opened and poured. Thin looking in the glass, dark ruby to clear at the rim. Toasted nose of rum drenched strawberry, brown sugar, molasses, booze, humidity and toast. Strong mature flavor profile, with plenty of dark sweet fruit , showing some secondaries. There's also a tart quality that came out. Day two + under vac-u-vin, this has taken on sherry notes, yet remains with a dark sweet core with a light shell. Has lost the explosive KB nose and burst, but still quite drinkable.
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VERY different pinot, almost shiraz-like. Darker than most pinot I've had. Very complex, yet very fruity and flamboyant. Difficulty in identifying specific flavors with all that was going on. I didn't find anything subdued about this wine like many others have posted. I believe this might be the most forward, in-your-face pinot I've ever had.
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Disappointed with how these are aging. On the nose, black cherry, orange rind, pine, baking spice and alcohol. Flavors of black cherry, raspberry, and cola, with a spicy finish that ends with alcohol heat. Monolithic. I generally like my pinots (yes, California pinots) with 5-10 years of age on them, but bottles over the last few years have convinced me that this wine was significantly better younger.
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The wine was a dull, slightly brackish color and tasted out of balance, with the remaining fruit being overwhelmed by the alcohol. It tasted as if it was ten years older than it was and seemed to have aged prematurely. . . I'll have to visit my other 2006's from them, but I was not impressed.
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The wine is a blend of four vineyards: Gap's Crown, Miron, Kanzler and Dutton Manzana. 37% new oak and 14.8 ABV. The wine is a light red, almost translucent, in color. Elegant and balanced with a aromas of cherries and green tea. Sweet red fruits, brown sugar, pomegranate, rhubarb, pie crust and spice cake. Aging gracefully. Drink over the next year or so. Making a mental note to check in on the '06 KB Single Vineyard wines later in the year.
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For a KB, I found this a little subdued and dull - which kills what I enjoy in the usually flamboyant KB pinots. Nose had subdued red fruit that wasn't all that delineated nor did it have much pop. Palate was richly fruited but muted with not much going on. A little flat. Have had much better KBs.
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Big, but nice and soft. However, compared to the 2008 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanée it didn't do so well. I did enjoy it with braised beef shortribs. Nice fruit and balance despite being "big." Last of the KB with no plans to buy more.
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Nose is subdued red fruit and a bit of rose. Not as much alcohol heat as the bottle I opened in 2008. Nice cherry, some cola, and maybe a bit a mint (??). Soft tannins. Just like in 2008, there is still a bit too much alcohol over the fruit.
Overall, major disappointment for a $55 bottle.
color 5/5 nose 6/10 taste 15/20 balance 6/10 finish 3/5
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Popped & poured at Thanksgiving. Rasperry liquor with hints of smoke, minerals and spice cake. Prime time drinking window! Consistently one of KB's top bottlings.
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Quick TN. Popped and poured. Typical in my experience, good fruit (mostly cherry, red raspberry) and acidity but the heat on the back end colors the experience. Fit what I was looking for tonight but not something I can drink every night.
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This wine is a tale of too cities. The nose is elegant, open, full of red pinot fruit and very light oak. Such a beautiful nose. The palate speaks of the heat in the vintage, big in alchohol (proudly says 14.8% on the label), big in tannin and with some harsh notes on the end. Shame cause the nose is one to love! 89-91
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There is no mistaking this for Burgundy. It is a big, boozy "party wine" (the girlfriend's words...right on). This is a big old St. Bernard dog that slobbers all over your face. It just wants to love you, but you might be a little put off by how it gets in your personal space. Big huge blast of cherry cola. Bright and almost effervescent mouthfeel, followed by some alcohol heat. Gets into your sinuses. I typically drink Burgs, so I have to ignore the Burg frame of reference for this wine. Luckily I have tasted a good few Cali-Pinots this year - many while touring in California - so I believe I can judge this wine in relation to its peers. If you love the style, you may feel this is even better than a 90 pointer.
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Thick with alcohol. Lots of dark fruits with noticeable alcohol and a decent finish. I am sure some like this wine, but it just is not what I prefer in a Pinot Noir. No technical flaws just not my style.
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Big red fruit flavors up front (almost cherry cola like) that followed through well made this a very fun start a big red wine night. If you like pinots that are more substantial than delicate and more adventerous than refined, you will enjoy this wine as I did.
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This wine is either an 82 or a 95, depending on what you think fine wine tastes like. I mean you would think its somewhat simple, but this wine is just such a divider. On the one hand, it hurts to drink this wine. Yes, it actually stings when the wine hits your palate - its THAT concentrated, powerful, intense. On the other hand, if you like cola, power, cinnamon, berries, and oak, this baby is for you.
At 6 years it hasn't even begun to calm down. I think a few ice cubes in the glass actually improve this wine, but what do I know.........
Wow, you say, what a wine. I would like a bottle like that!
But would you really?? To paraphrase Matt Kramer (my favorite wine writer/commentator/columnist.....), just because you can make a wine like this, would you actually want to drink it??
This wine is a freak of nature, and I am sorry to say, is not the better for it. This no holds bared, petal to the metal, all or nothing approach certainly leaves no prisoners behind, one way or the other.... but there is no actual JOY in drinking it.
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NC Tasting 09 June 2012 JohnR's New House (JohnR's New House Wake Forest): Cherries, tomato leaf, and appreciable alcohol on the nose (14.8%). Cherries, strawberries, cranberries, and alcohol on the palate, reminds me of a Sea Breeze cocktail. Very much one dimensional upfront red fruits. Not as jammy as the 07. In my opinion a terrible value for what it delivers but I would rather have a red Burg.
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I didn't like this as much as previous posters but it was enjoyable never the less. Seems to be at its prime no need to wait. I will drink my remaining bottles over the coming year
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Popped and poured 30 min later. Served in Riedel Vinum Burgundy stems. @ 65 F . Medium intensity garnet color,pronounced nose and palate of baked black cherry, cola, vanilla oak . Medium body... Palate was dry with medium plus acidity and low to medium tannins, with a pronounced intensity of fruit. very new world fruit forward fuller bodied style pinot.
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4/11/12-Had with McCormick and Schmick fish dinners. Much better that my original note in 2009. As i have reported before, Kosta wines are slow to unfold. Same with this one but no harsh flavors. Nice fruit. Looked like slightly bricked when poured but no harm. Again one of the most prominent features of Kosta wines is their mouthfeel. This one was thick and silky. Thick and slow forming legs ran fat. Nose somewhat muted but became more prominent longer in glass. Last glass the best as fruit began to emerge. The wine was flavorful without overwhelming the three distinct fish dinners at the table, two which were crusted (parmesan, cashews) and it allowed those flavors to remain and emerge. Recommended highly. I would not age more than five more years as I think the 2006 is drinking well now but could hold on and develop. I've had a handfull of Kosta wines-this one was at the 10 year mark-and it was no where close to fading. The 2006 vintage got a lot of mediocre reviews for high alcohol/low fruit, but I think they needed time, and have felt so since their release.
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Dark ruby color. Black cherry, cola, vanilla, and baking spice aromas. Rich with nice weight. Well integrated with a lengthy finish. A bit too much heat.
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Easily the favorite wine consumed at dinner (among 10), this wine remains my sister's favorite. Wonderful nose of cherry, raspberry, and spice. Nice full body, long finish. great mouthfeel. Well integrated tannins, not overly oaked, nice acidity. This is the kind of wine that you love or hate, and we love it.
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This was the last pinot noir we served at my wife's birthday dinner. It was a kind of reward I gave to myself since I silently enjoyed this glass of wine poured after we had all eaten. It was so delicious that it tasted better than dessert. Full bodied, long finish, deep tannins. It feels like we get the complexity of pinot noir with the long history of cabernet savignon winemaking from this part of the country.
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I wish I hadn't bought so many of these. They do not age gracefully. I would be very enthusiastic if this was a $25 early drinking guzzeler. At $50, not so much.
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6 years seems a perfect age for not only RRV pinots but Sonama Coast as well. I was never overly impressed with KB or Dehlinger until I kept my hands off of it for 5-6 years....then the enjoyment started. I did not take any specific notes but this bottle was very enjoyable with a Pork Egg Foo Yung dinner.
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dark ruby color, nose has lots of cinnamon spice and the wine has raspberry, oak and good acidity. Could come together a bit better but overall drinking nicely.
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Melange of deep black cherry, orange rind, forest floor, anise and Asian spice on the nose. Palate offers chalky raspberry, black cherry, with citrus and mineral notes. Fairly tannic. A bit too monolithic to score higher.
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Both this and the bottle I had in December were disjointed and hot with notes I have not commonly associated with Pinot Noir. Fruit has faded and or given way to darker more alcoholic notes. I think this has fallen off. The bottle I had a year ago seemed to be in much better shape, maybe I got the vintage wrong last year? I've had a number of 2006 KB Pinots over the past 3 months (all except the 4-barrel, Gary's and Rosella's) and believe they are all in decline.
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Raspberries and strawberries on the nose. Taste is absolutely fantastic. Perfect balance, sweet fruit, mellow tannins. One of the best pinots I´ve had so far...
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Good at this point, expected a bit more, but could be at its peak. A nose of red fruit, a bit of black tea and spice. Nose was the shining star, lacking in finish.
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I think this one put me over the top... I'm giving up on the KB's. We've tried a half dozen bottles over a few different vintages, and haven't been too impressed with any of them. I thought another note said it well when they referenced drinking wine with a shot of vodka in it. To me, it's just a hot mess with alcohol overwhelming everything on the nose and palate.
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This palate is packed with ripe, pure red fruits, cocoa, Tootsie Roll, and spice notes. It comes across as medium-bodied with solid acidity and a long finish. Overall, this has been a pleasure to drink because of its expressive nose and deep flavors.
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I have had 2 of my 2006 KB Sonoma's, which have been stored offsite since release in 2008, over the last week and they were both very good but unremarkable. Either they are asleep or are done already. I am thinking these should be drunk within a year of release.
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New world? yes, but for some reason I have special place for these ripe pinots. It is as you expect cherry cola, ripe red fruit, and spice. Palate bursts with berries and cola with strawberries appearing on the mid-palate onto the long finish. This wine does not hide what it is full-throttle CA Pinot.
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Fantastic.. Floral bouquet on the nose, berries, cloves, hint of cinnamon, very easy drinking... Upset I had to share my last bottle with the in-laws for turkey day
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Garnet color. 2 1/2 years after first note, this strikes me as at it's peak. The up front heat referred to in 2009 seems largely resolved leaving a full bodied, somewhat oily offering of rich multi faceted fruit ranging from strawberry and cranberry but moving darker in the mouth to blackberry, plum and blueberry. The secondary characteristics of cedar, sage, asian tea, pepper and tobacco are in full development. A treat.
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As stated before - this is drinking REALLY well right now. Only two bottles left - what a treat. If you are holding drink up - you will not be disappointed. The heat that many complain of is subtle at this point, raspberry jammy notes on the nose - smooth finish.
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Perfectly stored in a refrigerated, humidity controlled cellar. Bottle decanted for 1.5 hours. Beautiful nose of earth, tobacco, and red raspberry. The palate was not as concentrated as previous bottles, but opened up with bright fruits, and rich vanilla undertones. There's an earthiness to this bottle that I had not noticed before.
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Third and last bottle, and not really consistent with the previous tasting. In this case, more floral notes on the nose, more tartness on the palate, and we have an alcoholic, disjointed finish. Really don't know what to make of KB in recent vintages.
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Dark, reddish purple color. The nose displayed darker fruit than the 06 Benovia Sonoma Coast PN. There was blackberry, some charry notes, juniper, and lovely orange blossom. On the palate, there is ample blackberry and orange blossom as well as cola and spice notes. Structurally, this full-bodied wine has good acidity and the hallmark, plush mouthfeel I expect from this wine. The finish is quite long, fruit packed, and spicy. Overall, this wine continues to be everything that is great about this producer's wine - plush mouthfeel, hedonistic fruit, and great size.
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Definetly in the sweet spot now. The cola flavor of years past is now cherries, with a hint of sweetness, and the strawberry flavor has a touch of vanilla. I really enjoyed the wine with dinner tonight as we highlighted sweet new year items such as a kugel, sweet potatoes and brisket. I feel the "strength" of this wine has finally relented andthe aging now will go towards the typical older Pinot Noir flavors that some favor, not me.
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First in almost a couple years....was surprised as it was actually pretty good. Mellowed some, nicely, nice fruit, actually constrained. Perhaps I wrote the others off to soon?
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Awesome, awesome, awesome - wow what a delight. As stated in previous notes. This wine is a peak performance. I will be working through the rest of my bottles - awesome.
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Popped, decanted (due to some minor sediment) and poured. Light in color. Lively nose with bright strawberry fruit and some earthiness. Pleasant mouthfeel, smooth, but not much of a finish. Unlikely I am a future buyer at this price point, but have several bottles of 2005-2007 of both this and RRV to work through. Went well with hummus and other apps.
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Typical young Kosta Browne. Needs another couple of years under its belt for the sweetness to subside a little and the real character to shine through. You can tell it's there, but one shouldn't have to coax it out the way one does now. It'll come, give it time!
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Nice nose, but smells like a Zinfandel -- strawberry jam, some wood. Rich mid-palate with very nice flavors of raspberry, cherry, oregano. Very spicy early, black pepper. The thing that hurts this wine, in my opinion, is the finish. It is abrupt, thin, and very hot. Overall though, it is still a pretty nice bottle of wine.
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Sage, Dark Plums and Cherrys but just could not stand up to the 2 2005's, nice but pedestrian comparably. Seems like it has nice acidity for Food, nothing really memorable but in balance and a little burnt rubber as well.
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Dinner - Valerie, Megan, Neal, Ed and Helen. Good but did not live up to the name at all. Nice nose with fun fruit aromas, soft mouth and berries but heavy dark plum on the finish that was not that great.
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Outstanding. This is an awesome wine and it has aged well - as other positive notes have stated. KB is not for everyone, but it is definitely my style of pinot. It is complex, smooth in texture, subtle hints of cherry and spice with a lovely finish.
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Had with Braised Short Ribs and Mustards Goat Cheese mashed potatoes. Decanted for about an hour. Nice Cherry cola notes. Wine was in balance and drinking nicely. My one knock on the wine would be that it seemed a little short on the finish for a wine in this price range.
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A nose of cherry and spice, medium amber in color. A medium to full bodied Pinot, smooth with black cherry, plum and spice, decent length but a bit one dimensional, missing that dusty earth factor, very good but not great.
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For a KB, this is a very "average" wine...but KB wines are in a different league than just about all Pinots made in California (and the rest of the US for that matter). Very elegant and enjoyable. Had this after a bottle of Martinelli Moonshine Ranch (which was good) that made the greatness of KB that much more apparent. I agree with Arch57 when he says its as if "it was crafted from a whole different grape".
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I Aerated to the glass and let sit about and hour before drinking. Smelled of a really bold pino (as I expect from a KB). The taste was slightly sweat (becoming softer and the end of the second glass). Not as good as other KBs that I've drank in the past. But still really good.
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nice pinot, not sure it was worth the $$. I did not, however, decant long enough... took to a restaurant and by the end of the meal it began to come alive so I recommend a good decant
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Maraschino cherry,and raspberry licorice on the nose, maybe even black licorice. This is ripe and lush, very smooth, and much better than it was on release, with layers of strawberry, red licorice, and cherry candy. Some heat on the finish, which becomes even more apparent if it stays in the glass to warm to room temperature. (The obvious solution is to quaff it.)
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I have been fortunate to drink several vintages of this wine, and aside from an 05' that was corked, this was the least enjoyable KBSC I have had. However, this is still VERY GOOD by any standards. The flaw for me is the alcoholic nose that never blows off. One of the hallmarks of this wine is the bouquet from 2 feet away...not the case with this vintage as the alcohol dominates. Still, this wine is seemless wiith a spicy long finish. A little more dirty (good thing) than previous vintages. An outstanding effort in an off year for Sonoma Coast. Bravo! Served with pan seared Halibut.
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For the price I paid for this half bottle -- $40 -- LAME! My first experience with this label. There's an underlying complexity & sophistication present, and it's definately a food wine. But neither California in character, nor old world; I think it needs to define its sense of place. I just could not appreciate what it had to offer, the fruit was very subdued, and the oak was too present that even after an hour of decanting, was still way too present. Sorry to say that I don't know what the fuss with this wine is all about as there are many more intriguing West Coast Pinot's in this proice range.
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Nice complex nose with black cherry and blackberry fruit and hints of earthiness and a bit of dark chocolate. The palate offers deep ripe red and black fruit intertwined and delivered with a silky mouthfeel. Dense but offers good acidity and minerality with blackberry and earth present leading to an extremely long finish.
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Better than the last bottle... decanted for 90 minutes.. taste out of the bottle was a heavier pinot with a hot finish... after 90 minutes, in much better balance and was better than the 08 Pisoni Estate surprisingly.
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I have to admit this was a tough vintage but after about an hour this wine broke out of its shell. We had this after a Coppola Director's cut Pinot that was brought to dinner by a friend. The KB was like it was crafted from a whole different grape. The Coppola was a light, translucent ruby color and the KB was dark and brooding. Rich fruit and the nose opened up with rasberry and spices. Enjoyed immensely by our guest who had her first KB.
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Non-existent nose. On the palate this tastes like the Prisoner blend would if it were made of Pinot Noir: jammy, concentrated, delicious, and not very complex grape juice. The finish is a bit hot, but surprisingly less so than a year ago; 14.8% ABV. A Pinot Noir for drinkers who don't know Pinot Noir.
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Decanted and drank over 4 hours. At first a bit thin and hot with pleasant cherry and cola flavors. After an hour or so it gained some weight and secondary flavors of mushrooms and darker fruit. The alcohol balanced out somewhat. Last of my bottles and although an obviously off year, still quite enjoyable.
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Finally a drinkable one! I'm really beginning to wonder about bottle variation with these. Tonight from a .375, P&P and followed for about 2 hours. Some scorched earth, red fruits, vanilla, raisin. A pleasurable bottle.
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Black cherries, maraschino cherries, and cola nut on the nose. Bright and lively palate of black raspberries and SweeTarts candies but suffers from a medicinal edge and some heat on the finish. The wet 2006 vintage seems to have been KB's Achilles' heel, and I have my doubts about further aging. Probably best to drink up while the fruit is still there. Same score as two previous bottles.
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Paired w/ Copper River Sockeye w/ cous cous. First bottle of the allocated case. Pours a light ruby fading to clear on the rim. Upon open, initial aromas of bramble musk, turkish delight, cherry jelly and refined wood. Heat hiding well on the nose. Beanpole legs. Light in the mouth, not the heavy bomb I was expecting. No cloying or heat blast which is a good thing. Fruit is solid yet not as lush and heady as other vintages, this is more refined, weaker, silken. Red fruits yes, raspberry, ripened strawberry, cherry broth, nicely integrated oak, smooth mid palate and finish. After two hours open, aromatics turning hot and searing - dominant notes of jet fuel, fruit infused vodka or everclear, with toasted, dried crumbling oak and a very miniscule hint of cedar. Wonderful mid-palate and finish with fruit core of cola and cherry. Heat detracts somewhat from overall experience. Day two notes: Heat on the nose but not as bad as I remember last night. Very round, big, pinot qualities masked by large glyceric fruit profile. Petty good overripe style still on day two.
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P&P then over 2 hours to check for improvement. This wine couldn't have really fallen apart that quickly right? Thin, alcohol, cola... not much else. I agree with others. Could there be bottle variation?
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Hot, disjointed cherry coke. It was decanted for over an hour and still wouldn't budge. So not my style. One list I can drop now. My palate for pinots has shifted from these huge alcohol fruit bombs to more restrained wines.
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This is nice to drink but not a tyypical domestic pinot. Seems a bit steroidal. Flavor profile seems a bit muted by alcohol. The fruit is fading and the only thing behind it is alcohol. I don't think this wine supports the price in a good year, and this was not a good year for them.
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Beautiful ruby color. Aromas of black cherry, cola, baking spice and vanilla. Quite viscus with rich fruit in the mouth. Well integrated throughout with a long satisfying finish.
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Dark ruby with medium viscosity in glass. Initial closed nose of ripe cherry, currant and heat. Bold coffee, dark berry, plum, currant and smoke aromatics succeeded as it opened. Same goes for the palate. Once opened it was very pleasing with smooth, smokey mouthfeel and good structure all the way thru the medium finish.
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"Decanted' in the bottle for about two hours before consuming, this was really closed down at first. Even so, the gang really loved this wine, and Kosta Browne is always a crowd pleaser within our local tasting group. First thing I noticed on the nose was the alcohol, which I didn't remember when we had this wine 11 months ago. Black cherry, cola, and spice on the nose, with some strawberry and raspberry as well. The alcohol is starting to blow off. On the palate, more subdued than the KB's that I love, and not as sweet. More black cherry and cola, with some other red fruits. By the time I was down to my last quarter of a glass, this transformed into the KB that I love and was absolutely delicious. Stll not sure what to make of these '06's. I think they might need more time. 90 points.
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PnP with 15-45 min glass time. Clear, deep purple color, no hint of brown/red edge. Nose was typical KB but thin. Taste was also typical KB but definately on the light and sweet side. Somewhat hotter and thinner than usual. My least favorate of any KB I've tried. Better with more air time but not nearly as good as 05's which is likely due to a poor vintage. Drink now.
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This bottle did not resemble my prior four bottles, all of which ranged from very good to excellent. Not so this one. On the nose, a creamy, oaky vanilla milkshake, with a hint of red raspberry. On the palate, more oak, cream, and vanilla, with some red fruit. Very hot with lots of alcohol burn. Monolithic. My worst KB, by far.
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Deep red, integrated, showing good plummy pinot cherry fruit with that classic KB touch of spice and vanilla oak. More lush than previously, this wine is held in balance by the acidity of the vintage. Just starting its drinking window, for me I could not discern much if any heat. Very nice. Would need more complexity or length for a higher score, but worth a search.
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I thought this went great with Genral Tso Shrimp. Similar deep purple flavor, plums and cola. This is a wine that needs to be drank now as there is no where that this is going to change for any better. If this is your style, it is in a good place, if you want to wait I think you will get a slightly softer wine but all the fruit will become what? Raisiny? I give this a strong like and again, enjoyed it with the chinese food, not sure if it is for everyone and every type of Pinot Noir typical food
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Dark fruit, ripe, but a bit on the sweet sided. Tasted as though there was some Syrah or something else blended into the wine to give it more weight. Still enjoyable.
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Very pure & brisk. Lovely red fruit and minerally flavors. Perfectly balanced. Drank at cellar temp which I think is best. Great with pork tenderloin stir fry tonight. Guilty pleasure. Kind of an amped up Chambolle. I enjoy this a lot better than the sweeter candied RRV appelation. I like this wine for $40 or less. Paid $48 and dropped off the list as prices continued to rise for 07 vintage.
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This wine is still in a good place. Dark fruit and spice. Would like to see the heat and oak on the KB wines lessened a bit and more acidity on the finish. Enjoyed with seared ahi. A small glass left over night did drink well.
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Popped and poured. Great nose, black cherry, cola, black tea, spice, red fruits, vanilla. On the palate, black cherry, strawverry, spice, vanilla. The finish was a little flabby and had plenty of heat, which intensified as the night went on. Drink now. Excellent wine but disappointing value.
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Somewhat consistent with our previous tasting note, but this time, the bottle was singing after 30 minutes, and stayed that way for three hours before the alcoholic notes emerged. I just don't know if this improved performance is a function of evolution in the bottle, or a bad bottle the first time around; no significant difference in acidity levels or flavor profile between bottles.
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I've had several bottles of this now and (I think) have always rated it a 90. I feel like this has improved since the last time I had it, but there is still, at times, noticeable heat which keeps this from going higher for me.
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i won't rate this bottle as it had been a gift and store poorly. Although the wine was not corked, the cork was dry and brittle as though it had been stored upright. With all that said, after an hour in my glass, you can smell the fruit and spice emerge. Hooray! I was afraid i might be a sinker! Lots of red fruit and spice, maybe cola maybe some nutmeg. pretty darn good. not like any K vineyard; but hey I'm just glad this bottle was still singing. hadn't gone south on me even after poor storage.
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After a few hours of air the alcohol that was present when opened seemed to integrate and the wine was ok. I'm disappointed with KB and don't get the hype. Ok, I had a glass left over and on the second night this was a different wine. I take back what I said last night. 90pts. tonight.
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Popped and poured. Very nice, ripe red fruit, mouthcoating texture, a bit of funk. Definitely a New World-styled wine, this probably falls a bit short in acid and balance, but to my palate it's really tasty. I bet it will improve (despite my last note's prognostication to the contrary) over the next several years and shed some of the baby fat. (PE: 91)
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Better now than a yr ago. Definitely open at least an our before drinking, as 1 hour into it, the flavors grew more complex and the notes of cinnamon and other spices became nicely delineated. More details to follow
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Incredibly balanced, despite relatively high alcohol content. Deep, dark ruby color; complex nose, and very balanced palate. Easily beat out an 05 Seasmoke for wine of the evening
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Nice nose of bright sweet cherry with spice and some oak. Taste is soft and balanced with full fruit and nice linger recanted for 2 hours so the flavors really opened up
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Opens with a nice nose featuring spice, brown sugar, and dark cherries. This was a prelude to a well-integrated palate of sweet oak, fruit and tannins, with a delicate pinot entry and an interesting, almost port-like finish that highlighted an herbal element. Neverthless, while not syrupy, a slighty unctious, port-like pinot noir is not my style. On day one, there was some detectable heat, but it faded over time - I think this will improve (for my tastes) with time.
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Not as rich as the 2005 KB RRV consumed before it and definately a bit more candied. Presented with a bit more roughness and herbalness although still a very good wine. Drink or hold.
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I dont have much to add from my previous notes. Showing a little more herbal spiciness than before, but is still dominated by high alcohol, heat, and strong candied fruit flavors. While I had 1 bottle that came out as more balanced (out of 3), this one wasn't and I was glad there were other bottles to choose from. Just not a style I enjoy.
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Nice nose of spice, dark cherries, brown sugar and cola. Flavors of cola, cherries & red fruits and spice. I saved 1/2 the bottle for 2 days later where it the nose became less interesting but the palate developed a lot of dark fruits and the alcohol started to come out. score based on the 1st night.
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Drank this over a couple of hours. Initially closed, but after an hour the packed black cherry flavors become prominent with deep aromas of cola, mushroom, meat and spice. Give this a short decant and it will sing.
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Bright, sweet nose of maraschino cherry, brown sugar, and licorice. Ripe, but also balanced by some acidity, with a wonderful lushness, and even some finesse. Layered cherry flavors, complex (if a bit candied), with a finish that is nearly resolved. Surprisingly good, much more expressive and refined than previously reported, and it showed better than the 2004 Kanzler did a week or so ago.
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I could immediately taste the burst of cherry and jammy fruit. The finish was abbreviated for the first half hour or so, but after 1.5 hours of decanting really began to develop.
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What a disappointment. Was expecting a huge pinot with vibrant flavors; instead got fruit punch. Lacked flavor and intensity. Really expected more from this wine; instead felt a little embarassed as a introduced to my friends as a "great" pinot. Maybe next year.
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The nose is the highlight of this wine. And while everyone at the table really liked the wine (including me), I have to say that I think the flavor profile is just too sweet....lots of cherry cola and strawberries. Fortunately, it does end with some peppery spiciness on the finish.
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Opened an hour before tasting and drank over the next hour and a half. Red fruits (strawberry), spice and a little herbal note. Focused. Seems to be integrating/improving a bit, but still a little heat on the finish.
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Passover wine with JFK. Having tasted the Brisket we were going to have, I felt that the acidity and sweetness of the onions and tomatoe would be better balanced by the 06 than the 05 which based on some other reviews was my original plan. I think we did this right. I have popped two other bottles of this in the past 90 days or so, but I had the opportunity to try a bottle, from soewhere else, that was opened for a full day before I got a taste and the sweet cola notes on my tounge was what I thought would work here, and It was obvious to meI was not doing enough to have the wine open up in advance. I opened and decanted this wine for two hours prior to serving, while still a little tight on the beginning, by the time the matzoh ball soup was finished this wine was ready for business. The tart cherry has gone and the super sweet side has integrated to create a longer mouthfeel that I felt rang of a slight earthiness that worked well with the mushrooms served with the brisket, and then fed to a rich velvet non sweet chocolate that took the beef home nicely. I have had the 08's this past week as well, strong comparision here to these wines two years ago. I only bought a few 08's but, I'm just saying.....
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Didn't find it as enjoyable as prior vintages or my prior bottle just over a year ago. It doesn't seem to have quite the same lush mouth feel and seems to have really shed it's tannins (although there is still some acid).
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So I have never been a big fan of the ‘06’s from KB and feel badly for people whose experience is limited to this vintage. When good, as in ’04, 05 and ’07, I very much like these wines that stray far from my wheelhouse. This is another example that I feel is not showing the best of what this winery has to offer. Beautiful dark ruby color. The nose is a bit of a mess: cola syrup, menthol, milk chocolate with nothing to balance the heaviness. Big and clumsy on the palate as well with a distinct cool mint sensation on the finish. Marginal. (82)
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great nose of red fruit, spice and earth. great palate with raspberry in the forefront and a long finish with spice. still just a bit of tannin on the finish that needs another year or two to resolve itself. try to hold off if you can...
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Again - nothing can be added to the positive statements below. It will be interesting to see what this wine is doing over the next couple of years. I suspect that it just may gain a few points.
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Solid Pinot. For the price tag, I would expect more, but KBs single vineyard Pinots are worth having to pick up some of these. Good fruit, but not over the top, medium finish. Solid acidity.
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14.8% alcohol. Showing fewer of the flaws that I found in the 2006s. This has mellowed, showing dark Pinot fruit, with an earthy side to it. A touch of cherry pie in the mouth, with a plush mouth feel. Still has heat on the finish. B+
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I thought this was a little bettter than my last bottle. Nose of black cherry, cola, mushroom tea, smoke, asian spice, vanilla, ripe red raspberry. On the plate, black cherry, strawberry, anise, spice. Finishes smooth and crisp. Drink now through 2011. Outstanding. Still a disappointment when put up against other vintages.
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A disappointing bottle, relatively speaking in comparison to prior bottles of this wine. Cola notes are highly prominent on the nose, with notes of black cherry, spice and pepper. Spicy black cherry dominates the palate, with an undercurrant of citrus (orange rind) and cranberry. Acidity is too noticable and seems out of balance. Finishes a bit hot. Nonetheless, a fine wine that mellowed somewhat when paired with soft cheeses. KB generally is better, but for a seemingly off bottle, this wasn't bad.
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Medium dark, slightly brickish ruby red. On the nose, some red fruit, smoke and a touch of spirits. Cherries, rasberries, a little black fruit, some smoke and cola on an attractive palate. Slightly hot, but well balanced. Aftertaste lingers some 40+ seconds. Enjoyable!
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A bit better than the last bottle 3 months ago. Some more complexity, and heat faded soon after decanting. Have a couple left, will probably wait six months or more to dive into those.
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Nothing seemed right here t me. Jeannette liked, I felt it had a big green treak down the middle. LEft a glass for the econd and third night with the same green profile. Leaving the rest alone.
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dark red and less opaque than most pinots. A pleasant smokiness and a little alcohol, that disappated with time. Medium bodied with red fruit like strawberry and tart cranberries. It has a nice acidity and improved with time and air. It definately is a heavier style of pinot noir. Kosta Brown remains very good.
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Good quality. Cola and oak. Nice smell. Something about the mid-palate is off in a faky-strong vanilla way. Also a little hot. Other than that, nice all around with a lingering finish. Mouthfeel is heavy. Good but not my favorite for this much $$$.
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Cherry and cola on the nose. Soft and plush feel, cherry, there is some mid palate lift, but you have to look for it. Some heat on the finish. Not great.
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I know I said that I would wait another 2 years before we opened up another one of these, but after thinking about the Kosta Browne 4-Barrel we are auctioning off for the relief efforts in Haiti, what nicer opportunity to open one of these tonight? Needless to say, I grabbed one of these from the cellar to enjoy at Blackbird Dining Establishment in Collingswood, NJ. This was popped and poured, and served in a Rona glass at the restaurant, and let me say that this was by far one of the nicest restaurant stems that we have seen in quite a while. So much that we even left the Riedel's in their carrying case, so this saved me a bit of hand washing! Great touch in my opinion, so kudos to Blackbird! In the glass, a gorgeous color, ruby color, and as the glass sat on the table, I could already smell that seductive Kosta Browne nose that is so identifiable as Kosta Browne. I don't know what it is about these wines, but they are so easy to pick out, and that is a beautiful thing. The nose was dominated by an intense sweet black cherry, with nice hints of cola, spice, a touch of vanilla, and a subtle earthiness. The nose on this wine is huge, and I absolutely love it. As the wine warmed up and was allowed to breath, there were also secondary hints of jammy red berries, hints of plum, and raspberry. I also picked up a bit of alcohol, which Zelda did not pick up, but I will be the first to admit that she has a better nose than I do, and I am also a bit stuffed up today. That said, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if it were just me. On the palate, what can you say other than the fact that this wine is HUGE! Once again, the dark cherry dominates, and it is a bit on the candied side, which is not a bad thing at all. The cherries explode in your mouth, along with some jammy, sweet red berries. As the wine mellowed in the glass, secondary nuances of raspberry, strawberry, and plum come through, with a nice bit of earthiness and spice. On the mid palate, the acidity has settled quite a bit, and the wine has rounded out nicely since the last time we had this. There is still a bit of heat on the finish, but it does not dominate, and it is not offensive in the least. This just proves my theory that with another year in the bottle, this is going to integrate nicely. All in all, another great Kosta Browne! There seems to be a very defiant love hate relationship with these wines, but we just happen to be part of the crowd that loves them. I really look forward to trying this wine side by side with an '07 in the future, and I am sure that we will get a chance. This wine picked up another 2 points since we last had it, and is worthy of 92 points. Another point is definitely possible as this wine continues to come together! Stay tuned, and keep up the good work Kosta Browne! Cheers!
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I know it is heresy, but I am having a challenging time justifying the KB hype. If you like your Pinot's big, this fits the bill. The problem I found with this is less delivered through detailed tasting notes and instead represented in the reality that this was a "3-night and didn't finish it" wine. Night one was New Year's Eve and it came after a bottle of Pax so it deserves some slack. Night two we (primarily me) had the required glass. Night three I almost forced myself to have another glass to get this finished off (didn't quite make it). It is obviously good juice, but it doesn't have a "yummy" factor and frankly I would prefer to have the Williams-Selyem SC instead.
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Based on the hype over this producer on CT and in Wine Spectator, disappointed for this showing. Nose also very slight, and i initially thought this was some other varietal than pinot noir. Cherry flavors but subdued, and I initially felt that this wine was very closed. Cork was really good quality, very dense and belled out when pulled; in fact, it didn't want to come out of the bottle and had to muscle it some. I will wait for another day to finish the last glass, as I am hoping more flavors will develop. This may be the kicker; wife preferred a Mark West 2008 pinot over this hands down, and I was hard pressed to argue with her. This may be either bad for Kosta or good for Mark West, you decide. I then vacuum sealed this for several days (three I think) and fairly evaluated this again. It had indeed become more complex in both taste an bouquet (very interesting, bouquet in fact) and performed a degree or two better than the first time, but my overall impression was it was a little light on fruit, which surprised me, as this producer is known for a riper style. I have not lost faith in them, not a bit, but am anxious to try the 2006 Russian River. Does this still need more time? and if so, how much? I won't try again for several years.
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Strawberry, rasperry and a touch of boisenberry syrup, this is one of the finest pinot's available. On the second night, the fruit opened up even more and the slightly spicey finish lingered on for 50 + seconds. Smooth and rich, like butter!
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a little too much candy for me but this is the early end of the drinking window for me too be drinking this wine, but we had a honey baked ham to eat and I have quite a few of these. I found the fruit to be nice, the kirsch a little strong for my taste. I also recognized some flavor profiles that were consistent with other times I drank KB's. Too yojung for me, I will try again mid 2010.
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Really lovely stuff - absolutely beautiful ruby color, great expressive nose soaked with black cherry - excellent polished wine with soft and graceful mouthfeel - held up just as well on Day 2
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A lighter bodied but fruit forward pinot. Very light on its feet and sort of mellow. Lighter red fruits on the nose and the palate. Definate cola elements.
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Light to medium purple, candied red fruit nose. Full bodied, rich semi-sweet red fruit, well balanced, long finish, Very nice rich without being over the top.
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Outstanding. A really nice mix of earth, red berries, and spice. Smooth, elegant. Went great with our Thanksgiving Day Turkey, Ham and all the fixins'. Day 2: noticed a little in the bottle, sitting on the counter.....just had to try it. To my surprise, it was just as good.
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Drank over two nights. First night, tight with cherry and plum, some spice and a bit of heat on the finish. More going on second night. Earthy character coming through the fruit and heat settling down a bit, yet still a touch one dimensional and jammy. Have a few more of these and will try again in 6 months or so.
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Shared with Yeargans. Hard to choose between this and the RRV. Both are drinking beautifully. Sonoma Coast may be a little lighter but this does not detract. If you weren't drinking them side by side you might not even notice it.
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A nice pinot. Great fruit on the nose and palate. Plum and black cherry, a bit of baking spices. Not quite up to the price point, but a very nice bottle noless.
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In this setting and atmosphere (afternoon dinner party with the bottle about 68 degrees), which can affect perception, I looked for heat and I don't sense it. As for flavors, brown spice, dried raspberry, hint of forest floor. Finish and flavors are leaner and more austere than other KB vintages but there ain't heat in this wine.
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Bill's Monthly Lunch - October 2009 (Vancouver, BC): Tasted blind – Decanted for 4 hours. Bright ruby red in colour. Pronounced nose of cherry cola and oak. Very ripe. Slightly hot on the palate. Light body, good acidity, low tannins and a medium length finish. This just isn’t a style of Pinot Noir that I really enjoy. Drink or hold. Good.
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Let stand in bottle for 90 minutes before pouring. Hadn't had in about a year and surprised how much it had changed. I know that people seems to feel that Kosta Browne doesn't improve much in the bottle, but this has definitely mellowed a bit, and in a good way. No heat at all in this. Tons of cherry with a bit of spice. Medium finish.
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Good, but not great. Strong red fruit and refreshing acidity but the finish was not as long or as intense I expected. Will give the next bottle more air.
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Doctor be damned (as I was told to stay away from Alcohol for a few weeks.) I just needed to open something after fasting for over a day. Unfortunately, this wasn't what I had hoped it would be. When first popped, I couldn't really get anything off of it and a sip revealed a finish that seared my throat. Decided to let it sit for an hour or so.
Came back to a wine that was servicable but certainly not fantastic and IMO not worth the tariff. Too big, too candied too much. I'm far from an expert in KB since this is only my 3rd bottle, but seeing as how 2 of the 3 have been much less than stellar, I don't think I'll be buying any. I'm glad to at least have found this out before I 'made the list.'
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Expressive nose of red raspberry and cherries. The palate is huge with candied raspberry, dark cherries, chocolate (tootsie pop), and smoke. This bottle seemed somewhat confected and trends toward the alcoholic end of the spectrum. The finish was long and fruit-packed. Overall, this was not as good as previous bottles, but it is still a hedonistic wine that can be easily enjoyed.
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Everyone enjoyed this wine. Light red color. Medium intensity aromas of cherry, mint, caramel, flowers. Medium acid, light tannin, medium finish. Flavors match aromas.
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Very interesting contrast after a $20 Cotes du Rhone. This was a lot more fruit and spice compared to the old world wine. The crowd really liked it but I thought the Cotes du Rhone was more interesting. I know this is comparing apples and oranges but the KB had some candy notes that I found off putting this time. One thing that cannot be denied is that KB does have a unique style that can be appealing or not.
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Nose is smoky and oaky. Dark red color. Palate features sweet, candied, almost gloppy red fruit. There is some residual heat, too. I've never really loved KB, never owned them, but have helped a friend drink through his stash. I think I am losing my taste for it.
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Nearly a year since I last had this wine. It hasn't changed much in that time and will probably remain this way for quite some time. Still shows like a big burly horse of a Pinot Noir but at the same time, there is a nice, complex structure holding everything together.
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Way over the top. Flabby, fat and extremely disjointed. Hopefully more cellar time will help this out. Russian River is better at this stage. I am going to pass on the 2007 single vineyards at $72.00. Lousy QPR. I would gladly sell for my mailing list price of $48.
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For as much as I drink this, seems to becoming my standard (non-special occasion) weekend pinot. Yes, too big, lots of cola. etc.... but I have to say it is growing on me. Little bottle variation over the year, they all taste the same, but I am accepting it more and more. Good, fun juice. Violet color, KB cola, dark berry and some spice nose, all of which follow to the palate. Okay, not hugely sophisticated and complex, but c'mon, it is enjoyable.
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Still way, way young. There's a lot going on under this hood. Delightful and undeniable. This is well made juice and it only gets better in the glass...like 4 hours in the glass. Give it more time. Cherry and spice and raspberry in spades. A gorgeous and clean translation of fruit.
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Holding a year did not improve this wine. The fruit is there somewhere (after a little air) but mostly it tastes stewed, with a lot of heat and oaky dominance. Where is the charm in this? Like Vicks VapoRub in the chest; inelegant in every way. Happily my last bottle.
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Popped and poured. Seemed quite hot on the finish early in the meal. As the dinner progressed the wine became more balanced opening up to reveal nice berry like fruit. 3 hours into dinner the wine was ready to drink. I would wait at least another year and will decant the next bottle.
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14.8% alcohol. Opened three hours before serving but not decanted. Just never has quite come together to my taste. It doesn't have quite the normal level of endearing fruit for this wine or even that the RRV developed. In any case, pleasant to drink. A plush texture, ripe fruit and plenty of it, but slightly hot. B+
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Very enjoyable with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar salad...worked well, as I expected. Nice nose for such a full-bodied pinot. Balanced...not a blockbuster. Most likely will be better with something more substantial to eat, but very friendly w/o food, as I expected.
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Super bottle. Brought on to drink sans food on a friends boat at night to watch some local fireworks... I think I chose well as this wine does not need any food to show well. To me this '06 was less over-the-top fruit then most KB's have had had. Really nice layers of cake spices and cinnamon revealed themselves, with some rhubarb. Less cola and oak present than past years. served in plastic cups.
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Popped and poured. Big nose of black cherry, black tea, cola, smoke, vanilla, cinnamon. On the palate, black cherry, anise, spice, maraschino cherry. Finishes slightly hot but very smooth. Drink or hold. Excellent to outstanding. Disappoiinting value.
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My wine of the day against an eclectic mix of wines ('08 ME SB, '05 Col Solare, '06 Saxon-Brown Durrel, '05 DARE). Big fruited wine. Loaded with cherry cola. And I got some smoked leaves. Just delicious.
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i enjoyed this wine. tasted against the 06 kb rrv. this bottle was a cherry, cinnamon fest. racy and zippy compared to the rrv. the cherries were present start to finsh here. cinnamon and other spice also. acid backbone readily apparent and perhaps a tad too much. finish was, no surprise, full of cherries and acid zip. this worked well with the food as it cut some of the acid and zip.
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Bright red with rose meniscus. Red cherry nose, and crisp red cherry fruit on the palate. Not a "typical" KB, but showing some restraint and very pleasant. Hints of anise pop up, and caramel, but only fleetingly. Will benefit from more age, but nice enough now.
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@ Blackfish foie gras tasting menu. Went very well with the Foie gras sausage. course. Dark red in color with some smoke on the nose. Improved with air and time. First smell I got licorice that disappeared and was replpaced with red fruit. very smooth mouthfeel and lots of fruit and some smoke.
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A faint hint of robitussin prevented me from giving this wine a higher score. I realize the robitussin is alcohol that should fade over time, but IMHO, this seems too common among some CA pinots and it overwhelms the character that I look for in a pinot. I have several more bottles that I will cellar for some time before opening again.
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Rich, powerful pinot noir. Alcohol better integrated than upon last tasting 1 year ago. Starting to show some secondary characteristics--very pretty notes of rose. Drinking very well tonight.
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See previous note. This one did have a bit more of that sweetness (probably highlighted since next to the 2004 Calera Selleck). Some heat on the finish. As for hedonistic fruit, that was there.
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I was hesitant to open this bottle, given previous notes. But we had to grab something for dinner that would work with salmon and steak so the choice was made for us... It was lovely. Served cellar temperature, even as it warmed, the alcohol was completely tamed. The aromas started with a hint of musk initially, which morphed immediately into a cherry festival. The strawberry/clove/cinnamon palate was delicious, of course, but what really was impressive was the delicately smooth mouthfeel. Chris loved it, saying it was topped only by a few red burgundies in his dining experiences.
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Dark and concentrated color. Very un-Pinot-like nose of pepper, dark spices, clove, and dark berries. The mouth-feel is rich, full of berries, camphor, spice, dark macerated cherries, and dark fruits. It is delicious. But not a Pinot.
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The heat that was present six months ago is starting to fade a bit which makes this more enjoyable. This has improved since I last tasted. 90+ pts., almost 91.
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Powerful, inviting nose of red fruits, soft tannins and a round mouthfeel. Some underbrush and forest floor, but not fully integrated at this point. I'd say hold off another year and see what happens. Very promising, however.
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Very good. Opened a bit more slowly than the '06 RRV tasted with it, but gained complexity throughout the night and became a more interesting wine than its counterpart. Consistent with prior notes.
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Popped and poured at Bouchon Santa Barbara. Accompanied our appetizers including Fois Gras which it paired perfectly with. Bright raspberry red in color. Fairly translucent in glass. Nose was filled with red berry aromas. Surprisingly open at this point, displaying gobs of berries with a bit of almost candy sweetness, but not over the top which is offset by a bit of heat/pepper. A little time should improve this but I don't expect it to be a long cellar wine.
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This is the first Kosta Browne I've had and I approached the bottle with a little bit of trepidation based on the reputation the wine carries for being heavy handed. I've gotta say- I loved the style and didn't think it was overdone at all. Big red strawberry fruit on the nose and a nice amount of spice. Smooth on the palate while still being hearty and a finish that went on for miles. YUM. Would recommend, but don't think I can justify the price and the difficulty in finding. Enjoyed very much though.
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Hot nose, powerful raspberry & cherry fruit and darker undertones with hints of leather and five spice powder. Candied flavor at start alternating between cherry cola and a tootsie roll pop as you approach the chocolate center. Soft oak and then striking acidity at the finish. Flavors evolved over time. Nice wine.
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My first bottle of SC and hopefully not my last. Yummy stuff. Wanted something big to go with some Copper River King and this worked wonderfully. Some nice cola notes on the nose as well as ripe strawberries, dried chalky mushrooms, minerals, anise or celery seed, and some George Brett pine-tar. The strawberries came out on the palate as well as some sweet cherries, a lil oak, spice, tart orange rind, and light clove. Some great juice but the heat in the mid and finish never really went away. A great pairing w/ the Salmon. And...if these guys hold back a lil on the alcohol...I'll be a HUGE fan.
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Deep purple with legs in the glass. Nose of cherry cola. Taste of cherry with a hint of oak and some floral undertones. Decent wine when in the mood for a hedonistic effort.
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14.8% alcohol. Showing big, oaky, and a touch flabby on this night. With air, it opened up better, showing some nice blackberry and black cherry fruit with a hint of earth. Heat on the finish. B+
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Opened not decanted. Showing about a half inch of clarity at the edge of the glass. On the nose: sweet, sticky strawberry, citrus flowers (we have an orange tree in bloom right now) with a touch of dried apricot. On the palate: subtle strawberry, subtle spice, and strong notes of citrus rind. The finish is peppery and a little dry from the alcohol, otherwise everything is in proportion and balance. Gets better as it ages in the glass. Very Good.
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this was my first Sonoma from 2006. It seems a bit lighter with more acid than the RRV, but I think it helped it hold up to the frutta di mare and pacheri and fluke on a cedar plank. The wine was very food friendly and did not overshadow the grilled fish like the RRV might have. Very nice.
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Big aromas of dark fruit and spice upon opening. There was a little heat for the first hour or so, but that soon went away and the rest of the bottle was enjoyed with a salmon dinner. Nice bottle and the wife is happy to know there a 3 more in the cellar.
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Very similar to the ’04 had some 3 months ago. Big expressive raspberry and strawberry present along with spices I couldn’t recognize. Not as acidic as the 04, nice finish.
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89? Some cherry/berry fruit on the nose giving way to mostly earthy smells, medium-heavy palate with some cherry fruit but mostly overwhelmed by earthy flavors that continued through a medium length finish, Off bottle? Brett problem? Reserving final judgment until after tasting at least another bottle.
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drank with moroccan food. nose of mocha, black cherry, raspberry, cola. palate shows raspberry and cola notes, with some sweet strawberry, clove, and nutmeg. palate shows more oak, with notes of vanilla on top of medium tannins. heat builds as it goes down my throat -- to an excessively hot finish that lasts 20 seconds. very nice wine, but the heat holds this back.
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14.8% alcohol. Continuing to integrate. Really stuck out in this lineup, but held its own. Black cherry and blackberry fruit on the nose, with a touch of earth and minerals. Rich and sexy in the mouth, with sappy fruit and good acidity. Touch of oak on the finish, but no heat at all. A-
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Decanted for 30 minutes. In the glass, clear ruby red. On the nose, sour cherries with a slight hint of pinot spice. On the palate, significantly more pinot spice and dark fruit than implied by the nose, but also more high-toned acidity and alcohol. After 60-90 minutes, the alcohol was less noticeable, but it was still there. After 2.5 hours, the wine began to break up, with more alcohol returning. There was a window of about an hour where this wine was a 93 pointer, with a very nice balance of spice, fruit and acidity, flanked on either side of that window by an 85 pointer with diluted flavors and too-strong alcohol. Not clear to me where this wine is headed.
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A darker garnet that tends to explode up front with cherries and ripe plums, before settling into a more mixed and layered set of flavors that in addition to the fruit picks up some pepper, sage, oak, and moss. Nice long finish. Still showing some heat, but it tends to blow off with time open.
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Compared with my first bottle upon release I found this bottle to be a huge dissapointment. Thinking that it would have gained more personality I thought it fell short, and hot/thin. Drinking this blind I would have recognized a shadow of KB's 04 Sonoma Coast but for me, on this night, this wine was maybe a 88 or 89 point rating.
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As usual with KBs, this wine took 2 hours of airtime to come into its own. When it did, it was very nice. Sweet cherry, herb and mineral on the nose. Nice sweet lush mouth of cherry and some spice on the finish. Enjoyed this tasty beverage on the couch.
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Decanted for a hour and a half. Drank over a 2 hour period. Slightly intense alcohol taste at first but got a little better with the time passing. Believe this would be better after another 2 years or so of cellar time.
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Popped and allowed 45 minutes of aeration in bottle. Medium to dark ruby hue. Continually changing and evolving nose includes prominent notes of mixed red & black fruits combined with Pinot spice, including black cherry syrup, ripe strawberry, rhubarb, fresh vanilla bean, and kola nut but evolving into cinnamon stick, crushed cloves, nutmeg....even a touch of allspice. Medium-plus body, moderate tannins and acidity. Although I find the aromas to be at times beguiling over the 4 hours I tasted through this wine, the palate falls a little short and is marred by heat from the alcohol...finish also seems slightly clipped. However, the fruit is pure and the notes of spice quite attractive. All-in-all, it's a tough glass of Pinot to assess and if based on aromatics alone would rate higher in my book. But to reiterate, the aromas are constantly changing and that in itself makes this a fun wine to follow over the course of an evening. And IMHO, this wine should be consumed in the short to mid-term (along with many other '06 Pinots)....no need for the fruit to diminish.
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As other have said, this has really come together over the last 6 months or so. Slightly jammy, but overall very tasty. Decant for an hour and it's ready to go. Serve on the cooler side to compensate for the 14.8%.
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NYC Infanticide (Whym, New York, NY): I really enjoyed this. Five hour decant. Spice and a little alcohol on the nose. Pepper, sweet, a very slight medicinal quality that passed. This was good.
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Dark in color. Not as big as I was expecting it to be. Smooth with good texture. Surprising balance. Black fruits, vanilla and some oak. Medium finish.
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First sip was not very impressive. The nose was great but it was so tight I left it to decant for 2 hours. Wow...What a difference. This is a burgundy style old world wine. Very, very delicate and smooth. Extremely easy to drink, almost to easy. One would never know that is a 14.8 alcohol wine. I had very high expectations for this wine so I am being very critical. It did not live up to the hype. It is a great pinot and very well balanced but it is not what I was expecting. I'll give the next bottle 6 more months.
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Coming into great balan ce. Jammy iwth a little residiual tannin,. A crowd pleaser indeed. Much, much better than my last taste. Rising to the typical Kosta Browne level
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A little hot upon opening. Definitely lots of cherry, ripe berry fruit and the slight alcohol nuance on the back end. Not fantastic, and nothing close to a classic pinot, but an enjoyable wine nonetheless.
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A totally different experience from my previous bottles. Popped and poured and allowed to open in the glass over a few hours. Nice expressive nose of pinot funk, ripe cherries, and herbs. Smooth full palate with ripe red fruit and spices and plenty of cola. flash of heat on the back end but long deep complex finish of herbs, spices and fruit. Still a little hot and a touch over extracted for me, but was much more in balanced and very enjoyable tonight. A nice full bodied pinot with elegant and smooth palate.
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This has really come around since the last time I tried it. The basic cherry has developed into deep, layered, complex fruit flavors. Very ripe, balanced, and memorable. Remember aromas of meat and iodine somewhere in it, along with spice and mushrooms.
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Gorgeous nose with cherry, raspberry liqueor, cola, and molasses or caramel. Big upfront fruit, cherry, raspberry. Doesn't have as much mid palate acidity as the RRV, but still nice.
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Popped and poured, and then consumed over 5 hours. Medium to full-bodied wine that is medium ruby in color. On the nose, dark berries, balsam, and cloves. On the palate, cherry cola, x-mas spice, and light vanilla oak on the very long 30-40 second finish. Typically full-flavored KB fruit here, but a touch cloying right now. This baby could use another year or two in the cellar.
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Went to dinner with friends tonight and had the, a '06 Kutch RRV and a Rivers-Marie SC. Deep dark purple color nose at first was closed with a bit of alcohol. On the palate closed and tight, put to the side for an hour to get air. Revisted an hour later and the nose was more full, with some earth and spice with a nice dark fruity nose. In the mouth this wine was coming together well but was a big wine that was a bit over the top. Another hour and this wine started to smooth out and was more integrated, another year or two bottle time will do this well, but nothing great just a nice wine that was easy to forget when served next to the other's.
While this is a nice wine I am glad I opened it tonight, I don't feel bad about not buying the '07.
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Opened not decanted. On the nose: strong raspberry, bramble fruit and a touch of dried tobacco. On the palate: the initial entry seems low in acidity but high in alcohol. There is strong and vibrant red fruit notes with orange citrus predominating and ending with a dry finish from the heat. Good to Very Good.
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nice flavor profile and depth, but not the same fruit driven approach of previous vintages; excellent wine, but lost out to a Radio-Coteau La Neblina opened from same vintage in wine tasting
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Light in color. Should have decanted. The second glass was better but overall it seems a tad muted from my memory. I miss the cinnamon and concentration of fruit. Not bad but not as good as I remember it.
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This pinot was light in body compared to the 05's KB's for sure. I probably did not allow enough time to breathe (<30 min) but I just didn't get that much expression from this.
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Translucent cranberry color. Pure red and dark fruit nose that invades your nostrils. A very seductive new world nose. Medium weight on the palate with sweet oak treatment. The finish was decent but a bit hot. Overall a wonderfull wine very fun to enjoy with everyone. I think this wine needs a bit of time.
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Decanted 30 minutes and not much on nose or palate. At the two hour mark things were much better. Decent well crafted wine, but I'm not sure it's worth the price.
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Decanted shortly before serving...rich and slightly dark cranberry red...tart red berries on the nose with a little dark cherry and spice undertones. Smooth entry and mid to firm grip at the mid palate with just a tad of heat on the end. Good structure and while the fruit grip was not overwhelming...it did have enough substance and textures to be interesting solo...and it paired well with food.
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Pop & Pour: Generous nose and the initial palate is tremendous. However, the heat on the mid palate and the finish it too much for me. The RRV is clearly the better wine at the moment for me.
Night 2: The heat on the finish is not nearly as strong tonight and the wine is more integrated as a result. Where last night all I got was heat, tonight I'm getting wonderful spices instead. Have to bump the score up from 88 to 90 as a result. This definitely needed a decant on the first night.
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Classic KB - nose, palate, style. You could easily pick this blind. Better than the 05s, maybe not quite up to the 04s. The SC seems to have a touch more heat than the RRV, but still nice. A crowd pleaser.
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The wines from this region are rich in dark fruit, clean earth and broad texture. The aromas are complex and enticing. Ripe black cherrry, lush blackberry with earthy undertones of mushroom, smoke and a dusting of cocoa. On the plate the 2006 Sonoma Coast is a true expression of Sonoma Coast, the 2006 vintage is deep and exotic with layers of ripe black and red fruit and a touch of pie crust. This dense wine fills the palate and yet exhibits hints of minerality, with a lengthy finish. The intense flavors of blackberry, green tea and earthy notes are a prelude to a very long, elegant finish. 100%Pinot Noir 14.8%
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Opened for about 15 minutes but not decanted. Noticeable heat with dark spice on the nose. On the palate: the wine seemed a little jumbled to me with dry citrus, some syrup notes and touches of cola. Still shows awkward and very young characteristics. Fair to Good.
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This is my 1st KB & I'm a lil suprised & very impressed, as I expected it 2 be more cali style (from what I've read but I have very limited experience w/cali pinots) but this is much more traditional in style to me.
Color - traditional pinot color of transparent ruby
Nose - green strawberries, some mushrooms, spices & a hint of pepper
Palate - nice fruit up front @ 1st w/more strawberries but ripe & green and red raspberries lots of spices too.
After over an hour of decanting it becomes more concentrated and some black cherries show. More like baked black cherries. spices are more prevelant w/some cinnamon & pepper & a lil wood. There seems 2 be a mineral aspect to it too! I'm impressed!
93pts (outstanding!) has that extra something that separates amazing wine from the others!
I've heard this should be cellared longer but this is drinking great right now for my palate!
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No formal rating. This needs time or a serious decant; like has already been mentioned, there is more structure to this wine than the '05. I will wait at least another year before opening another bottle.
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A very enjoyable bottle. There is plenty of ripe fruit on the nose with spice and orange rind intermingled with cocoa. The bold, hedonistic fruit showcases a classic Kosta Browne wine that is a mix of dark cherry, raspberry, cocoa, and orange blossoms. There is plenty of structrue to match the deep fruit, and the finish is long and fruit packed. Overall, a hedonistic wine with excellent fruit, an expressive nose, and plenty of structure to pull everything together.
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This is a very hedonostic wine which may not appeal to some people but I love it! Open and ready for business. I opened about an hour before Thanksgiving dinner and was ready to go. I believe the 06's are probably better to open now rather than the 05's.
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We had a "mini-vertical," opening the 2005 and the 2006 vintages of the sonoma coast appelation. The 2005 had a much more perfiumed nose, and was much more concentrated and candied on the palate compared to the '06. The '06 had more structure, and of the two vintages the '06 will probably benefit more from time in the cellar than the '05 will. Of the four of us, two strongly preferred the '05, and two preferred the '06. I was on the side of the '05.
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Clear deep ruby color. Nose shows some heat, but is redeemed by raspberry and strawberry. Same flavors on the palate. Really big, a little hot. Like some other reviewers, I'll try to let some of the rest of my bottles sit for a while and see what happens.
color 5/5 nose 7/10 palate 15/20 balance 7/10 finish 4/5
Second half of bottle on day two was better balanced. Alcohol was softened and the palate was richer and smoother. This bottle definitely needs more than the hour I had given it in the decanter on the first day.
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It's been about 4 or so months since we last visited this wine and it hasn't changed much at all in that time. I can't say that I really expected much of a change and frankly, it's quite good now anyway so any additional development would just have been some extra gravy on top of an already great wine. These KB's are stylistically big, in your face, wines and can overpower simple foods so be careful what you match it up with. I've got one of these left and will try to hang on to it for another year or so before trying it again.
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This was much as before. It had a beautiful nose of wet stone, Asian spice, and ripe crushed strawberries. Again, the heat needed to be held in check by maintaining the wine at between 55 and 60 degrees, a bit cool I know, but it really did help to keep the wine from falling under its own weight. The color was deep ruby, and the length was fine. This is a very well made wine and fit for those who like'em somewhat zoftig.
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Full of warm overtones, earth, tar, fire, spice with just a hint of heat. This is an extremely fragrant and tasty wine. I'll bet the rest will taste even better tomorrow, as the wine keeps opening in the glass, getting more rounded and friendly.
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Dark blackberry and black cherry fruits. Nicely balanced. At the end of the evening, after 4 hours in the decanter more secondary characteristics came out, like cinnamon. The nose never really took off. Very enjoyable bottle. Interested to see how it will evolve.
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Young & kinda sneaky. At frst thinking underwhelmed and way feminine as compared to last night's '06 RRV. Lotsa gingerbread.. But then about 90 mins this really opened up and sang. So although not as in yo face as the RRV another excellent example. Guessing time will do this many favors.
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Roasted red fruit on the nose, some herbal touches as well, touch of forest floor, but the extent that the fruit smells roasted cannot be overstated. Ripe red fruit, raspberry and cherry, with density that it is picked up in the body of the wine. Although heavy, there is much to admire here. Real character in the flavors, acidity that lifts the wine and makes the roasted fruit flavors vibrant. If you do not mind a bit of heat on the finish it is nearly elegant.
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Bright...rich blueberry, strawberry, rhubarb. A little hot...needs a year to better let the fruit and alcohol settle and better integrate. Great as always and will get better with time.
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Still very young, splash decanted through the Vinturi and consumed over the course of 3 hours. Needs more time. At this point, reminded me of a Foxen or Highliner, which is not a bad thing, but would expect more out of KB. I think the rest will sit inthe cellar for another 2 years before re-visiting. More formal notes to come.
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Wow a really nice showing by KB in 2006. My experience with KB goes back to 2003, when I could pick them up for $29.99 at my local wine shop and the guy said don’t worry I have 5 cases! The 2003 was a real treat, tight and primary at first but by the time I had the last bottle in Mar-07 it was ready for business. The ‘05 RRV that I had in May-08 was a too young and I could feel the heat, time to lay that one down for awhile. Fast-forward to the ’06 Sonoma, this was ready from the get go. I chilled this down a bit to 55 degrees before even trying a sip. That worked and thanks to the folks who posted the CT tasting notes. Color: A nice translucent strawberry color. I have been drinking a lot of Cab and Shiraz lately with those dark inky colors so this was visually appealing as I actually could see thru the glass. Nose: This had that kind of nose you keep coming back to, raising the glass, sniffing and holding of on actually drinking the darn stuff. That is what I call a good nose. Taste: I have been typing for 30+ seconds and I can still taste the cherry-cola, and fresh raspberries on my palate. Really nice long finish and I think the best experience with this wine. Cellar-worthy: I was surprised at how well the Sonoma is drinking right now. I have a couple of more bottles and it will be really tough to hold them more than 1-2 years. I have to try my ’06 RRV bottling, which I expect will age a bit longer.
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Very solid wine. Smells like Pinot, tastes like Pinot, but it's ripe, rich, and enjoyable. Definitely a New World style, with ripe strawberry, cherry, and a rich, thick mouthfeel. Nice acid provides balance, and I would guess this will have decent legs--maybe 5-8 years? I probably won't wait that long to drink the couple I have left, but I know I'll enjoy them.
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Another awesome showing. Nose of black cherry, forest floor, creamy blackberry, cola, and spices. First four notes on the palate: cola, cream soda, brown sugar, and pie crust. Some would hate that in a pinot, but it works wonderfully for me. Add in juicy black cherry and some sweet oak, and you've got a winner. Acidity a bit lacking compared to the last bottle, but that is a trifle. Finish goes on forever. Love this. I don't get the alocohol heat noted by other tasters, but then again I like to drink these at 60 deg. F or so.
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Now this is more like it! Lovely berry flavors, a bit ripe, and a tad hot. Word beater Pinot? No, it's but got all the right flavor components, good mouth-feel, a bit young. Just had to get past that bad bottle to test the waters. Will hold the next one for later.
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I think I like these wines in their youth, with vibrant fruit and acid. This had a red fruit base with red raspberry, cola and a candied cherry on the nose which was very pleasing. A lighter style than other vintages, it showed a silky midpalate with just the right amount of acid on the finish. I opt to drink in the near term, before the acid and fruit become disjointed.
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Dark color w/ defined aromas of potpori spice and lavendar. Medium body w/ gentle acidity. Flavors of caramalized berries and plumb, white spice, gummy fruit, and oak. The finish lingers long and savory. This wine is elegantly soft w/ refined complexities.
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floral bouquet on the nose, lot of heat right out of the bottle, taste of licorice, slightly acidic. Bad bottle? Opened up with an hour of sitting time, not well structured maybe could use another six months cellar time. -MGD
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We are on a tear. Grip it and rip it. Tried WH Smith first, now this. Triple the darkness. Clear and clean.
TIM SAYS -- Sexy nose, less obvious fruit than WH Smith. I get more booze on the nose, too. Haven't tasted it yet. OK, holy crap, just tasted it. Massive. This is Pinot? Actually, for as big as it is it retains Pinot character. Kosta Browne is to Pinot as Barry Bonds is to baseball. Same sport, different rules. Heavy on the palate. No dancing. Syrah in the blend? Better than Sea Smoke (which I am convinced is not made form Pinot Noir). This is a rich, beautiful, well-made wine. But what does it say about Pinot? Great wine, fun to drink. Not where I would go for Pinot.
JAMES SAYS - Bright cherry nose, touch of cinnamon. Smells like Christmas - spices and Christmas/Chanukah/Festivus gifts. Light on the nose, heavy on the palate. Manny Pacquiao - might be a lightweight boxer but will knock you out, just like he's gonna knock out de la Hoya in December. You heard it here first. (Editor's note: removed obscenities after complaints.)
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In my view, this wine is too young to drink yet. It has some of the raw materials of the past SC bottlings--nice fruit, richness but the brown flavors and brown sugar sweetness is still a bit forward. I want to see where this wine goes after another six months. Some of the heat others have lobbed at this wine.....I don't find it but I did drink the wine at a cooler temp, which I prefer my pinots at anyway.
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Popped and poured ar Pearl's, Great Barrington, MA. Drank over 45 minutes, opened up somewhat at end. A very good, but not great KB. Tight raspberry tart cherry flavor.
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2nd bottle of the evening. Opened and decanted between 2 and 3 hours. Some heat with dry spice on the nose. Rounder and more plummy fruit than the RR; ends with a dry orange citrus finish. Good to Very Good.
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Not overly impressed with this effort by KB- a bit too much alcohol while being a one dimensional (bright fruits) effort. Good bottle of wine, but so far it's quite overrated. Won't open another bottle of this for at least 4 years...hopefully by then it will have come together.
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Still far too hot at this stage - feels like better than 15.5% alcohol. The oak has yet to sweeten and integrate - give it time, and it will likely be a far different wine.
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Drank on the heels of a DRC Romanee Conti and while a completely different style, wasn't the boorish embarrassment that I thought any new world Pinot would be after that old world elegance. I've had a dozen of these, and most have been very fine, but with some serious heat from the alcohol. This one wasn't nearly as forceful out of the glass...very nice indeed. Perhaps these might be even better in three years?
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Drank this just off the beach in Carlsbad. Funny the people that turned and took a double take at the bottle we were drinking, what fun! On to the wine. A little hot, but wine was not properly chilled so I don't know if that will account for the heat. Lots of fruit and the best way to describe the finish is that it doesn't have that typical pinot taste at the end that I've become accustomed too.
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Started with loads of alcohol on the nose. Tamed down, but not a very serious wine. Plush and jammy with little structure. Ideal for drinking in coffee cups @ a guerilla BYO pizza joint's sidewalk tables. The brown bag from which we poured added an extra touch of pleasure knowing we were hiding this lauded label. The scads of fruits and overblown character fit right and and made this ultra-enjoyable. What more could you want?
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Quite a different profile than the 05, with more cranberry and red currant fruit. Solid, but not the lush fruit bomb I was hoping for. I knew this would be a lean vintage, and this is true to the style. Needs time, and will be an elegant bottle (for KB).
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Excellent. You could just smell this wine all night and have an enjoyable experience -- from the glass waft notes of Asian spices, baking spices, cherries, black cherries, and forest floor. The palate is, as *Vine* described below, "liquid velvet." Super smooth waves of cherry and spice, with nice earthy notes and a long finish. Nice balanced. Good acidity. Firm tannins. No heat. After a 2 hour decant, this was ready to go now, but I suspect it will improve from here for a few years. A notch above the RRV at this point.
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Popped and poured. Nice, dark ruby hue. Pronounced nose full of ripe, red fruits and spices. Medium body. Initially, flavors of oak seemed to dominate (think vanilla bean). After about an hour the fruit really started to shine through with subtle hints of forest floor and minerals adding slight complexity. Really smooth, tannins are so supple. Like liquid velvet. Really an enjoyable drink right now but I'm going to hold my other 2 until next year (at least) as I do believe this will only gain complexity. My first KB, can't wait to try more!
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A couple of weeks ago I opened one of these and my notes say that I thought it would match up well with a wide variety of foods. I opened this bottle for dinner with the wife on her birthday and it matched up great with a marinated tri-tip with roasted red, yellow and orange bell peppers. My preference between the two KB appellation bottlings still goes to the RRV but this one is very nice as well. Same score as before.
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Very nice wine. Preferred to the Russian River at this point. Great cherry and berry flovor along with a nice round finish that encompasses some cola and vanilla notes. Certainly ripe, but well balanced.
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Enticing black cherry and earthy aromas and flavors on the palate with hints of oak and spice culminating in a tasty finish. Classic KB mouth feel and texture holds a lot of promise for the future!
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4th of July Blowout (Chez Rick): I dropped off the mailing list with vintage 2006 and I am glad I did. Still very big in style and comments from other tasters were "pancake syrup", "over extracted" and the like. And I agree. Just too much power for a wine that should be all about finesse. Only good news is that it didn't taste hot and disjointed...balanced wine, but for those who like to drink the candied big style of CA Pinot.
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This was tasted side-by-side with the 06 Benovia Sonoma Coast, and the two were evenly matched. Dark red color with high extraction was easily recognizable. The highly expressive nose pumped out dark cherry, orange blossoms, and spice. This wine was all about ripe, dark fruit with a plush mouthfeel. Structurally, there was enough acidity to keep everything together and the plush profile is typical Kosta Browne style. Where this wine differentiated itself from the Benovia was on the very long finish that highlighted the ripe fruit in the wine. Overall, this was a hedonistic wine with great fruit and an exceptionally long finish.
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Popped and poured. After pouring my first glass, an explosive nose of ripe, sweet fruit and raspberry liqueur soared from the glass. Soft, round plush texture with ripe plum, cola & nutmeg flavors. Tannins don't stick out as you see in many other 2006's. Mid pallete and finish is a bit tarnished with some heat that covers up the concentrated fruit.
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As others have noticed, this wine tastes of strawberry jam, has some nice secondary spices that I come to expect in KB Pinots. This wine however is very hot on the finish. I tried the remainder the second day and I thought I was drinking some wine with a shot of Vodka in it.
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Not extraordinarily complex, but very good. Hit its peak around hour 3. Agree with others that the strawberry flavors predominate, with other ripe red berry mixed in. Looking forward to trying more in a year.
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Having recently had the Kosta Browne Russian River Valley bottling, I thought I would give the Sonoma Coast bottling a try for a good comparison. These two wines could not be more alike and unalike at the same time. This Sonoma Coast offering is very similar in color, but slightly more transparent. It gives up a little more cherry fruit on the nose and the acidity is slightly higher. Flavors are really nice and smooth and while still quite complex, it just lacks a little of the wow factor that you get from the RRV. My preference goes to the RRV as it is a little more well rounded and has a little something extra that puts it over the top. However, this one is still quite good and I do think that the higher acidity level in the SC bottling will help it match up with a wider variety of foods.
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I let this wine breath for 5 hours. The nose had a pretty heavy dose of cherry, but this was tamed a little by the dried herbs and dirt that followed. It ended with some nice licorice and strawberry. The palate was silky and a little sweet, with a nice cherry and strawberry mixture, a hint of dirt, and a finish that had some nice tartness.
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Perfumy nose of candied red berries. Slight touch of heat which almost seared my brain, but blew off. This wine is a bit tight right now...and certainly will benefit from a little bottle time. Palate struggles to emerge, but shows restrained cherries and sweet blackberries. Slightly tart on the finish, but not astringent. I will assume six months will assist in everything coming together.
40+5+5+16+16+8=90
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Nice Pinot overall, just did not knock my socks off like Ithought it would. Good nose of fruit and berries....nice mouthfeel and flavors of cherry, strawberry, and some spice. Not a great QPR, but nice.
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Nice medium red color. Not super dense or concentrated. The nose and palate however are a different story. Nice aromas of cherry cola with some dried leaves and red licorish. The palate is voluptuous with sweet ripe fruit, moderate tannins and decent acidity. The finish is persistent and enjoyable. The wine is young and needs some time to come together, maybe 6 to 12 months. The alcohol is also a little stronger than I'd prefer. Overall though, it's very enjoyable and tasty as the bottle disappeared very quick. 50 + 5 + 12 + 16 + 8
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Super-ripe nose of cherry, strawberry and toasty oak. Palate has more ripe flavours- cherry, strawberry, cola, oak and pink bubble gum. Nice concentration and good ripe flavors. But tastes sweet and marked by oak, and is pushing the line of being over the top. Drink now-2012. 87? pts.
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Drank this one too soon after a sinus infection, but my wife liked it alot. It was interesting to taste a wine with almost no sense of taste - the alcohol was still prominant on the finish. No rating
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My first '06 KB. Still a little tight, but excellent floral notes, with hints of strawberry and melon. Light to medium bodied. Served at around 60 degrees and alcohol was not noticeably obstructive. This wine has good acidity and should continue to improve for at least a few years.
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Really nice bottle of pinot but didn't stand out nearly as much as an '04 we drank 6 months ago, will wait at least a year before opening any more of the '06.
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Floral nose. Subtle light red fruit with good acidity. A little tight, as it is young. Heat on the finish. After being open a half hour, this opened up nicely. Will benefit from another 6 to 12 months of cellar time. If you must approach now, I recommend at least a half hour decant so it opens up and alchohol blows off.... A very pleasant pinot.
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Okay, this was outstanding. The color was more Burgundian in that is was delicate, translucent, and ruddy with some very very slight bricking. It was served right out of the cellar at about 55 to 60 degrees, and I think that that is what's needed to keep the wine in check. As it warmed up, it got more clunky, heavy, and the alcohol became more apparent. This wine had a beautiful floral nose with asian spice, and candied strawberries and cherries. There was some wood, but it was held in check by the temp of the wine, and the body which was medium to full. The length was good, could have been a bit longer, and the wine was very picky as to which foods it went best with. It needed to be paired in a very balanced and not under or overwhelming way. When things went right for this juice, they really went right. I'm glad to have more.
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By mistake I ended up with 2 extra 06 SCs, which I offered to pay for but of course the folks at KB wouldn’t have it. So I decided to try one of these a little earlier than I normally would. Enjoyed this with some friends so no specific notes, just my quick thoughts about what this juice is made of. Right now things are a bit monolithic. Tasty and sweet. Mid to heavy weight fruit with a touch of non fruit elements. Everyone really enjoyed the wine. A big pinot but not a monster. This is not a wine I would age but it certainly needs another 12-24 months and should hold just fine a few years beyond that.
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Initial heat on the nose upon opening but dissipated after a couple of hours in the decanter. Floral with notes of vanilla, baked cherry, spice, strawberry, and licorice. Explodes on the sides and back of palate, mouth pucker, and incredible finish. Soft and feminine yet quite complex. One of my favorites of the year.
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No decanting and drank not to long after coming out of the cellar. I like pinot a touch cooler than other red wines. Cherry cola, stewed red fruits and a small hint of spice and earth on the nose. Better balance on the palate compared to past vintages, with more cherry cola and strawberry syrup. This is a big pinot with solid tannins that should provide the base to age for 4-5 years.
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A floral nose. Very concentrated fruit, berries, but elegant and complex. Really long finish. Really an amazing wine for me and the wife (we both had "ooooh" moments on the first sip). Waited a couple years to get an allocation, well worth it.
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Nice fruit and spice filled nose with a little Dr Pepper and or Cola. More foward than I expected. I thought it would be tighter than this from previous experience drinking Kosta Browne's young. Big concentrated, sweet fruit flavors with a nice backbone to it. This should age extremely well and is already drinking well now. I'm decanting overnight to see into the future.
After 2 hour decant: Very aromatic, lots of earth with sweet red fruit and Cola. Big concentrated sweet fruit with some spice followed by some bitterness. Very smooth. I'd lay it down for a couple of years. I'm repurchasing a few bottles. 93Pts on potential.
Overnight decant: High acidity will help this concentrated Pinot age very well. Silky and elegant in texture but with alot of flavor to it. Very nice albeit overpriced but so is Burgundy.
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A bit young still, but gorgeous in its youth. Blackberry, cherry, spice on a medium-bodied frame. Has a floral quality to it as well. Not nearly as extracted as I expected -- a thoroughly elegant wine. This will be even better in a few years.
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Decanted 1+hr’s. Beautiful, floral nose of lightly candied red cherries, asian spices, a touch of earth and a hint of violets. Crushed red cherry flavors on the palate along with lots of black berry and dark spices with a solid backbone of acidity. Soft attack, then builds on the palate while maintaining a nicely layered texture followed by even more spice on the long finish.
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Similar color and nose to the Russian River, but more heat and tannins. 1 hour of decanting did not help all that much, still a bit out of balance, but enjoyable for some but not all of the guests. Needs a couple of years to hopefully mellow out a bit.
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I couldn't wait anymore. This was my first KB. Decanted with an aerating funnel for 1 hour. Very creamy in the mouth. Nose of cherry, spice (maybe nutmeg) and raspberry. Medium finish... 30 seconds. Very enjoyable. 91-93 points.
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Rather closed unimpressive nose with some cherry. Tons of heat on the palate, the alcohol really hides the wine. Finish was long, but not particularly interesting. Was rather disappointed given the reputation. Won't try the other bottles for a couple of years.
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Reticent for a KB; it takes a long, long while to open up. The nose is slightly candied, with cherries, menthol, and nutmeg the main elements. The palate's more intense, with raspberry and sharp spice showing up by the last glass. The eternal finish turns an otherwise good wine into a very good one. This one is perfectly consistent, both stylistically and qualitatively, with the '04 and '05 versions.
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Opened a couple of days after receiving it. Initially reticent, it opened considerably after a few hours. Had a cherry vanilla cola thing going, very enjoyable but still too young. Look forward to trying again in a year.
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Weak. I much prefered the 2004 and 2005 editions of thid wine. I slightly prefered the 2006 Russian River to the Sonoma Coast, but both were very close. A disappointment.... even decanting didn't help here.
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Bright, cherry cola fruit - forward and red. Not so forward where it's overbearing - actually quite balanced on the palate with a firm acidity. Enjoyable wine.
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Popped and poured right off the truck. Light garnet in color all the way to the rim. The nose has a nice aroma of spice box and damp earth. The flavors are very concentrated and complex. Cherry, raspberry, cola, and a touch of oak on the long finish which also has a nice peppery finish. It might improve some in the bottles but it drinks pretty well right now. Another great wine from this winery.
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Popped and poured right off the truck. Nice cherry nose. Cherry, a little cola, some bramble and spices on the palate. A tad sweet. A bit more restrained than previous vintages. Good.
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Tasted at the 2nd Annual Freeman Caves Dinner for VinoCellar.com - (Sonoma area, California). A lighter color than previous vintages but too candied for my tastes.
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Kosta Browne is my favorite Pinot. This one was okay for me. Initially it was a little rough around the edges. After 30 minutes it smoothed out some but there was still heat present on the finish.
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8/26/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: 86 Points
Winefool Going Away Party and Cellar Depletion (Jack's Bistro - Chicago IL): Tasted 2 days ago, note from memory. Getting tired but clearly still alive. Better than the 2006 Koplen, but not as good as the Sonoma Coast 2007.
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3/15/2023 - Senso-beak wrote:
PnP, spaghetti and meatballs night. Medium body with clear liquidy and glycerol. Medium strawberry on the nose, with the pomegranate reduction braise so typical. On the palate, watery fruity notes, again strawberry. There's some deeper bruised fruit notes as well, and some evidence that this is a pinot. Solid.
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12/1/2021 - BobbaWA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Was waiting for a life changing event to open our first-ever bottle of KB purchased, but decided that Wednesday, Dec 1st was fine. Wine is starting to rust just a bit, but still full of fruit and complexity. Cherries come through, but so does a hint of licorice and many other harmonious elements. I wouldn't wait any longer to open if I had more. Lovely.
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8/22/2021 - RedorDead wrote: 93 Points
Amazing at this age it is still this fresh.
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1/25/2021 - JoeDwine wrote: 91 Points
With Artichoke Calzone.... showing its age, baker’s chocolate, sage, Brazil nuts? very linear except fruit about gone...
2nd Hour-more integrated Brown Sugar, Cherry Pit, dusty light tannin
think this will still go a little further in a couple of years.
3rd Hour-Going stronger and finish is strong. Upgrade score to 91.
Day 5 from 187ml-with Duck Confit salad- fading but good compliment to food. Apricot, Pruned dark fruit with cherry and more Burgundian profile.
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1/11/2021 - Chrisinroch wrote:
No formal notes but drinking nicely from passive cellar since release
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10/19/2020 - Paul Lin wrote: flawed
Corked
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9/30/2020 - oaxaca90049 wrote: 92 Points
Still drinking beautifully.
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5/31/2020 - ebruin12 Likes this wine: 90 Points
A llittle past it’s prime IMO
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10/17/2019 - Senso-beak wrote: 89 Points
Opened and poured. Showing some age.....medium body, plummy, pomegranate, cherry elements. A bit hot. Showing pedigree, though not spectacular.
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3/29/2019 - J @ y H @ c k Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for an hour and then followed for two hours. This is really, really good. Light Barolo violet nose. Smooth, just starting to take on some of the tertiary flavors of age. I guessed it was a 2005 Hospices Premier Cru. Red fruit. Very long finish. No Calif pinot funk. Great balance with an almost velvety mouth feel. Some spice and a bit of acidity. Will probably last another decade.
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1/31/2019 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 90 Points
2006 Retrospective (Central Coast, CA): Outperformed the KB Russian River of the same vintage, with an enjoyable mix of strawberry and framboise notes. Nothing memorable though...
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12/15/2018 - dslaven wrote:
Drank at 2 Spring Bar with Lauren. Could be a little late. Not as concentrated as some more recent years.
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5/2/2018 - Andrew H Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still doing well … fruit a touch faded but nice chocolate and spice notes. A hint of heat but well within control.
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2/27/2018 - Chiantihound wrote:
Smooth but still Cali style Pinot. Coca-Cola.
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12/17/2017 - numcwrt2 wrote: 93 Points
Adequate acid, tannins resolved, strong notes of black cherries. Drinking terrific and likely at its peak but should hold a few more years. If memory serves, this particular bottling (Sonoma Coast) always drank 'sweeter' than the RR counterpart, but that has seemed to tone down to some extent. I wish remained on this list as I always thought KB was the better of the Pinot Posse producers.
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8/5/2017 - Eric.S wrote: 91 Points
Deeelicious. Tannins totally resolved, but some fruit remains, although it doesnt pop like it probably used to. Raspberry, strawberry, cherries, milk chocolate, and an unexpected freshness uplifting the palate, like underripe watermelon. A truly silky finish, but a touch of heat detracts.
Probably a bit past prime, drink up!
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10/5/2016 - winepog wrote: 91 Points
Drinking well, but time to drink up - my sense.
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3/2/2016 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 84 Points
Aged Cherry cough syrup. The 14.8% came through loud and clear (just like cough syrup.....) and the lack of acid and other fruits only exacerbated the remaining savory-ness of this hot mess.
I'm not really blaming anyone but myself for this one - I mean I knew when I bought it I was probably making a BIG mistake but I wanted to see what the new turks were doing at the time so I pretty much (totally) ignored common sense and joined the long line of lemmings marching over the cliff. Somehow there is a certain undefinable comfort in numbers (I mean if X zillion are lining up to buy this it must be good, right?!). Umm, no.
Storage conditions were perfect since I obtained this at release from the winery (underground, commercial refrigeration system, yada yada yada).
OK so is it just my particular palate or this particular bottle (I mean the reviews, even recent ones have been strong)? With respect to the particular bottle all I can say is that an earlier one tasted a few years back was just as bad so...... and as for my palate, ok, I get it - we're all different so I shared my newly opened bottle with several others, WITH NO PRIOR COMMENTS, HINTS, EYE ROLLING, SNICKERS, WHATEVERS. The first person said tasted like some kind of bad youngish port wine or something and they refused to drink more. The second person said it smelled burnt or cooked and mentioned the cherry cough syrup which I had already picked up on.
So what do I think is behind the ratings disparity? I'll save those thoughts for another day, but we just went back to the cellar and brought up a nice O-noir to drink with dinner instead!
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9/22/2015 - RAMwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened immediately after removal from the cellar, at 55 degrees. Let it breath, and warm up, for about 30 minutes. Nose was full of spices and a chocolate earthiness from the first sniff. On the palate, the wine seemed somewhat closed. I procrastinated for another half hour or so and the wine began to open. Lots of spices with come tannins slowly coming through. As the next hour went by, some berry fruit began to emerge. All in all, a very enjoyable Pinot from a not-so-great vintage. Kosta Browne is hard to beat.
Well, then again, there's always Rochioli Single Vineyards.
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7/31/2015 - PJHaveron Likes this wine: 94 Points
Best bottle we've had of this vintage - elegant and polished from the first sip, great mix of bright berries with just a bit of earthiness - still drinking really well. Gorgeous garnet color. Paired perfectly with fish and veal entrees at a French bistro. Lovely stuff.
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6/25/2015 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow, drinking well, needs time in a great glass, like a Zalto. Bright color, tasting pinot natural, strawberry, good finish, still has time and that s what a great btl of wine needs.
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4/12/2014 - Andrew H wrote: 90 Points
In a very good place right now. Heat seems to have burned off.
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4/12/2014 - travelme Likes this wine: 92 Points
My last bottle. A dark purple in color. Nice hints of strawberry, bing cherry, and baking spices. A really smooth and classy Pinot. Highly recommended. Paired nicely with a beautifully prepared steak at Central Market in Petaluma.
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3/26/2014 - scott davis wrote: 90 Points
Medium purple in color, with cranberry, sandalwood, and black tea aromas. On the palate, red berry, blueberry, sweet leather, and wet earth flavors show. Round mouth feel, with a bit of heat on the finish.
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2/24/2014 - BRR Likes this wine: 90 Points
The mid-palate wasn't as full as I had hoped on this. Great aromatics (no heat that I noticed), good attack, but a thin middle. Good finish. Red and blue fruits, some cola, some we earth. Drink up.
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2/23/2014 - Hazevedo wrote: 92 Points
- Ruby color.
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2/21/2014 - JOJ wrote: 75 Points
Another over-the-hill, shot bottle. See notes of 11/22/13.
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12/25/2013 - sirswami wrote: 91 Points
After drinking this wine and the KB Russian River Valley consecutively, I think they both are excellent offerings but I give the slight nod to the KB Sonoma Coast which came across with a little bigger and fuller presentation.
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12/4/2013 - subir wrote: 94 Points
This is now a very, very good wine, dark ruby in the glass with a hint of age on the edge. The fruit has mellowed quite a bit, as have the tannins and there is a lot more spice along with earthy aromas. Feels lighter than it did three years ago, significant residue at the bottom of the bottle. In general I liked this a lot more than I did when it was young, it feels like a more refined, cooler-climate Pinot now, what I would expect from Sonoma. Popped and poured, was almost perfect, left it in the bottle with a little vacuvin overnight, tasted great the next day though the aromas were fainter. I expect this will last another 5-7 years, but it was my last bottle. Bravo!
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11/28/2013 - Chefkat wrote: 91 Points
One word. Wow!
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11/22/2013 - JOJ wrote: 80 Points
Second unpleasant bottle (purchased on release, stored at 55 degrees) this year confirms that this wine is over the hill. Roasted/raisin/prune/oxidized nose, with a hint of cherry of liqueur. On the palate, more cherry liqueur, with a healthy dallop of raisin and roasted meat.
I have many '06 California pinots that are really hitting their stride now. This one is done and gasping for air on the infield.
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11/9/2013 - madeiradog Likes this wine: 89 Points
A little too ripe for my preferences but very pleasurable. Very sweet fruit with little else.
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10/16/2013 - air guitar & pinot noir Likes this wine: 93 Points
This reaffirms to me the staying power and excellent winemaking prowess of KB. I referenced my earlier tasting notes on this vintage and this bottle still exemplified much of those comments while presenting a mature, fully integrated drinking experience. Lovely black fruit on a lovely palate delivery that orchestrates nose, mouth feel and flavor in a winning collaboration. Still presents the fresh, quality fruit you expect from this standard-bearer. Excellent bottle.
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9/22/2013 - leadpencil wrote: 93 Points
Earthy cola
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8/31/2013 - btock wrote: 88 Points
I think I missed the peak on this one. Had just enough of a candied nose and mouthfeel, a bit on the pruney side. Would have been better when the fruit was more primary. Was better than tonight 'back in the day'. Drink 'em up!
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8/27/2013 - scott davis wrote: 90 Points
Medium purple, with the slightest bricking in color. Cranberry and orange rind aromas show with sandalwood and cedar notes. The mouth features dried cherry, tart blackberry, cranberry, and damp earth flavors, which are full but not heavy. There’s a touch of heat on the finish.
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8/11/2013 - profiler54 wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured 30 min later. Served in Riedel Vinum Burgundy stems. @ 65 F . Medium intensity garnet color,pronounced nose and palate of baked black cherry, cola, vanilla oak . Medium body... Palate was dry with medium plus acidity and low to medium tannins, with a pronounced intensity of fruit. very new world fruit forward fuller bodied style pinot.
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7/15/2013 - NY Wino wrote: 93 Points
Wine has really mellowed out and showing great spice. Fruit is still there big time, but less dominant than most KB's. These can actually age pretty well...at least this one did.
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5/19/2013 - sunalsorises wrote: 95 Points
Of all the wines I have consumed over the years KB wines haven been the toughest to judge. Sometimes I think they are great with layers of fruit and long finish. Then there are times they seem over the top, off balance with too hot on the finish. Last night it drank beautifully. Maybe because it followed a white. Maybe because it was opened for about an hour before drinking. Whatever the reason when it drinks so beautifully, I regret stop buying KB.
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4/24/2013 - Knicksfan wrote: 91 Points
Rich and lush as always. a it mellower with age but still fruit forward and jammy.
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3/28/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 88 Points
clear, red ruby in color. blackberry, cherry, floral, earth, on the nose. blueberry, blackberry, cherry, black tea, smoke, earth, on the palate. big acid on this lingering finish.
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3/19/2013 - JFish wrote:
Quick TN: My last bottle of Kosta Browne. Popped and poured. Big dark fruit and alcohol jumped out of the glass. On the palate, it was fairly dense for a pinot and the only pinot typicity I could detect was cola - otherwise it was more syrah-like with a bit of heat on the back end. Not my cup of tea anymore, but drinking well enough if you go for that sort of thing. Decent pairing with beef tacos.
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3/18/2013 - Grape_ape wrote: 86 Points
Boozy nose of stewed fruit and alcohol. Very ripe dark fruits on the nose, not quite as hot as the nose would imply, but for me this was a bit overdone, and I think age has not helped as it seems a bit tired as well.
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3/12/2013 - Senso-beak wrote: 89 Points
Opened and poured. Thin looking in the glass, dark ruby to clear at the rim. Toasted nose of rum drenched strawberry, brown sugar, molasses, booze, humidity and toast. Strong mature flavor profile, with plenty of dark sweet fruit , showing some secondaries. There's also a tart quality that came out. Day two + under vac-u-vin, this has taken on sherry notes, yet remains with a dark sweet core with a light shell. Has lost the explosive KB nose and burst, but still quite drinkable.
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3/12/2013 - wood Likes this wine: 93 Points
VERY different pinot, almost shiraz-like. Darker than most pinot I've had. Very complex, yet very fruity and flamboyant. Difficulty in identifying specific flavors with all that was going on. I didn't find anything subdued about this wine like many others have posted. I believe this might be the most forward, in-your-face pinot I've ever had.
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3/8/2013 - JOJ wrote: 89 Points
Disappointed with how these are aging. On the nose, black cherry, orange rind, pine, baking spice and alcohol. Flavors of black cherry, raspberry, and cola, with a spicy finish that ends with alcohol heat. Monolithic. I generally like my pinots (yes, California pinots) with 5-10 years of age on them, but bottles over the last few years have convinced me that this wine was significantly better younger.
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3/7/2013 - Bob & Sue Atlanta wrote: 93 Points
Awesome California Pinot
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2/26/2013 - stewartsalien Does not like this wine: 83 Points
The wine was a dull, slightly brackish color and tasted out of balance, with the remaining fruit being overwhelmed by the alcohol. It tasted as if it was ten years older than it was and seemed to have aged prematurely. . . I'll have to visit my other 2006's from them, but I was not impressed.
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2/18/2013 - tomlee wrote: 92 Points
The wine is a blend of four vineyards: Gap's Crown, Miron, Kanzler and Dutton Manzana. 37% new oak and 14.8 ABV. The wine is a light red, almost translucent, in color. Elegant and balanced with a aromas of cherries and green tea. Sweet red fruits, brown sugar, pomegranate, rhubarb, pie crust and spice cake. Aging gracefully. Drink over the next year or so. Making a mental note to check in on the '06 KB Single Vineyard wines later in the year.
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2/8/2013 - Nanda wrote: 89 Points
For a KB, I found this a little subdued and dull - which kills what I enjoy in the usually flamboyant KB pinots. Nose had subdued red fruit that wasn't all that delineated nor did it have much pop. Palate was richly fruited but muted with not much going on. A little flat. Have had much better KBs.
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12/14/2012 - Neuman wrote: 92 Points
big ,rich Pinot style. served with duck..yum
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12/2/2012 - marka wrote: 90 Points
Big, but nice and soft. However, compared to the 2008 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanée it didn't do so well. I did enjoy it with braised beef shortribs. Nice fruit and balance despite being "big." Last of the KB with no plans to buy more.
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12/1/2012 - topher18 Likes this wine: 85 Points
Nose is subdued red fruit and a bit of rose. Not as much alcohol heat as the bottle I opened in 2008. Nice cherry, some cola, and maybe a bit a mint (??). Soft tannins. Just like in 2008, there is still a bit too much alcohol over the fruit.
Overall, major disappointment for a $55 bottle.
color 5/5
nose 6/10
taste 15/20
balance 6/10
finish 3/5
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12/1/2012 - topher18 wrote: flawed
What a disappointment! This bottle is oxidized and dead. The nose is like a glass of sherry, very raisiny.
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11/23/2012 - raydawgone wrote: 94 Points
Popped & poured at Thanksgiving. Rasperry liquor with hints of smoke, minerals and spice cake. Prime time drinking window! Consistently one of KB's top bottlings.
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11/22/2012 - D.Callahan wrote: flawed
Well stored but this wine was dead.
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11/4/2012 - jlgnml wrote: 92 Points
Very deep color, wonderful nose, awesome flavor
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10/14/2012 - Screameagle wrote: 88 Points
This bottle was slightly off. Browning edges. Drinkup
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10/3/2012 - JFish wrote:
Quick TN. Popped and poured. Typical in my experience, good fruit (mostly cherry, red raspberry) and acidity but the heat on the back end colors the experience. Fit what I was looking for tonight but not something I can drink every night.
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9/11/2012 - Screameagle wrote: 88 Points
to me definitely on the decline after perfect storage since it was released. Drink up
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8/28/2012 - Papies wrote: 90 Points
This wine is a tale of too cities. The nose is elegant, open, full of red pinot fruit and very light oak. Such a beautiful nose. The palate speaks of the heat in the vintage, big in alchohol (proudly says 14.8% on the label), big in tannin and with some harsh notes on the end. Shame cause the nose is one to love! 89-91
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8/13/2012 - Blair Curtis wrote: 90 Points
There is no mistaking this for Burgundy. It is a big, boozy "party wine" (the girlfriend's words...right on). This is a big old St. Bernard dog that slobbers all over your face. It just wants to love you, but you might be a little put off by how it gets in your personal space. Big huge blast of cherry cola. Bright and almost effervescent mouthfeel, followed by some alcohol heat. Gets into your sinuses. I typically drink Burgs, so I have to ignore the Burg frame of reference for this wine. Luckily I have tasted a good few Cali-Pinots this year - many while touring in California - so I believe I can judge this wine in relation to its peers. If you love the style, you may feel this is even better than a 90 pointer.
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8/11/2012 - S2 wrote: 88 Points
Thick with alcohol. Lots of dark fruits with noticeable alcohol and a decent finish. I am sure some like this wine, but it just is not what I prefer in a Pinot Noir. No technical flaws just not my style.
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7/21/2012 - sirswami wrote: 91 Points
Big red fruit flavors up front (almost cherry cola like) that followed through well made this a very fun start a big red wine night. If you like pinots that are more substantial than delicate and more adventerous than refined, you will enjoy this wine as I did.
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7/6/2012 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 88 Points
This wine is either an 82 or a 95, depending on what you think fine wine tastes like. I mean you would think its somewhat simple, but this wine is just such a divider. On the one hand, it hurts to drink this wine. Yes, it actually stings when the wine hits your palate - its THAT concentrated, powerful, intense. On the other hand, if you like cola, power, cinnamon, berries, and oak, this baby is for you.
At 6 years it hasn't even begun to calm down. I think a few ice cubes in the glass actually improve this wine, but what do I know.........
Wow, you say, what a wine. I would like a bottle like that!
But would you really?? To paraphrase Matt Kramer (my favorite wine writer/commentator/columnist.....), just because you can make a wine like this, would you actually want to drink it??
This wine is a freak of nature, and I am sorry to say, is not the better for it. This no holds bared, petal to the metal, all or nothing approach certainly leaves no prisoners behind, one way or the other.... but there is no actual JOY in drinking it.
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6/30/2012 - mavericks wrote:
with Val, Megan, Neil, Beth, Woody and Laura for crab roll and fun dinner
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6/9/2012 - WineKnurd wrote:
NC Tasting 09 June 2012 JohnR's New House (JohnR's New House Wake Forest): Cherries, tomato leaf, and appreciable alcohol on the nose (14.8%). Cherries, strawberries, cranberries, and alcohol on the palate, reminds me of a Sea Breeze cocktail. Very much one dimensional upfront red fruits. Not as jammy as the 07. In my opinion a terrible value for what it delivers but I would rather have a red Burg.
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6/5/2012 - gzim wrote: 90 Points
Nice showing, snappy red fruit, nothing overblown, very fresh finish.
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6/3/2012 - psoals wrote: 91 Points
A big crowd pleaser, showing a touch more earth notes than we usually expect. Enjoyed by everyone.
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5/20/2012 - Texas Jerky wrote: 93 Points
Real depth and character on this wine.
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5/8/2012 - Screameagle wrote: 90 Points
I didn't like this as much as previous posters but it was enjoyable never the less. Seems to be at its prime no need to wait. I will drink my remaining bottles over the coming year
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4/27/2012 - profiler54 wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured 30 min later. Served in Riedel Vinum Burgundy stems. @ 65 F . Medium intensity garnet color,pronounced nose and palate of baked black cherry, cola, vanilla oak . Medium body... Palate was dry with medium plus acidity and low to medium tannins, with a pronounced intensity of fruit. very new world fruit forward fuller bodied style pinot.
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4/13/2012 - pmarlo wrote: 94 Points
4/11/12-Had with McCormick and Schmick fish dinners. Much better that my original note in 2009. As i have reported before, Kosta wines are slow to unfold. Same with this one but no harsh flavors. Nice fruit. Looked like slightly bricked when poured but no harm. Again one of the most prominent features of Kosta wines is their mouthfeel. This one was thick and silky. Thick and slow forming legs ran fat. Nose somewhat muted but became more prominent longer in glass. Last glass the best as fruit began to emerge. The wine was flavorful without overwhelming the three distinct fish dinners at the table, two which were crusted (parmesan, cashews) and it allowed those flavors to remain and emerge. Recommended highly. I would not age more than five more years as I think the 2006 is drinking well now but could hold on and develop. I've had a handfull of Kosta wines-this one was at the 10 year mark-and it was no where close to fading. The 2006 vintage got a lot of mediocre reviews for high alcohol/low fruit, but I think they needed time, and have felt so since their release.
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4/9/2012 - davidspieker wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby color. Black cherry, cola, vanilla, and baking spice aromas. Rich with nice weight. Well integrated with a lengthy finish. A bit too much heat.
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4/8/2012 - dinwiddie wrote: 94 Points
Easily the favorite wine consumed at dinner (among 10), this wine remains my sister's favorite. Wonderful nose of cherry, raspberry, and spice. Nice full body, long finish. great mouthfeel. Well integrated tannins, not overly oaked, nice acidity. This is the kind of wine that you love or hate, and we love it.
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4/7/2012 - capnkirk wrote: 95 Points
This was the last pinot noir we served at my wife's birthday dinner. It was a kind of reward I gave to myself since I silently enjoyed this glass of wine poured after we had all eaten. It was so delicious that it tasted better than dessert. Full bodied, long finish, deep tannins. It feels like we get the complexity of pinot noir with the long history of cabernet savignon winemaking from this part of the country.
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3/28/2012 - zheem wrote:
I wish I hadn't bought so many of these. They do not age gracefully. I would be very enthusiastic if this was a $25 early drinking guzzeler. At $50, not so much.
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3/18/2012 - Double D wrote: 93 Points
6 years seems a perfect age for not only RRV pinots but Sonama Coast as well. I was never overly impressed with KB or Dehlinger until I kept my hands off of it for 5-6 years....then the enjoyment started. I did not take any specific notes but this bottle was very enjoyable with a Pork Egg Foo Yung dinner.
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3/2/2012 - jfkwines wrote:
Just ok, subdued cola, not sweet or overwhelming but the most prevalent flavor
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2/29/2012 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Last of a six pack. Held up over the five plus years from harvest. Very big Pinot for those who like them that way.
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2/23/2012 - NY Wino wrote: 92 Points
dark ruby color, nose has lots of cinnamon spice and the wine has raspberry, oak and good acidity. Could come together a bit better but overall drinking nicely.
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2/18/2012 - JOJ wrote: 90 Points
Melange of deep black cherry, orange rind, forest floor, anise and Asian spice on the nose. Palate offers chalky raspberry, black cherry, with citrus and mineral notes. Fairly tannic. A bit too monolithic to score higher.
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2/6/2012 - jnanz wrote:
Both this and the bottle I had in December were disjointed and hot with notes I have not commonly associated with Pinot Noir. Fruit has faded and or given way to darker more alcoholic notes. I think this has fallen off. The bottle I had a year ago seemed to be in much better shape, maybe I got the vintage wrong last year? I've had a number of 2006 KB Pinots over the past 3 months (all except the 4-barrel, Gary's and Rosella's) and believe they are all in decline.
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2/4/2012 - mikdal wrote: 94 Points
Raspberries and strawberries on the nose. Taste is absolutely fantastic. Perfect balance, sweet fruit, mellow tannins. One of the best pinots I´ve had so far...
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2/4/2012 - marka wrote: 87 Points
- Crimsom color and aromas of bell pepper, raspberry, rose, oak and alcohol. It's lacking fruit and has flavours of raspberry with a medium/full body.
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1/21/2012 - petitblanc wrote: 90 Points
Still showing the usual smokey, leafy, dark pinot fruit and fumey alcohol. Reasonable for sipping, tough with food. At A&S with pizza.
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1/18/2012 - Porchino wrote: 89 Points
Tasted again in London and again not world class
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1/8/2012 - ListenToMeWine wrote: 90 Points
Good at this point, expected a bit more, but could be at its peak. A nose of red fruit, a bit of black tea and spice. Nose was the shining star, lacking in finish.
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1/2/2012 - domco wrote: 80 Points
I think this one put me over the top... I'm giving up on the KB's. We've tried a half dozen bottles over a few different vintages, and haven't been too impressed with any of them. I thought another note said it well when they referenced drinking wine with a shot of vodka in it. To me, it's just a hot mess with alcohol overwhelming everything on the nose and palate.
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12/28/2011 - BonnieM wrote:
This may be a bit past its prime, had a bit of an acidic edge
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12/27/2011 - Meerlust wrote: 91 Points
This palate is packed with ripe, pure red fruits, cocoa, Tootsie Roll, and spice notes. It comes across as medium-bodied with solid acidity and a long finish. Overall, this has been a pleasure to drink because of its expressive nose and deep flavors.
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12/23/2011 - jimmythesaint wrote:
Decanted and drank over the evening. The bottle was hot, too sweet and just out of whack.
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12/1/2011 - JonnyB wrote: 88 Points
I have had 2 of my 2006 KB Sonoma's, which have been stored offsite since release in 2008, over the last week and they were both very good but unremarkable. Either they are asleep or are done already. I am thinking these should be drunk within a year of release.
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11/27/2011 - capnkirk wrote: 93 Points
High quality winemaking. Dark rich well balanced tasting of plum and chocolate. Deep rich earthy smell.
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11/25/2011 - mulder wrote: 92 Points
New world? yes, but for some reason I have special place for these ripe pinots. It is as you expect cherry cola, ripe red fruit, and spice. Palate bursts with berries and cola with strawberries appearing on the mid-palate onto the long finish. This wine does not hide what it is full-throttle CA Pinot.
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11/24/2011 - dkroc wrote: 92 Points
Fantastic.. Floral bouquet on the nose, berries, cloves, hint of cinnamon, very easy drinking... Upset I had to share my last bottle with the in-laws for turkey day
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11/23/2011 - smokie wrote: 92 Points
Getting better. Not bad for the full throttle style.
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11/14/2011 - amgryger wrote:
NY/NJ Offline at Ciano (Ciano, NYC): Oak and sweet cherry syrup on the nose. Similar notes on the palate. Full-bodied with low tannin and acid.
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11/2/2011 - theodore3 wrote: 94 Points
This was very delicious. Tremendous balance and finish.
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10/31/2011 - smphelps wrote: 93 Points
Garnet color. 2 1/2 years after first note, this strikes me as at it's peak. The up front heat referred to in 2009 seems largely resolved leaving a full bodied, somewhat oily offering of rich multi faceted fruit ranging from strawberry and cranberry but moving darker in the mouth to blackberry, plum and blueberry. The secondary characteristics of cedar, sage, asian tea, pepper and tobacco are in full development. A treat.
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10/21/2011 - WineGeneral wrote: 89 Points
Floral nose w/ some savory notes; cherries on the palate; only complaint is there is a bit too much heat throughout.
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10/20/2011 - TwistedArmadillo wrote: 93 Points
As stated before - this is drinking REALLY well right now. Only two bottles left - what a treat. If you are holding drink up - you will not be disappointed. The heat that many complain of is subtle at this point, raspberry jammy notes on the nose - smooth finish.
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10/18/2011 - cawineaux wrote: 92 Points
Perfectly stored in a refrigerated, humidity controlled cellar. Bottle decanted for 1.5 hours. Beautiful nose of earth, tobacco, and red raspberry. The palate was not as concentrated as previous bottles, but opened up with bright fruits, and rich vanilla undertones. There's an earthiness to this bottle that I had not noticed before.
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10/17/2011 - eszencia wrote:
The heat of past bottles has dissipaited, replaced by more mature red fruit in the aroa & palate. Enjoyed more than the last bottle.
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10/2/2011 - jshufelt wrote: 86 Points
Third and last bottle, and not really consistent with the previous tasting. In this case, more floral notes on the nose, more tartness on the palate, and we have an alcoholic, disjointed finish. Really don't know what to make of KB in recent vintages.
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9/30/2011 - Meerlust wrote: 92 Points
Dark, reddish purple color. The nose displayed darker fruit than the 06 Benovia Sonoma Coast PN. There was blackberry, some charry notes, juniper, and lovely orange blossom. On the palate, there is ample blackberry and orange blossom as well as cola and spice notes. Structurally, this full-bodied wine has good acidity and the hallmark, plush mouthfeel I expect from this wine. The finish is quite long, fruit packed, and spicy. Overall, this wine continues to be everything that is great about this producer's wine - plush mouthfeel, hedonistic fruit, and great size.
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9/28/2011 - jfkwines wrote: 91 Points
Definetly in the sweet spot now. The cola flavor of years past is now cherries, with a hint of sweetness, and the strawberry flavor has a touch of vanilla. I really enjoyed the wine with dinner tonight as we highlighted sweet new year items such as a kugel, sweet potatoes and brisket. I feel the "strength" of this wine has finally relented andthe aging now will go towards the typical older Pinot Noir flavors that some favor, not me.
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9/27/2011 - gdbarton1@gmail.com wrote: 88 Points
Clear medium light cherry. Sweet red candied fruit nose. Medium bodied, candied red fruit, sweet muddled finish. Not overly impressive
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9/6/2011 - CADomer wrote: 91 Points
Similar notes to last bottle. Showing quite well and very enjoyable, as always.
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9/5/2011 - cadamson wrote: 90 Points
First in almost a couple years....was surprised as it was actually pretty good. Mellowed some, nicely, nice fruit, actually constrained. Perhaps I wrote the others off to soon?
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8/26/2011 - puterdewd wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well right now.
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8/16/2011 - TwistedArmadillo wrote: 92 Points
Awesome, awesome, awesome - wow what a delight. As stated in previous notes. This wine is a peak performance. I will be working through the rest of my bottles - awesome.
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8/2/2011 - hanasowner wrote: 90 Points
Popped, decanted (due to some minor sediment) and poured. Light in color. Lively nose with bright strawberry fruit and some earthiness. Pleasant mouthfeel, smooth, but not much of a finish. Unlikely I am a future buyer at this price point, but have several bottles of 2005-2007 of both this and RRV to work through. Went well with hummus and other apps.
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7/15/2011 - markjahnke wrote: 92 Points
The best one yet!
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7/14/2011 - drycab wrote:
Typical young Kosta Browne. Needs another couple of years under its belt for the sweetness to subside a little and the real character to shine through. You can tell it's there, but one shouldn't have to coax it out the way one does now. It'll come, give it time!
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7/3/2011 - Porchino wrote: 89 Points
All heat
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6/19/2011 - bigdogflow Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tremendous depth and long finish.
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5/25/2011 - eric42 wrote: 89 Points
Nice nose, but smells like a Zinfandel -- strawberry jam, some wood. Rich mid-palate with very nice flavors of raspberry, cherry, oregano. Very spicy early, black pepper. The thing that hurts this wine, in my opinion, is the finish. It is abrupt, thin, and very hot. Overall though, it is still a pretty nice bottle of wine.
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5/23/2011 - budman wrote: 92 Points
Good bottle. Lots of flavor, mostly cherry. No heat.
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5/19/2011 - JoeDwine wrote: 90 Points
Sage, Dark Plums and Cherrys but just could not stand up to the 2 2005's, nice but pedestrian comparably. Seems like it has nice acidity for Food, nothing really memorable but in balance and a little burnt rubber as well.
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5/16/2011 - mavericks wrote:
Dinner - Valerie, Megan, Neal, Ed and Helen.
Good but did not live up to the name at all.
Nice nose with fun fruit aromas, soft mouth and berries but heavy dark plum on the finish that was not that great.
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4/30/2011 - mulder wrote: 93 Points
Cherry cola, red plum, spice, a bit of sage brush. Palate cola, red fruits with a nice spicy finish. Good acid and a bit of tannin
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4/24/2011 - Schmidco wrote: 87 Points
Mineral and light red fruit, fruit seemed to be lacking with a shorter finish, I may just prefer younger pinots
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4/23/2011 - TwistedArmadillo wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding. This is an awesome wine and it has aged well - as other positive notes have stated. KB is not for everyone, but it is definitely my style of pinot. It is complex, smooth in texture, subtle hints of cherry and spice with a lovely finish.
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4/22/2011 - VinoDiver wrote: 90 Points
Had with Braised Short Ribs and Mustards Goat Cheese mashed potatoes.
Decanted for about an hour. Nice Cherry cola notes. Wine was in balance and drinking nicely. My one knock on the wine would be that it seemed a little short on the finish for a wine in this price range.
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4/19/2011 - stevenp22 wrote: 90 Points
Opened up after about an hour or so.
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4/14/2011 - corkscrews wrote: 90 Points
A nose of cherry and spice, medium amber in color. A medium to full bodied Pinot, smooth with black cherry, plum and spice, decent length but a bit one dimensional, missing that dusty earth factor, very good but not great.
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4/3/2011 - Windus22 wrote:
absolutely amazing. light like a pinot, but with berry depth.
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4/3/2011 - brian przyzycki wrote: 91 Points
Much more civilized bouquet this time...less alocohol and more cherry cola. Very smooth with fine, integrated tannins. Spicey!
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3/26/2011 - RussK wrote: 87 Points
RUSSK WW at PrVera Peter's BB Pinot tasting. bottom tier. i guess I am not a KB fan.
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3/24/2011 - Tom Warden wrote: 92 Points
For a KB, this is a very "average" wine...but KB wines are in a different league than just about all Pinots made in California (and the rest of the US for that matter). Very elegant and enjoyable. Had this after a bottle of Martinelli Moonshine Ranch (which was good) that made the greatness of KB that much more apparent. I agree with Arch57 when he says its as if "it was crafted from a whole different grape".
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3/23/2011 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Quite delicious! Drink up!
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3/20/2011 - N2Vin wrote: 88 Points
This bottle just did not come off a pinot noir. It was a nice wine but lacked the brambly forest floor and spice that I like.
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3/10/2011 - joschott wrote: 86 Points
I Aerated to the glass and let sit about and hour before drinking. Smelled of a really bold pino (as I expect from a KB). The taste was slightly sweat (becoming softer and the end of the second glass).
Not as good as other KBs that I've drank in the past. But still really good.
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3/9/2011 - Kevdog wrote: 89 Points
nice pinot, not sure it was worth the $$. I did not, however, decant long enough... took to a restaurant and by the end of the meal it began to come alive so I recommend a good decant
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3/6/2011 - FieldingYost wrote: 91 Points
Maraschino cherry,and raspberry licorice on the nose, maybe even black licorice. This is ripe and lush, very smooth, and much better than it was on release, with layers of strawberry, red licorice, and cherry candy. Some heat on the finish, which becomes even more apparent if it stays in the glass to warm to room temperature. (The obvious solution is to quaff it.)
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3/6/2011 - brian przyzycki wrote: 91 Points
I have been fortunate to drink several vintages of this wine, and aside from an 05' that was corked, this was the least enjoyable KBSC I have had. However, this is still VERY GOOD by any standards. The flaw for me is the alcoholic nose that never blows off. One of the hallmarks of this wine is the bouquet from 2 feet away...not the case with this vintage as the alcohol dominates. Still, this wine is seemless wiith a spicy long finish. A little more dirty (good thing) than previous vintages. An outstanding effort in an off year for Sonoma Coast. Bravo! Served with pan seared Halibut.
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3/5/2011 - MoTheMan wrote: 87 Points
For the price I paid for this half bottle -- $40 -- LAME!
My first experience with this label.
There's an underlying complexity & sophistication present, and it's definately a food wine. But neither California in character, nor old world; I think it needs to define its sense of place.
I just could not appreciate what it had to offer, the fruit was very subdued, and the oak was too present that even after an hour of decanting, was still way too present.
Sorry to say that I don't know what the fuss with this wine is all about as there are many more intriguing West Coast Pinot's in this proice range.
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3/1/2011 - ormazd wrote: 87 Points
Disappointing.
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2/28/2011 - air guitar & pinot noir wrote: 93 Points
Nice complex nose with black cherry and blackberry fruit and hints of earthiness and a bit of dark chocolate. The palate offers deep ripe red and black fruit intertwined and delivered with a silky mouthfeel. Dense but offers good acidity and minerality with blackberry and earth present leading to an extremely long finish.
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2/20/2011 - waibeans wrote: 90 Points
solid fruit.
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2/20/2011 - ARiverofPisoni wrote: 91 Points
Better than the last bottle... decanted for 90 minutes.. taste out of the bottle was a heavier pinot with a hot finish... after 90 minutes, in much better balance and was better than the 08 Pisoni Estate surprisingly.
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2/17/2011 - Arch57 wrote: 91 Points
I have to admit this was a tough vintage but after about an hour this wine broke out of its shell. We had this after a Coppola Director's cut Pinot that was brought to dinner by a friend. The KB was like it was crafted from a whole different grape. The Coppola was a light, translucent ruby color and the KB was dark and brooding. Rich fruit and the nose opened up with rasberry and spices. Enjoyed immensely by our guest who had her first KB.
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2/13/2011 - joraesque wrote: 87 Points
Non-existent nose. On the palate this tastes like the Prisoner blend would if it were made of Pinot Noir: jammy, concentrated, delicious, and not very complex grape juice. The finish is a bit hot, but surprisingly less so than a year ago; 14.8% ABV.
A Pinot Noir for drinkers who don't know Pinot Noir.
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2/13/2011 - ljl203 wrote:
Agree with many that this is pleasant but not exciting. Some earth, dried cherry and lime note but not enough complexity and faded on day 2.
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2/8/2011 - pjhr wrote: 93 Points
This bottle came together beautifully. One of the best of the 2006 vintage!
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2/3/2011 - Kmonkey wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and drank over 4 hours. At first a bit thin and hot with pleasant cherry and cola flavors. After an hour or so it gained some weight and secondary flavors of mushrooms and darker fruit. The alcohol balanced out somewhat. Last of my bottles and although an obviously off year, still quite enjoyable.
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2/2/2011 - cbero wrote: 88 Points
Finally a drinkable one! I'm really beginning to wonder about bottle variation with these. Tonight from a .375, P&P and followed for about 2 hours. Some scorched earth, red fruits, vanilla, raisin. A pleasurable bottle.
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2/1/2011 - Paul Lin wrote: 86 Points
Black cherries, maraschino cherries, and cola nut on the nose. Bright and lively palate of black raspberries and SweeTarts candies but suffers from a medicinal edge and some heat on the finish. The wet 2006 vintage seems to have been KB's Achilles' heel, and I have my doubts about further aging. Probably best to drink up while the fruit is still there. Same score as two previous bottles.
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1/29/2011 - Senso-beak wrote: 89 Points
Paired w/ Copper River Sockeye w/ cous cous. First bottle of the allocated case. Pours a light ruby fading to clear on the rim. Upon open, initial aromas of bramble musk, turkish delight, cherry jelly and refined wood. Heat hiding well on the nose. Beanpole legs. Light in the mouth, not the heavy bomb I was expecting. No cloying or heat blast which is a good thing. Fruit is solid yet not as lush and heady as other vintages, this is more refined, weaker, silken. Red fruits yes, raspberry, ripened strawberry, cherry broth, nicely integrated oak, smooth mid palate and finish. After two hours open, aromatics turning hot and searing - dominant notes of jet fuel, fruit infused vodka or everclear, with toasted, dried crumbling oak and a very miniscule hint of cedar. Wonderful mid-palate and finish with fruit core of cola and cherry. Heat detracts somewhat from overall experience. Day two notes: Heat on the nose but not as bad as I remember last night. Very round, big, pinot qualities masked by large glyceric fruit profile. Petty good overripe style still on day two.
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1/23/2011 - jnanz wrote: 92 Points
Continues to be an excellent wine. Ripe raspberry and rich cherry fruit supported by sassafrass and spice. Fantastic, silky texture and nice balance.
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1/22/2011 - cbero wrote: 85 Points
P&P then over 2 hours to check for improvement. This wine couldn't have really fallen apart that quickly right? Thin, alcohol, cola... not much else. I agree with others. Could there be bottle variation?
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1/21/2011 - rdsboca wrote: 84 Points
Hot, disjointed cherry coke. It was decanted for over an hour and still wouldn't budge. So not my style. One list I can drop now. My palate for pinots has shifted from these huge alcohol fruit bombs to more restrained wines.
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1/21/2011 - galewskj wrote: 86 Points
This is nice to drink but not a tyypical domestic pinot. Seems a bit steroidal. Flavor profile seems a bit muted by alcohol. The fruit is fading and the only thing behind it is alcohol. I don't think this wine supports the price in a good year, and this was not a good year for them.
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1/12/2011 - caboychuck wrote:
Nice red cherry nose with a little chalk. Big upfron cherry, nice mid palate lift and a little cola.
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1/3/2011 - Resarocellar wrote: 94 Points
Tillsammans m Englunds i Sälen.
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1/2/2011 - chablis28 wrote: 92 Points
Loved this stuff when it was around $38/btl. Getting too expensive now. Big, ripe PN but delicious and great for Salmon or as appertif.
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12/25/2010 - davidspieker wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful ruby color. Aromas of black cherry, cola, baking spice and vanilla. Quite viscus with rich fruit in the mouth. Well integrated throughout with a long satisfying finish.
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12/12/2010 - christophee Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark ruby with medium viscosity in glass. Initial closed nose of ripe cherry, currant and heat. Bold coffee, dark berry, plum, currant and smoke aromatics succeeded as it opened. Same goes for the palate. Once opened it was very pleasing with smooth, smokey mouthfeel and good structure all the way thru the medium finish.
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12/11/2010 - markjahnke wrote: 90 Points
"Decanted' in the bottle for about two hours before consuming, this was really closed down at first. Even so, the gang really loved this wine, and Kosta Browne is always a crowd pleaser within our local tasting group. First thing I noticed on the nose was the alcohol, which I didn't remember when we had this wine 11 months ago. Black cherry, cola, and spice on the nose, with some strawberry and raspberry as well. The alcohol is starting to blow off. On the palate, more subdued than the KB's that I love, and not as sweet. More black cherry and cola, with some other red fruits. By the time I was down to my last quarter of a glass, this transformed into the KB that I love and was absolutely delicious. Stll not sure what to make of these '06's. I think they might need more time. 90 points.
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11/26/2010 - Barry Notes wrote: 87 Points
PnP with 15-45 min glass time. Clear, deep purple color, no hint of brown/red edge. Nose was typical KB but thin. Taste was also typical KB but definately on the light and sweet side. Somewhat hotter and thinner than usual. My least favorate of any KB I've tried. Better with more air time but not nearly as good as 05's which is likely due to a poor vintage. Drink now.
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11/25/2010 - D.Callahan wrote: 91 Points
Excellent pinot that opened up nicely with some air. Lots of sour cherries with plenty of acidity.
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11/25/2010 - JOJ wrote: 85 Points
This bottle did not resemble my prior four bottles, all of which ranged from very good to excellent. Not so this one. On the nose, a creamy, oaky vanilla milkshake, with a hint of red raspberry. On the palate, more oak, cream, and vanilla, with some red fruit. Very hot with lots of alcohol burn. Monolithic. My worst KB, by far.
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11/25/2010 - Grape Stuff wrote:
No formal notes, but excellent. 89-90
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11/23/2010 - ginfizz wrote: 92 Points
Deep red, integrated, showing good plummy pinot cherry fruit with that classic KB touch of spice and vanilla oak. More lush than previously, this wine is held in balance by the acidity of the vintage. Just starting its drinking window, for me I could not discern much if any heat. Very nice. Would need more complexity or length for a higher score, but worth a search.
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10/31/2010 - jfkwines wrote: 90 Points
I thought this went great with Genral Tso Shrimp. Similar deep purple flavor, plums and cola. This is a wine that needs to be drank now as there is no where that this is going to change for any better. If this is your style, it is in a good place, if you want to wait I think you will get a slightly softer wine but all the fruit will become what? Raisiny? I give this a strong like and again, enjoyed it with the chinese food, not sure if it is for everyone and every type of Pinot Noir typical food
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10/30/2010 - chetlee wrote: 92 Points
Dark fruit, ripe, but a bit on the sweet sided. Tasted as though there was some Syrah or something else blended into the wine to give it more weight. Still enjoyable.
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10/14/2010 - chablis28 wrote: 92 Points
Very pure & brisk. Lovely red fruit and minerally flavors. Perfectly balanced. Drank at cellar temp which I think is best. Great with pork tenderloin stir fry tonight. Guilty pleasure. Kind of an amped up Chambolle. I enjoy this a lot better than the sweeter candied RRV appelation. I like this wine for $40 or less. Paid $48 and dropped off the list as prices continued to rise for 07 vintage.
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10/2/2010 - khmark7 wrote: 89 Points
Solid, ripe and well balanced. Could use some more acidity.
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10/1/2010 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
This wine is still in a good place. Dark fruit and spice. Would like to see the heat and oak on the KB wines lessened a bit and more acidity on the finish. Enjoyed with seared ahi. A small glass left over night did drink well.
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9/30/2010 - GalvezGuy wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. Great nose, black cherry, cola, black tea, spice, red fruits, vanilla. On the palate, black cherry, strawverry, spice, vanilla. The finish was a little flabby and had plenty of heat, which intensified as the night went on. Drink now. Excellent wine but disappointing value.
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9/28/2010 - CADomer wrote: 91 Points
Very nice KB. A slightly lighter color and on the elegant side as Kosta Browne's go. Very, very nice purity of fruit.
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9/28/2010 - iar wrote: 95 Points
Delicious! Drinking at or near the peak. great raspberry and strawberry notes and long finish. I wish I could buy a lot more.
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9/18/2010 - ecnemergut wrote: 90 Points
Very good in the classic K-B style. Perhaps a tiny bit too much oak.
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9/16/2010 - caboychuck wrote:
No formal notes. Cherry and stem on the nose. Same in taste. Enjoyed somewhat.
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9/4/2010 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Similar notes to previous bottles.
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8/28/2010 - ginfizz wrote: 91 Points
Red fruits and '06 reticence, but some of that Kosta Browne red licorice fruit to add depth at this stage. Nice!
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8/21/2010 - jshufelt wrote: 92 Points
Somewhat consistent with our previous tasting note, but this time, the bottle was singing after 30 minutes, and stayed that way for three hours before the alcoholic notes emerged. I just don't know if this improved performance is a function of evolution in the bottle, or a bad bottle the first time around; no significant difference in acidity levels or flavor profile between bottles.
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8/11/2010 - B Paul wrote: 90 Points
I've had several bottles of this now and (I think) have always rated it a 90. I feel like this has improved since the last time I had it, but there is still, at times, noticeable heat which keeps this from going higher for me.
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8/10/2010 - Javier wrote: 92 Points
Wow, what an exceptional bottle of wine. Smooth and silky with soft berry flavors.
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8/7/2010 - Tangokaren wrote:
i won't rate this bottle as it had been a gift and store poorly. Although the wine was not corked, the cork was dry and brittle as though it had been stored upright. With all that said, after an hour in my glass, you can smell the fruit and spice emerge. Hooray! I was afraid i might be a sinker! Lots of red fruit and spice, maybe cola maybe some nutmeg. pretty darn good. not like any K vineyard; but hey I'm just glad this bottle was still singing. hadn't gone south on me even after poor storage.
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8/6/2010 - Jack Does not like this wine: 86 Points
After a few hours of air the alcohol that was present when opened seemed to integrate and the wine was ok. I'm disappointed with KB and don't get the hype. Ok, I had a glass left over and on the second night this was a different wine. I take back what I said last night. 90pts. tonight.
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8/3/2010 - spretzer wrote: 90 Points
I agree solid but not up to KB standards
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8/3/2010 - quagland wrote:
Good but a little disjointed. I enjoyed the intense fruit but the alcohol was not hidden as well as the russian river valley.
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7/27/2010 - MarkC Likes this wine: 88 Points
Popped and poured. Very nice, ripe red fruit, mouthcoating texture, a bit of funk. Definitely a New World-styled wine, this probably falls a bit short in acid and balance, but to my palate it's really tasty. I bet it will improve (despite my last note's prognostication to the contrary) over the next several years and shed some of the baby fat. (PE: 91)
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7/24/2010 - agbailey wrote: 91 Points
Better now than a yr ago. Definitely open at least an our before drinking, as 1 hour into it, the flavors grew more complex and the notes of cinnamon and other spices became nicely delineated. More details to follow
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7/23/2010 - Texas Jerky wrote: 93 Points
Incredibly balanced, despite relatively high alcohol content. Deep, dark ruby color; complex nose, and very balanced palate. Easily beat out an 05 Seasmoke for wine of the evening
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7/18/2010 - mcneil7 wrote: 92 Points
Nice nose of bright sweet cherry with spice and some oak. Taste is soft and balanced with full fruit and nice linger recanted for 2 hours so the flavors really opened up
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6/15/2010 - pgb67 wrote: 90 Points
Opens with a nice nose featuring spice, brown sugar, and dark cherries. This was a prelude to a well-integrated palate of sweet oak, fruit and tannins, with a delicate pinot entry and an interesting, almost port-like finish that highlighted an herbal element. Neverthless, while not syrupy, a slighty unctious, port-like pinot noir is not my style. On day one, there was some detectable heat, but it faded over time - I think this will improve (for my tastes) with time.
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6/14/2010 - Mrbuzz wrote:
Hot, needs time.
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6/2/2010 - fisk15 wrote: 90 Points
Not as rich as the 2005 KB RRV consumed before it and definately a bit more candied. Presented with a bit more roughness and herbalness although still a very good wine. Drink or hold.
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6/2/2010 - Zonk wrote: 92 Points
really nice, fruit but definitely a bit candied. Still well put together and much better than on release.
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6/1/2010 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Similar notes to previous bottles.
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5/31/2010 - Beeg wrote: 91 Points
good pinot, not as good as the last bottle i had. lacking in richness and a tiny bit rough/hot at first. a good, but not great pinot.
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5/16/2010 - Nutty08 wrote: 87 Points
I dont have much to add from my previous notes. Showing a little more herbal spiciness than before, but is still dominated by high alcohol, heat, and strong candied fruit flavors. While I had 1 bottle that came out as more balanced (out of 3), this one wasn't and I was glad there were other bottles to choose from. Just not a style I enjoy.
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5/13/2010 - TwistedArmadillo wrote:
I stick by my original post.
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5/11/2010 - mulder wrote: 93 Points
Nice nose of spice, dark cherries, brown sugar and cola. Flavors of cola, cherries & red fruits and spice. I saved 1/2 the bottle for 2 days later where it the nose became less interesting but the palate developed a lot of dark fruits and the alcohol started to come out. score based on the 1st night.
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5/10/2010 - jenjoe08@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Bright cherry nose, very smooth, little acid. Very light and thin color, but full, hammy cherry taste
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5/9/2010 - khmark7 wrote: 88 Points
Smooth and mellow. Was expecting crisper fruit and acidity. Drank within the first 30 minutes after opening, so perhaps more air time will help?
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4/25/2010 - monkeylug wrote: 93 Points
Drank this over a couple of hours. Initially closed, but after an hour the packed black cherry flavors become prominent with deep aromas of cola, mushroom, meat and spice. Give this a short decant and it will sing.
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4/24/2010 - FieldingYost wrote: 91 Points
Bright, sweet nose of maraschino cherry, brown sugar, and licorice. Ripe, but also balanced by some acidity, with a wonderful lushness, and even some finesse. Layered cherry flavors, complex (if a bit candied), with a finish that is nearly resolved. Surprisingly good, much more expressive and refined than previously reported, and it showed better than the 2004 Kanzler did a week or so ago.
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4/23/2010 - Frogger42 Likes this wine: 94 Points
I could immediately taste the burst of cherry and jammy fruit. The finish was abbreviated for the first half hour or so, but after 1.5 hours of decanting really began to develop.
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4/23/2010 - dbkitc wrote: 70 Points
Hot, weak and unpleasant. The appellation wines from this vintage are not my cup of tea and are getting worse by the minute. (70)
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4/15/2010 - mitchellr wrote: 90 Points
Delicious and mellow.Very soft mouth feel.
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4/10/2010 - Pinot Joe wrote: 86 Points
What a disappointment. Was expecting a huge pinot with vibrant flavors; instead got fruit punch. Lacked flavor and intensity. Really expected more from this wine; instead felt a little embarassed as a introduced to my friends as a "great" pinot. Maybe next year.
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4/9/2010 - wine4ever wrote: 91 Points
The nose is the highlight of this wine. And while everyone at the table really liked the wine (including me), I have to say that I think the flavor profile is just too sweet....lots of cherry cola and strawberries. Fortunately, it does end with some peppery spiciness on the finish.
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4/6/2010 - B Paul wrote: 90 Points
Opened an hour before tasting and drank over the next hour and a half. Red fruits (strawberry), spice and a little herbal note. Focused. Seems to be integrating/improving a bit, but still a little heat on the finish.
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4/4/2010 - Winetex wrote: flawed
Definitely corked; purchased from the winery.
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3/30/2010 - RMundell Likes this wine: 92 Points
Liked this wine alot. Tasted great with steak and barley meal.
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3/29/2010 - jfkwines wrote: 91 Points
Passover wine with JFK. Having tasted the Brisket we were going to have, I felt that the acidity and sweetness of the onions and tomatoe would be better balanced by the 06 than the 05 which based on some other reviews was my original plan. I think we did this right. I have popped two other bottles of this in the past 90 days or so, but I had the opportunity to try a bottle, from soewhere else, that was opened for a full day before I got a taste and the sweet cola notes on my tounge was what I thought would work here, and It was obvious to meI was not doing enough to have the wine open up in advance. I opened and decanted this wine for two hours prior to serving, while still a little tight on the beginning, by the time the matzoh ball soup was finished this wine was ready for business. The tart cherry has gone and the super sweet side has integrated to create a longer mouthfeel that I felt rang of a slight earthiness that worked well with the mushrooms served with the brisket, and then fed to a rich velvet non sweet chocolate that took the beef home nicely. I have had the 08's this past week as well, strong comparision here to these wines two years ago. I only bought a few 08's but, I'm just saying.....
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3/28/2010 - MWes wrote: 89 Points
Didn't find it as enjoyable as prior vintages or my prior bottle just over a year ago. It doesn't seem to have quite the same lush mouth feel and seems to have really shed it's tannins (although there is still some acid).
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3/20/2010 - JeffcB wrote:
Just a brief note a week later, but this was amazing, far outperforming the 2007 appellations.
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3/18/2010 - dbkitc wrote: 82 Points
So I have never been a big fan of the ‘06’s from KB and feel badly for people whose experience is limited to this vintage. When good, as in ’04, 05 and ’07, I very much like these wines that stray far from my wheelhouse. This is another example that I feel is not showing the best of what this winery has to offer. Beautiful dark ruby color. The nose is a bit of a mess: cola syrup, menthol, milk chocolate with nothing to balance the heaviness. Big and clumsy on the palate as well with a distinct cool mint sensation on the finish. Marginal. (82)
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3/17/2010 - Rishi wrote: 92 Points
Really goes well with Indian Style Lamb.
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3/17/2010 - Gargamel wrote: 93 Points
great nose of red fruit, spice and earth. great palate with raspberry in the forefront and a long finish with spice. still just a bit of tannin on the finish that needs another year or two to resolve itself. try to hold off if you can...
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3/13/2010 - TwistedArmadillo wrote: 92 Points
Again - nothing can be added to the positive statements below. It will be interesting to see what this wine is doing over the next couple of years. I suspect that it just may gain a few points.
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3/7/2010 - cns Likes this wine: 90 Points
Solid Pinot. For the price tag, I would expect more, but KBs single vineyard Pinots are worth having to pick up some of these. Good fruit, but not over the top, medium finish. Solid acidity.
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3/5/2010 - gutt22 wrote:
14.8% alcohol. Showing fewer of the flaws that I found in the 2006s. This has mellowed, showing dark Pinot fruit, with an earthy side to it. A touch of cherry pie in the mouth, with a plush mouth feel. Still has heat on the finish. B+
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3/2/2010 - cookie7 wrote: 89 Points
Just not special tonight.
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2/16/2010 - GalvezGuy wrote: 91 Points
I thought this was a little bettter than my last bottle. Nose of black cherry, cola, mushroom tea, smoke, asian spice, vanilla, ripe red raspberry. On the plate, black cherry, strawberry, anise, spice. Finishes smooth and crisp. Drink now through 2011. Outstanding. Still a disappointment when put up against other vintages.
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2/12/2010 - stevenp22 wrote: 91 Points
Very nice, drinking well.
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2/7/2010 - JOJ wrote: 91 Points
A disappointing bottle, relatively speaking in comparison to prior bottles of this wine. Cola notes are highly prominent on the nose, with notes of black cherry, spice and pepper. Spicy black cherry dominates the palate, with an undercurrant of citrus (orange rind) and cranberry. Acidity is too noticable and seems out of balance. Finishes a bit hot. Nonetheless, a fine wine that mellowed somewhat when paired with soft cheeses. KB generally is better, but for a seemingly off bottle, this wasn't bad.
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2/6/2010 - Mike Dildine wrote: 89 Points
Medium dark, slightly brickish ruby red. On the nose, some red fruit, smoke and a touch of spirits. Cherries, rasberries, a little black fruit, some smoke and cola on an attractive palate. Slightly hot, but well balanced. Aftertaste lingers some 40+ seconds. Enjoyable!
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2/4/2010 - Kmonkey wrote: 90 Points
A bit better than the last bottle 3 months ago. Some more complexity, and heat faded soon after decanting. Have a couple left, will probably wait six months or more to dive into those.
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2/3/2010 - winepog wrote: 92 Points
Nice solid bottle of pinot. Deep and rich, some cherry cola and powerful nose. Perhaps a bit hot, but tasty indeed.
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2/2/2010 - jfkwines wrote:
Nothing seemed right here t me. Jeannette liked, I felt it had a big green treak down the middle. LEft a glass for the econd and third night with the same green profile. Leaving the rest alone.
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1/31/2010 - jimmythesaint wrote: 91 Points
Nicely balanced bottle of wine. Very elegant and a touch of heat that disappated quickly.
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1/31/2010 - TwistedArmadillo wrote: 92 Points
Nothing to add to the positive statements about this wine...it is outstanding.
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1/26/2010 - emf wrote:
dark red and less opaque than most pinots. A pleasant smokiness and a little alcohol, that disappated with time. Medium bodied with red fruit like strawberry and tart cranberries. It has a nice acidity and improved with time and air. It definately is a heavier style of pinot noir. Kosta Brown remains very good.
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1/25/2010 - nemloc wrote: 90 Points
Cola & cherries throughout with a hint of tobacco and earth on the nose.
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1/25/2010 - galewskj wrote: 91 Points
Good quality. Cola and oak. Nice smell. Something about the mid-palate is off in a faky-strong vanilla way. Also a little hot. Other than that, nice all around with a lingering finish. Mouthfeel is heavy. Good but not my favorite for this much $$$.
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1/23/2010 - N2Vin wrote: 92 Points
18 months later, still excellent but a point less. Potent strawberry and red delicious apple skin. Cool and smooth finish
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1/20/2010 - caboychuck wrote:
Cherry and cola on the nose. Soft and plush feel, cherry, there is some mid palate lift, but you have to look for it. Some heat on the finish. Not great.
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1/19/2010 - rherman wrote: 91 Points
hmmm. pretty good. opened later in the night but this showed well. kinda surprised.
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1/15/2010 - markjahnke wrote: 92 Points
I know I said that I would wait another 2 years before we opened up another one of these, but after thinking about the Kosta Browne 4-Barrel we are auctioning off for the relief efforts in Haiti, what nicer opportunity to open one of these tonight? Needless to say, I grabbed one of these from the cellar to enjoy at Blackbird Dining Establishment in Collingswood, NJ. This was popped and poured, and served in a Rona glass at the restaurant, and let me say that this was by far one of the nicest restaurant stems that we have seen in quite a while. So much that we even left the Riedel's in their carrying case, so this saved me a bit of hand washing! Great touch in my opinion, so kudos to Blackbird! In the glass, a gorgeous color, ruby color, and as the glass sat on the table, I could already smell that seductive Kosta Browne nose that is so identifiable as Kosta Browne. I don't know what it is about these wines, but they are so easy to pick out, and that is a beautiful thing. The nose was dominated by an intense sweet black cherry, with nice hints of cola, spice, a touch of vanilla, and a subtle earthiness. The nose on this wine is huge, and I absolutely love it. As the wine warmed up and was allowed to breath, there were also secondary hints of jammy red berries, hints of plum, and raspberry. I also picked up a bit of alcohol, which Zelda did not pick up, but I will be the first to admit that she has a better nose than I do, and I am also a bit stuffed up today. That said, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if it were just me. On the palate, what can you say other than the fact that this wine is HUGE! Once again, the dark cherry dominates, and it is a bit on the candied side, which is not a bad thing at all. The cherries explode in your mouth, along with some jammy, sweet red berries. As the wine mellowed in the glass, secondary nuances of raspberry, strawberry, and plum come through, with a nice bit of earthiness and spice. On the mid palate, the acidity has settled quite a bit, and the wine has rounded out nicely since the last time we had this. There is still a bit of heat on the finish, but it does not dominate, and it is not offensive in the least. This just proves my theory that with another year in the bottle, this is going to integrate nicely. All in all, another great Kosta Browne! There seems to be a very defiant love hate relationship with these wines, but we just happen to be part of the crowd that loves them. I really look forward to trying this wine side by side with an '07 in the future, and I am sure that we will get a chance. This wine picked up another 2 points since we last had it, and is worthy of 92 points. Another point is definitely possible as this wine continues to come together! Stay tuned, and keep up the good work Kosta Browne! Cheers!
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1/3/2010 - wineislife wrote: 87 Points
I know it is heresy, but I am having a challenging time justifying the KB hype. If you like your Pinot's big, this fits the bill. The problem I found with this is less delivered through detailed tasting notes and instead represented in the reality that this was a "3-night and didn't finish it" wine. Night one was New Year's Eve and it came after a bottle of Pax so it deserves some slack. Night two we (primarily me) had the required glass. Night three I almost forced myself to have another glass to get this finished off (didn't quite make it). It is obviously good juice, but it doesn't have a "yummy" factor and frankly I would prefer to have the Williams-Selyem SC instead.
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12/31/2009 - pmarlo wrote: 90 Points
Based on the hype over this producer on CT and in Wine Spectator, disappointed for this showing. Nose also very slight, and i initially thought this was some other varietal than pinot noir. Cherry flavors but subdued, and I initially felt that this wine was very closed. Cork was really good quality, very dense and belled out when pulled; in fact, it didn't want to come out of the bottle and had to muscle it some. I will wait for another day to finish the last glass, as I am hoping more flavors will develop. This may be the kicker; wife preferred a Mark West 2008 pinot over this hands down, and I was hard pressed to argue with her. This may be either bad for Kosta or good for Mark West, you decide. I then vacuum sealed this for several days (three I think) and fairly evaluated this again. It had indeed become more complex in both taste an bouquet (very interesting, bouquet in fact) and performed a degree or two better than the first time, but my overall impression was it was a little light on fruit, which surprised me, as this producer is known for a riper style. I have not lost faith in them, not a bit, but am anxious to try the 2006 Russian River. Does this still need more time? and if so, how much? I won't try again for several years.
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12/26/2009 - raydawgone wrote: 95 Points
Strawberry, rasperry and a touch of boisenberry syrup, this is one of the finest pinot's available. On the second night, the fruit opened up even more and the slightly spicey finish lingered on for 50 + seconds. Smooth and rich, like butter!
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12/25/2009 - fjv3 wrote: 93 Points
Great with Christmas ham. Bright cherries, cola. Solid backbone, but still balanced.
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12/24/2009 - pjhr wrote: 93 Points
Coming together beautifully!
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12/17/2009 - jfkwines wrote:
a little too much candy for me but this is the early end of the drinking window for me too be drinking this wine, but we had a honey baked ham to eat and I have quite a few of these. I found the fruit to be nice, the kirsch a little strong for my taste. I also recognized some flavor profiles that were consistent with other times I drank KB's. Too yojung for me, I will try again mid 2010.
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12/6/2009 - Maverick wrote: 93 Points
medium body and color. good fruit without too much. Slight mushroom and earth.
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11/29/2009 - PJHaveron wrote: 92 Points
Really lovely stuff - absolutely beautiful ruby color, great expressive nose soaked with black cherry - excellent polished wine with soft and graceful mouthfeel - held up just as well on Day 2
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11/28/2009 - iamandyc wrote: 90 Points
A lighter bodied but fruit forward pinot. Very light on its feet and sort of mellow. Lighter red fruits on the nose and the palate. Definate cola elements.
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11/27/2009 - gdbarton1@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Light to medium purple, candied red fruit nose. Full bodied, rich semi-sweet red fruit, well balanced, long finish, Very nice rich without being over the top.
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11/26/2009 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
This wine is drinking well now. Perfect with Turkey and sides for Thanksgiving.
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11/26/2009 - wine4ever wrote: 90 Points
Outstanding. A really nice mix of earth, red berries, and spice. Smooth, elegant. Went great with our Thanksgiving Day Turkey, Ham and all the fixins'.
Day 2: noticed a little in the bottle, sitting on the counter.....just had to try it. To my surprise, it was just as good.
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11/26/2009 - ecnemergut wrote: 88 Points
Very good: a bit monolithic, but hard to beat...
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11/26/2009 - winopops3 wrote: 90 Points
Still think this needs more time on the bottle. Not very well balanced. Alcohol too prevalent. The potential is there however.
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11/24/2009 - pgruber wrote: 86 Points
Doesn't taste like pinot to me. Not my style.
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11/9/2009 - Kmonkey wrote: 89 Points
Drank over two nights. First night, tight with cherry and plum, some spice and a bit of heat on the finish. More going on second night. Earthy character coming through the fruit and heat settling down a bit, yet still a touch one dimensional and jammy. Have a few more of these and will try again in 6 months or so.
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11/6/2009 - insalatacaprese wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Cherry and a bit of heat on the nose. Medium body. Some nice acidity and a long finish. Good, not earth shattering.
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11/4/2009 - tfesmgk wrote: 91 Points
Wonderful, well balanced fruity with a deeper finish. I didn't sense any heat. Drinking great! Better now than when received.
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10/24/2009 - BonnieM wrote:
Shared with Yeargans. Hard to choose between this and the RRV. Both are drinking beautifully. Sonoma Coast may be a little lighter but this does not detract. If you weren't drinking them side by side you might not even notice it.
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10/17/2009 - bigdogflow wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Medium color. Taste of bright cherry, hint of spice. Nice, long finish.
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10/12/2009 - Grape Stuff wrote: 90 Points
No formal notes, but enjoyed by all. Dark cherry and dark fruit with subtle layers of spice. Excellent-Outstanding.
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10/11/2009 - Domer99 wrote: 90 Points
A nice pinot. Great fruit on the nose and palate. Plum and black cherry, a bit of baking spices. Not quite up to the price point, but a very nice bottle noless.
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10/11/2009 - Frank Murray III wrote:
In this setting and atmosphere (afternoon dinner party with the bottle about 68 degrees), which can affect perception, I looked for heat and I don't sense it. As for flavors, brown spice, dried raspberry, hint of forest floor. Finish and flavors are leaner and more austere than other KB vintages but there ain't heat in this wine.
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10/10/2009 - David J Cooper wrote:
Light clear red. Sweet, spicey cherry nose. A bit of earth but very bright. Sweet entry and a slightly sweet finish. I liked this.
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10/9/2009 - godx wrote: 85 Points
Bill's Monthly Lunch - October 2009 (Vancouver, BC): Tasted blind – Decanted for 4 hours. Bright ruby red in colour. Pronounced nose of cherry cola and oak. Very ripe. Slightly hot on the palate. Light body, good acidity, low tannins and a medium length finish. This just isn’t a style of Pinot Noir that I really enjoy. Drink or hold. Good.
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10/7/2009 - Zonk wrote: 93 Points
Let stand in bottle for 90 minutes before pouring. Hadn't had in about a year and surprised how much it had changed. I know that people seems to feel that Kosta Browne doesn't improve much in the bottle, but this has definitely mellowed a bit, and in a good way. No heat at all in this. Tons of cherry with a bit of spice. Medium finish.
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10/5/2009 - bistro wrote: 89 Points
Good, but not great. Strong red fruit and refreshing acidity but the finish was not as long or as intense I expected. Will give the next bottle more air.
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9/28/2009 - prasm wrote:
Consumed on vacation in Sonoma. No formal notes taken wine was enjoyed by all.
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9/28/2009 - yonster24 wrote:
Doctor be damned (as I was told to stay away from Alcohol for a few weeks.) I just needed to open something after fasting for over a day. Unfortunately, this wasn't what I had hoped it would be. When first popped, I couldn't really get anything off of it and a sip revealed a finish that seared my throat. Decided to let it sit for an hour or so.
Came back to a wine that was servicable but certainly not fantastic and IMO not worth the tariff. Too big, too candied too much. I'm far from an expert in KB since this is only my 3rd bottle, but seeing as how 2 of the 3 have been much less than stellar, I don't think I'll be buying any. I'm glad to at least have found this out before I 'made the list.'
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9/27/2009 - Meerlust wrote: 87 Points
Expressive nose of red raspberry and cherries. The palate is huge with candied raspberry, dark cherries, chocolate (tootsie pop), and smoke. This bottle seemed somewhat confected and trends toward the alcoholic end of the spectrum. The finish was long and fruit-packed. Overall, this was not as good as previous bottles, but it is still a hedonistic wine that can be easily enjoyed.
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9/26/2009 - incident wrote: 90 Points
Everyone enjoyed this wine. Light red color. Medium intensity aromas of cherry, mint, caramel, flowers. Medium acid, light tannin, medium finish. Flavors match aromas.
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9/26/2009 - Neuman wrote: 92 Points
wine , chocolate & cheese dinner star
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9/25/2009 - Arch57 wrote: 88 Points
Very interesting contrast after a $20 Cotes du Rhone. This was a lot more fruit and spice compared to the old world wine. The crowd really liked it but I thought the Cotes du Rhone was more interesting. I know this is comparing apples and oranges but the KB had some candy notes that I found off putting this time. One thing that cannot be denied is that KB does have a unique style that can be appealing or not.
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9/25/2009 - dbkitc wrote: 87 Points
Fullish, kind of superficial for this winery. Did open to reveal some nice spice along with cola fruit. Good, but not the best from KB. (87)
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9/20/2009 - decaturwinedude wrote: 86 Points
Nose is smoky and oaky. Dark red color. Palate features sweet, candied, almost gloppy red fruit. There is some residual heat, too. I've never really loved KB, never owned them, but have helped a friend drink through his stash. I think I am losing my taste for it.
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9/19/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote:
Nearly a year since I last had this wine. It hasn't changed much in that time and will probably remain this way for quite some time. Still shows like a big burly horse of a Pinot Noir but at the same time, there is a nice, complex structure holding everything together.
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9/18/2009 - JoshuaG wrote: 86 Points
Way over the top. Flabby, fat and extremely disjointed. Hopefully more cellar time will help this out. Russian River is better at this stage. I am going to pass on the 2007 single vineyards at $72.00. Lousy QPR. I would gladly sell for my mailing list price of $48.
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9/18/2009 - cadamson wrote: 88 Points
For as much as I drink this, seems to becoming my standard (non-special occasion) weekend pinot. Yes, too big, lots of cola. etc.... but I have to say it is growing on me. Little bottle variation over the year, they all taste the same, but I am accepting it more and more. Good, fun juice. Violet color, KB cola, dark berry and some spice nose, all of which follow to the palate. Okay, not hugely sophisticated and complex, but c'mon, it is enjoyable.
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9/2/2009 - jeffal66 wrote: 93 Points
Still way, way young. There's a lot going on under this hood. Delightful and undeniable. This is well made juice and it only gets better in the glass...like 4 hours in the glass. Give it more time. Cherry and spice and raspberry in spades. A gorgeous and clean translation of fruit.
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8/30/2009 - Mlawrence wrote: 90 Points
Richer than expected, great mouthfeel and long finish. Very good!
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8/28/2009 - Deb293 wrote: 86 Points
Holding a year did not improve this wine. The fruit is there somewhere (after a little air) but mostly it tastes stewed, with a lot of heat and oaky dominance. Where is the charm in this? Like Vicks VapoRub in the chest; inelegant in every way. Happily my last bottle.
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8/26/2009 - Opimian wrote: 88 Points
slow to open and disappointing when it did. not impressed.
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8/15/2009 - neil wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Seemed quite hot on the finish early in the meal. As the dinner progressed the wine became more balanced opening up to reveal nice berry like fruit. 3 hours into dinner the wine was ready to drink. I would wait at least another year and will decant the next bottle.
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8/11/2009 - gutt22 wrote:
14.8% alcohol. Opened three hours before serving but not decanted. Just never has quite come together to my taste. It doesn't have quite the normal level of endearing fruit for this wine or even that the RRV developed. In any case, pleasant to drink. A plush texture, ripe fruit and plenty of it, but slightly hot. B+
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8/7/2009 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Big Pinot. Dark color with spice, dark cherry and raspberry on the palate.
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8/1/2009 - Grape_ape wrote: 89 Points
not blown away, but perhaps could have used a decant....
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7/29/2009 - blaine wrote:
Very enjoyable with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar salad...worked well, as I expected. Nice nose for such a full-bodied pinot. Balanced...not a blockbuster. Most likely will be better with something more substantial to eat, but very friendly w/o food, as I expected.
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7/24/2009 - cadamson wrote: 88 Points
See my last note, exactly the same..maybe enjoyed it a bit more just from being in Sedona.
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7/19/2009 - gzim wrote: 90 Points
Super bottle. Brought on to drink sans food on a friends boat at night to watch some local fireworks... I think I chose well as this wine does not need any food to show well. To me this '06 was less over-the-top fruit then most KB's have had had. Really nice layers of cake spices and cinnamon revealed themselves, with some rhubarb. Less cola and oak present than past years.
served in plastic cups.
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7/14/2009 - GalvezGuy wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Big nose of black cherry, black tea, cola, smoke, vanilla, cinnamon. On the palate, black cherry, anise, spice, maraschino cherry. Finishes slightly hot but very smooth. Drink or hold. Excellent to outstanding. Disappoiinting value.
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7/13/2009 - pkbackman wrote: 93 Points
My wine of the day against an eclectic mix of wines ('08 ME SB, '05 Col Solare, '06 Saxon-Brown Durrel, '05 DARE). Big fruited wine. Loaded with cherry cola. And I got some smoked leaves. Just delicious.
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7/7/2009 - jc-mmb wrote: 92 Points
i enjoyed this wine. tasted against the 06 kb rrv. this bottle was a cherry, cinnamon fest. racy and zippy compared to the rrv. the cherries were present start to finsh here. cinnamon and other spice also. acid backbone readily apparent and perhaps a tad too much. finish was, no surprise, full of cherries and acid zip. this worked well with the food as it cut some of the acid and zip.
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7/3/2009 - ginfizz wrote: 90 Points
Bright red with rose meniscus. Red cherry nose, and crisp red cherry fruit on the palate. Not a "typical" KB, but showing some restraint and very pleasant. Hints of anise pop up, and caramel, but only fleetingly. Will benefit from more age, but nice enough now.
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6/24/2009 - emf wrote:
@ Blackfish foie gras tasting menu. Went very well with the Foie gras sausage. course. Dark red in color with some smoke on the nose. Improved with air and time. First smell I got licorice that disappeared and was replpaced with red fruit. very smooth mouthfeel and lots of fruit and some smoke.
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6/10/2009 - grapemaven wrote: 88 Points
A faint hint of robitussin prevented me from giving this wine a higher score. I realize the robitussin is alcohol that should fade over time, but IMHO, this seems too common among some CA pinots and it overwhelms the character that I look for in a pinot. I have several more bottles that I will cellar for some time before opening again.
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6/8/2009 - Stingo wrote: 92 Points
Rich, powerful pinot noir. Alcohol better integrated than upon last tasting 1 year ago. Starting to show some secondary characteristics--very pretty notes of rose. Drinking very well tonight.
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6/6/2009 - cadamson wrote: 88 Points
See previous note. This one did have a bit more of that sweetness (probably highlighted since next to the 2004 Calera Selleck). Some heat on the finish. As for hedonistic fruit, that was there.
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6/6/2009 - twelch wrote: 89 Points
Similiar notes to last bottle
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6/6/2009 - tarheel17 wrote: 93 Points
I was hesitant to open this bottle, given previous notes. But we had to grab something for dinner that would work with salmon and steak so the choice was made for us...
It was lovely. Served cellar temperature, even as it warmed, the alcohol was completely tamed. The aromas started with a hint of musk initially, which morphed immediately into a cherry festival. The strawberry/clove/cinnamon palate was delicious, of course, but what really was impressive was the delicately smooth mouthfeel. Chris loved it, saying it was topped only by a few red burgundies in his dining experiences.
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6/4/2009 - mdstenner wrote: 92 Points
Dark and concentrated color. Very un-Pinot-like nose of pepper, dark spices, clove, and dark berries. The mouth-feel is rich, full of berries, camphor, spice, dark macerated cherries, and dark fruits. It is delicious. But not a Pinot.
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6/2/2009 - B Paul wrote: 90 Points
The heat that was present six months ago is starting to fade a bit which makes this more enjoyable. This has improved since I last tasted. 90+ pts., almost 91.
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5/31/2009 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Similar notes to previous bottles.
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5/31/2009 - glg wrote: 90 Points
Powerful, inviting nose of red fruits, soft tannins and a round mouthfeel. Some underbrush and forest floor, but not fully integrated at this point. I'd say hold off another year and see what happens. Very promising, however.
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5/31/2009 - JOJ wrote: 94 Points
Very good. Opened a bit more slowly than the '06 RRV tasted with it, but gained complexity throughout the night and became a more interesting wine than its counterpart. Consistent with prior notes.
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5/30/2009 - Wineholio wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured at Bouchon Santa Barbara. Accompanied our appetizers including Fois Gras which it paired perfectly with. Bright raspberry red in color. Fairly translucent in glass. Nose was filled with red berry aromas. Surprisingly open at this point, displaying gobs of berries with a bit of almost candy sweetness, but not over the top which is offset by a bit of heat/pepper. A little time should improve this but I don't expect it to be a long cellar wine.
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5/29/2009 - RobertDwyer wrote: 93 Points
This is the first Kosta Browne I've had and I approached the bottle with a little bit of trepidation based on the reputation the wine carries for being heavy handed. I've gotta say- I loved the style and didn't think it was overdone at all. Big red strawberry fruit on the nose and a nice amount of spice. Smooth on the palate while still being hearty and a finish that went on for miles. YUM. Would recommend, but don't think I can justify the price and the difficulty in finding. Enjoyed very much though.
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5/25/2009 - pakabear wrote: 91 Points
The heat has really gone down in this wine, much better than previous note.
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5/25/2009 - cookie7 wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. This seemed open for business. Fruit forward with loads of strawberry and cherry flavors. Fun to drink.
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5/24/2009 - eszencia wrote:
Hot nose, powerful raspberry & cherry fruit and darker undertones with hints of leather and five spice powder. Candied flavor at start alternating between cherry cola and a tootsie roll pop as you approach the chocolate center. Soft oak and then striking acidity at the finish. Flavors evolved over time. Nice wine.
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5/18/2009 - Vinsant wrote: 91 Points
My first bottle of SC and hopefully not my last. Yummy stuff. Wanted something big to go with some Copper River King and this worked wonderfully. Some nice cola notes on the nose as well as ripe strawberries, dried chalky mushrooms, minerals, anise or celery seed, and some George Brett pine-tar. The strawberries came out on the palate as well as some sweet cherries, a lil oak, spice, tart orange rind, and light clove. Some great juice but the heat in the mid and finish never really went away. A great pairing w/ the Salmon. And...if these guys hold back a lil on the alcohol...I'll be a HUGE fan.
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5/8/2009 - staren937 wrote: 91 Points
Deep purple with legs in the glass. Nose of cherry cola. Taste of cherry with a hint of oak and some floral undertones. Decent wine when in the mood for a hedonistic effort.
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5/7/2009 - eeeeeradicator wrote: 94 Points
Best pinot from "not France" that I can remember tasting. (Ranks high against the French ones too.)
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5/6/2009 - gutt22 wrote:
14.8% alcohol. Showing big, oaky, and a touch flabby on this night. With air, it opened up better, showing some nice blackberry and black cherry fruit with a hint of earth. Heat on the finish. B+
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4/25/2009 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened not decanted. Showing about a half inch of clarity at the edge of the glass. On the nose: sweet, sticky strawberry, citrus flowers (we have an orange tree in bloom right now) with a touch of dried apricot. On the palate: subtle strawberry, subtle spice, and strong notes of citrus rind. The finish is peppery and a little dry from the alcohol, otherwise everything is in proportion and balance. Gets better as it ages in the glass. Very Good.
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4/18/2009 - gzim wrote: 90 Points
this was my first Sonoma from 2006. It seems a bit lighter with more acid than the RRV, but I think it helped it hold up to the frutta di mare and pacheri and fluke on a cedar plank. The wine was very food friendly and did not overshadow the grilled fish like the RRV might have.
Very nice.
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4/17/2009 - Mike Stoneking wrote: 91 Points
Big aromas of dark fruit and spice upon opening. There was a little heat for the first hour or so, but that soon went away and the rest of the bottle was enjoyed with a salmon dinner. Nice bottle and the wife is happy to know there a 3 more in the cellar.
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4/17/2009 - ginfizz wrote: 90 Points
Still young, a touch acidic, opened with an hour of breathing, but these bottles, well stored, need time.
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4/10/2009 - bpj87 wrote:
This is closed down. Monolithic, candied, and clumsy. Nonetheless, I have hope to open up.
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4/9/2009 - cabdrinker wrote:
Very similar to the ’04 had some 3 months ago. Big expressive raspberry and strawberry present along with spices I couldn’t recognize. Not as acidic as the 04, nice finish.
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4/8/2009 - cjones6 wrote: 92 Points
Drank with pasta. Black cherry/currant.
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4/6/2009 - yui wrote: 89 Points
Big pinot, tastes good, but not that intriguing. fun wine, but not worth over $50.
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4/5/2009 - Wyneaux wrote: 89 Points
89? Some cherry/berry fruit on the nose giving way to mostly earthy smells, medium-heavy palate with some cherry fruit but mostly overwhelmed by earthy flavors that continued through a medium length finish, Off bottle? Brett problem? Reserving final judgment until after tasting at least another bottle.
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4/3/2009 - cvvhrn wrote: 85 Points
Have to be honest here it was okay but nothing spectacular. Hints of cola and canvas on the nose with a palate of quince and berries.
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3/29/2009 - ews3 wrote: 88 Points
drank with moroccan food. nose of mocha, black cherry, raspberry, cola. palate shows raspberry and cola notes, with some sweet strawberry, clove, and nutmeg. palate shows more oak, with notes of vanilla on top of medium tannins. heat builds as it goes down my throat -- to an excessively hot finish that lasts 20 seconds. very nice wine, but the heat holds this back.
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3/28/2009 - gutt22 wrote:
14.8% alcohol. Continuing to integrate. Really stuck out in this lineup, but held its own. Black cherry and blackberry fruit on the nose, with a touch of earth and minerals. Rich and sexy in the mouth, with sappy fruit and good acidity. Touch of oak on the finish, but no heat at all. A-
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3/28/2009 - jshufelt wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes. In the glass, clear ruby red. On the nose, sour cherries with a slight hint of pinot spice. On the palate, significantly more pinot spice and dark fruit than implied by the nose, but also more high-toned acidity and alcohol. After 60-90 minutes, the alcohol was less noticeable, but it was still there. After 2.5 hours, the wine began to break up, with more alcohol returning. There was a window of about an hour where this wine was a 93 pointer, with a very nice balance of spice, fruit and acidity, flanked on either side of that window by an 85 pointer with diluted flavors and too-strong alcohol. Not clear to me where this wine is headed.
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3/15/2009 - Mr Cabernet wrote: 90 Points
Another enjoyable KB. Candied fruit nose. A little thin.
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3/14/2009 - shaneajohnson wrote: 90 Points
Needs at least 60 minutes of decant time. Rich but balanced, typical SC profile.
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3/7/2009 - smphelps wrote: 91 Points
A darker garnet that tends to explode up front with cherries and ripe plums, before settling into a more mixed and layered set of flavors that in addition to the fruit picks up some pepper, sage, oak, and moss. Nice long finish. Still showing some heat, but it tends to blow off with time open.
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3/5/2009 - CMCLR wrote: 92 Points
Smooth. Fantastic.
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3/5/2009 - Mr.Hashimoto wrote: 89 Points
Compared with my first bottle upon release I found this bottle to be a huge dissapointment. Thinking that it would have gained more personality I thought it fell short, and hot/thin. Drinking this blind I would have recognized a shadow of KB's 04 Sonoma Coast but for me, on this night, this wine was maybe a 88 or 89 point rating.
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3/3/2009 - CRAUBER4242 wrote: 91 Points
As usual with KBs, this wine took 2 hours of airtime to come into its own. When it did, it was very nice. Sweet cherry, herb and mineral on the nose. Nice sweet lush mouth of cherry and some spice on the finish. Enjoyed this tasty beverage on the couch.
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3/1/2009 - gilroygarlic wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for a hour and a half. Drank over a 2 hour period. Slightly intense alcohol taste at first but got a little better with the time passing. Believe this would be better after another 2 years or so of cellar time.
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2/27/2009 - spretzer wrote: 91 Points
enjoyed with Clatch & emily post engagement at second empire. Open and drank. I remember it being quite good but could have used time to decant
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2/23/2009 - *Vine* wrote: 91 Points
Popped and allowed 45 minutes of aeration in bottle. Medium to dark ruby hue. Continually changing and evolving nose includes prominent notes of mixed red & black fruits combined with Pinot spice, including black cherry syrup, ripe strawberry, rhubarb, fresh vanilla bean, and kola nut but evolving into cinnamon stick, crushed cloves, nutmeg....even a touch of allspice. Medium-plus body, moderate tannins and acidity. Although I find the aromas to be at times beguiling over the 4 hours I tasted through this wine, the palate falls a little short and is marred by heat from the alcohol...finish also seems slightly clipped. However, the fruit is pure and the notes of spice quite attractive.
All-in-all, it's a tough glass of Pinot to assess and if based on aromatics alone would rate higher in my book. But to reiterate, the aromas are constantly changing and that in itself makes this a fun wine to follow over the course of an evening.
And IMHO, this wine should be consumed in the short to mid-term (along with many other '06 Pinots)....no need for the fruit to diminish.
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2/23/2009 - B Paul wrote: 90 Points
Notes same as before.
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2/21/2009 - T-Mac wrote: 91 Points
As other have said, this has really come together over the last 6 months or so. Slightly jammy, but overall very tasty. Decant for an hour and it's ready to go. Serve on the cooler side to compensate for the 14.8%.
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2/19/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
NYC Infanticide (Whym, New York, NY): I really enjoyed this. Five hour decant. Spice and a little alcohol on the nose. Pepper, sweet, a very slight medicinal quality that passed. This was good.
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2/19/2009 - JOsgood wrote: 90 Points
Dark in color. Not as big as I was expecting it to be. Smooth with good texture. Surprising balance. Black fruits, vanilla and some oak. Medium finish.
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2/15/2009 - Saintaz wrote: 91 Points
First sip was not very impressive. The nose was great but it was so tight I left it to decant for 2 hours. Wow...What a difference.
This is a burgundy style old world wine. Very, very delicate and smooth. Extremely easy to drink, almost to easy. One would never know that is a 14.8 alcohol wine. I had very high expectations for this wine so I am being very critical. It did not live up to the hype. It is a great pinot and very well balanced but it is not what I was expecting. I'll give the next bottle 6 more months.
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2/15/2009 - ecnemergut wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful American Pinot. Big nose of strawberries and cherry cola, with some kind of creamy element. More big fruit in the mouth and a sweet finish.
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2/13/2009 - kennyg wrote: 94 Points
Coming into great balan ce. Jammy iwth a little residiual tannin,. A crowd pleaser indeed. Much, much better than my last taste. Rising to the typical Kosta Browne level
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2/12/2009 - dionysis wrote: 90 Points
A little hot upon opening. Definitely lots of cherry, ripe berry fruit and the slight alcohol nuance on the back end. Not fantastic, and nothing close to a classic pinot, but an enjoyable wine nonetheless.
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2/9/2009 - Nutty08 wrote: 91 Points
A totally different experience from my previous bottles. Popped and poured and allowed to open in the glass over a few hours. Nice expressive nose of pinot funk, ripe cherries, and herbs. Smooth full palate with ripe red fruit and spices and plenty of cola. flash of heat on the back end but long deep complex finish of herbs, spices and fruit. Still a little hot and a touch over extracted for me, but was much more in balanced and very enjoyable tonight. A nice full bodied pinot with elegant and smooth palate.
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2/7/2009 - monkeylug wrote: 93 Points
This has really come around since the last time I tried it. The basic cherry has developed into deep, layered, complex fruit flavors. Very ripe, balanced, and memorable. Remember aromas of meat and iodine somewhere in it, along with spice and mushrooms.
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2/7/2009 - shadow wrote: 91 Points
clean pinot after taste, fruit and spice are blending, borderline for the money
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2/3/2009 - caboychuck wrote:
Gorgeous nose with cherry, raspberry liqueor, cola, and molasses or caramel. Big upfront fruit, cherry, raspberry. Doesn't have as much mid palate acidity as the RRV, but still nice.
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1/30/2009 - DFC wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured, and then consumed over 5 hours. Medium to full-bodied wine that is medium ruby in color. On the nose, dark berries, balsam, and cloves. On the palate, cherry cola, x-mas spice, and light vanilla oak on the very long 30-40 second finish. Typically full-flavored KB fruit here, but a touch cloying right now. This baby could use another year or two in the cellar.
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1/29/2009 - Seanr7 wrote: 90 Points
Went to dinner with friends tonight and had the, a '06 Kutch RRV and a Rivers-Marie SC. Deep dark purple color nose at first was closed with a bit of alcohol. On the palate closed and tight, put to the side for an hour to get air. Revisted an hour later and the nose was more full, with some earth and spice with a nice dark fruity nose. In the mouth this wine was coming together well but was a big wine that was a bit over the top. Another hour and this wine started to smooth out and was more integrated, another year or two bottle time will do this well, but nothing great just a nice wine that was easy to forget when served next to the other's.
While this is a nice wine I am glad I opened it tonight, I don't feel bad about not buying the '07.
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1/26/2009 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened not decanted. On the nose: strong raspberry, bramble fruit and a touch of dried tobacco. On the palate: the initial entry seems low in acidity but high in alcohol. There is strong and vibrant red fruit notes with orange citrus predominating and ending with a dry finish from the heat. Good to Very Good.
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1/22/2009 - joshwoodward wrote: 96 Points
Huge, loads of finesse. The perfect pinot. Light-medium tannin and acid. Long. Plummy. Integrated. Massive, but restrained. Strawberry. $70
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1/17/2009 - windypinot wrote: 91 Points
nice flavor profile and depth, but not the same fruit driven approach of previous vintages; excellent wine, but lost out to a Radio-Coteau La Neblina opened from same vintage in wine tasting
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1/10/2009 - mclgreenville wrote: 89 Points
Light in color. Should have decanted. The second glass was better but overall it seems a tad muted from my memory. I miss the cinnamon and concentration of fruit. Not bad but not as good as I remember it.
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1/4/2009 - torcams wrote: 89 Points
This pinot was light in body compared to the 05's KB's for sure. I probably did not allow enough time to breathe (<30 min) but I just didn't get that much expression from this.
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1/3/2009 - hkfoebee wrote:
Liight red in color, typical young and hot KB SC. Should hold off on drinking the next one until it puts on weight - thinking 2-3 years.
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1/3/2009 - SoCal wrote: 92 Points
Translucent cranberry color. Pure red and dark fruit nose that invades your nostrils. A very seductive new world nose. Medium weight on the palate with sweet oak treatment. The finish was decent but a bit hot. Overall a wonderfull wine very fun to enjoy with everyone. I think this wine needs a bit of time.
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1/1/2009 - shaneajohnson wrote:
Decanted 30 minutes and not much on nose or palate. At the two hour mark things were much better. Decent well crafted wine, but I'm not sure it's worth the price.
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1/1/2009 - Tejano wrote:
Decanted shortly before serving...rich and slightly dark cranberry red...tart red berries on the nose with a little dark cherry and spice undertones. Smooth entry and mid to firm grip at the mid palate with just a tad of heat on the end. Good structure and while the fruit grip was not overwhelming...it did have enough substance and textures to be interesting solo...and it paired well with food.
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12/26/2008 - jnanz wrote: 92 Points
See previous note.
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12/26/2008 - mdaniel wrote: 90 Points
Pop & Pour: Generous nose and the initial palate is tremendous. However, the heat on the mid palate and the finish it too much for me. The RRV is clearly the better wine at the moment for me.
Night 2: The heat on the finish is not nearly as strong tonight and the wine is more integrated as a result. Where last night all I got was heat, tonight I'm getting wonderful spices instead. Have to bump the score up from 88 to 90 as a result. This definitely needed a decant on the first night.
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12/25/2008 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Classic KB - nose, palate, style. You could easily pick this blind. Better than the 05s, maybe not quite up to the 04s. The SC seems to have a touch more heat than the RRV, but still nice. A crowd pleaser.
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12/22/2008 - Caeldavis wrote:
The wines from this region are rich in dark fruit, clean earth and broad texture. The aromas are complex and enticing. Ripe black cherrry, lush blackberry with earthy undertones of mushroom, smoke and a dusting of cocoa. On the plate the 2006 Sonoma Coast is a true expression of Sonoma Coast, the 2006 vintage is deep and exotic with layers of ripe black and red fruit and a touch of pie crust. This dense wine fills the palate and yet exhibits hints of minerality, with a lengthy finish. The intense flavors of blackberry, green tea and earthy notes are a prelude to a very long, elegant finish.
100%Pinot Noir 14.8%
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12/21/2008 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened for about 15 minutes but not decanted. Noticeable heat with dark spice on the nose. On the palate: the wine seemed a little jumbled to me with dry citrus, some syrup notes and touches of cola. Still shows awkward and very young characteristics. Fair to Good.
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12/19/2008 - brianofthevine wrote: 92 Points
Red cherry, cola notes, long finish.
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12/19/2008 - bajayngo wrote: 93 Points
This is my 1st KB & I'm a lil suprised & very impressed, as I expected it 2 be more cali style (from what I've read but I have very limited experience w/cali pinots) but this is much more traditional in style to me.
Color - traditional pinot color of transparent ruby
Nose - green strawberries, some mushrooms, spices & a hint of pepper
Palate - nice fruit up front @ 1st w/more strawberries but ripe & green and red raspberries lots of spices too.
After over an hour of decanting it becomes more concentrated and some black cherries show. More like baked black cherries. spices are more prevelant w/some cinnamon & pepper & a lil wood. There seems 2 be a mineral aspect to it too! I'm impressed!
93pts (outstanding!) has that extra something that separates amazing wine from the others!
I've heard this should be cellared longer but this is drinking great right now for my palate!
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12/19/2008 - MWes wrote:
No formal rating. This needs time or a serious decant; like has already been mentioned, there is more structure to this wine than the '05. I will wait at least another year before opening another bottle.
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12/8/2008 - cookie7 wrote:
Surprisingly approachable.
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12/5/2008 - tkoby11 wrote: 90 Points
Color: Deep Ruby Red, perfect color
Nose: Wild ripe strawberry, cherry, blackberry and cocoa
Palate: Same as nose, additional notes of earthy mushroom, and a touch savory, elegant, long velvety finish.
Lacking in tannin and acidity that hint at a short drinking window.
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11/29/2008 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Similar notes to the last bottle.
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11/28/2008 - Meerlust wrote: 91 Points
A very enjoyable bottle. There is plenty of ripe fruit on the nose with spice and orange rind intermingled with cocoa. The bold, hedonistic fruit showcases a classic Kosta Browne wine that is a mix of dark cherry, raspberry, cocoa, and orange blossoms. There is plenty of structrue to match the deep fruit, and the finish is long and fruit packed. Overall, a hedonistic wine with excellent fruit, an expressive nose, and plenty of structure to pull everything together.
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11/27/2008 - g-man wrote: 92 Points
This is a very hedonostic wine which may not appeal to some people but I love it! Open and ready for business. I opened about an hour before Thanksgiving dinner and was ready to go. I believe the 06's are probably better to open now rather than the 05's.
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11/21/2008 - mreinitz wrote: 91 Points
We had a "mini-vertical," opening the 2005 and the 2006 vintages of the sonoma coast appelation. The 2005 had a much more perfiumed nose, and was much more concentrated and candied on the palate compared to the '06. The '06 had more structure, and of the two vintages the '06 will probably benefit more from time in the cellar than the '05 will. Of the four of us, two strongly preferred the '05, and two preferred the '06. I was on the side of the '05.
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11/18/2008 - topher18 wrote: 89 Points
Clear deep ruby color. Nose shows some heat, but is redeemed by raspberry and strawberry. Same flavors on the palate. Really big, a little hot. Like some other reviewers, I'll try to let some of the rest of my bottles sit for a while and see what happens.
color 5/5
nose 7/10
palate 15/20
balance 7/10
finish 4/5
Second half of bottle on day two was better balanced. Alcohol was softened and the palate was richer and smoother. This bottle definitely needs more than the hour I had given it in the decanter on the first day.
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11/17/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 90 Points
It's been about 4 or so months since we last visited this wine and it hasn't changed much at all in that time. I can't say that I really expected much of a change and frankly, it's quite good now anyway so any additional development would just have been some extra gravy on top of an already great wine. These KB's are stylistically big, in your face, wines and can overpower simple foods so be careful what you match it up with. I've got one of these left and will try to hang on to it for another year or so before trying it again.
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11/14/2008 - agbailey wrote: 91 Points
Delicious. No specific tasting notes, other than that it needed about an hour to truly open up ... just as I was finishing my last glass...
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11/9/2008 - B Paul wrote: 90 Points
A little harsh at this stage. Needs some time.
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11/2/2008 - mebydef wrote: 93 Points
This was much as before. It had a beautiful nose of wet stone, Asian spice, and ripe crushed strawberries. Again, the heat needed to be held in check by maintaining the wine at between 55 and 60 degrees, a bit cool I know, but it really did help to keep the wine from falling under its own weight. The color was deep ruby, and the length was fine. This is a very well made wine and fit for those who like'em somewhat zoftig.
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10/31/2008 - ruddy wrote: 91 Points
Full of warm overtones, earth, tar, fire, spice with just a hint of heat. This is an extremely fragrant and tasty wine. I'll bet the rest will taste even better tomorrow, as the wine keeps opening in the glass, getting more rounded and friendly.
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10/27/2008 - Hoya Vinophile wrote: 89 Points
Dark blackberry and black cherry fruits. Nicely balanced. At the end of the evening, after 4 hours in the decanter more secondary characteristics came out, like cinnamon. The nose never really took off. Very enjoyable bottle. Interested to see how it will evolve.
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10/26/2008 - NotNYC wrote: 90 Points
Young & kinda sneaky. At frst thinking underwhelmed and way feminine as compared to last night's '06 RRV. Lotsa gingerbread.. But then about 90 mins this really opened up and sang. So although not as in yo face as the RRV another excellent example. Guessing time will do this many favors.
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10/25/2008 - FieldingYost wrote: 89 Points
Roasted red fruit on the nose, some herbal touches as well, touch of forest floor, but the extent that the fruit smells roasted cannot be overstated. Ripe red fruit, raspberry and cherry, with density that it is picked up in the body of the wine. Although heavy, there is much to admire here. Real character in the flavors, acidity that lifts the wine and makes the roasted fruit flavors vibrant. If you do not mind a bit of heat on the finish it is nearly elegant.
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10/13/2008 - DesMarteau wrote: 92 Points
Bright...rich blueberry, strawberry, rhubarb. A little hot...needs a year to better let the fruit and alcohol settle and better integrate. Great as always and will get better with time.
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10/11/2008 - markjahnke wrote: 90 Points
Still very young, splash decanted through the Vinturi and consumed over the course of 3 hours. Needs more time. At this point, reminded me of a Foxen or Highliner, which is not a bad thing, but would expect more out of KB. I think the rest will sit inthe cellar for another 2 years before re-visiting. More formal notes to come.
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10/6/2008 - Arch57 wrote: 93 Points
Wow a really nice showing by KB in 2006. My experience with KB goes back to 2003, when I could pick them up for $29.99 at my local wine shop and the guy said don’t worry I have 5 cases! The 2003 was a real treat, tight and primary at first but by the time I had the last bottle in Mar-07 it was ready for business. The ‘05 RRV that I had in May-08 was a too young and I could feel the heat, time to lay that one down for awhile.
Fast-forward to the ’06 Sonoma, this was ready from the get go. I chilled this down a bit to 55 degrees before even trying a sip. That worked and thanks to the folks who posted the CT tasting notes.
Color: A nice translucent strawberry color. I have been drinking a lot of Cab and Shiraz lately with those dark inky colors so this was visually appealing as I actually could see thru the glass.
Nose: This had that kind of nose you keep coming back to, raising the glass, sniffing and holding of on actually drinking the darn stuff. That is what I call a good nose.
Taste: I have been typing for 30+ seconds and I can still taste the cherry-cola, and fresh raspberries on my palate. Really nice long finish and I think the best experience with this wine.
Cellar-worthy: I was surprised at how well the Sonoma is drinking right now. I have a couple of more bottles and it will be really tough to hold them more than 1-2 years. I have to try my ’06 RRV bottling, which I expect will age a bit longer.
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10/5/2008 - shaferguy91 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hours.
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10/3/2008 - MarkC wrote: 90 Points
Very solid wine. Smells like Pinot, tastes like Pinot, but it's ripe, rich, and enjoyable. Definitely a New World style, with ripe strawberry, cherry, and a rich, thick mouthfeel. Nice acid provides balance, and I would guess this will have decent legs--maybe 5-8 years? I probably won't wait that long to drink the couple I have left, but I know I'll enjoy them.
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10/3/2008 - cgseldin wrote: 90 Points
A bit hot, but improved with an hour of air.
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9/27/2008 - JOJ wrote: 94 Points
Another awesome showing. Nose of black cherry, forest floor, creamy blackberry, cola, and spices. First four notes on the palate: cola, cream soda, brown sugar, and pie crust. Some would hate that in a pinot, but it works wonderfully for me. Add in juicy black cherry and some sweet oak, and you've got a winner. Acidity a bit lacking compared to the last bottle, but that is a trifle. Finish goes on forever. Love this. I don't get the alocohol heat noted by other tasters, but then again I like to drink these at 60 deg. F or so.
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9/24/2008 - Deb293 wrote: 90 Points
Now this is more like it! Lovely berry flavors, a bit ripe, and a tad hot. Word beater Pinot? No, it's but got all the right flavor components, good mouth-feel, a bit young. Just had to get past that bad bottle to test the waters. Will hold the next one for later.
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9/23/2008 - Deb293 wrote: flawed
Flawed. Damn!
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9/22/2008 - rmodak wrote: 91 Points
I think I like these wines in their youth, with vibrant fruit and acid. This had a red fruit base with red raspberry, cola and a candied cherry on the nose which was very pleasing. A lighter style than other vintages, it showed a silky midpalate with just the right amount of acid on the finish. I opt to drink in the near term, before the acid and fruit become disjointed.
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9/22/2008 - GreatLibations wrote: 92 Points
Dark color w/ defined aromas of potpori spice and lavendar. Medium body w/ gentle acidity. Flavors of caramalized berries and plumb, white spice, gummy fruit, and oak. The finish lingers long and savory. This wine is elegantly soft w/ refined complexities.
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9/12/2008 - budman wrote: 92 Points
Just popped and poured. If its this good now, I can't wait to see where it'll be in a year or two.
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9/7/2008 - cadamson wrote: 88 Points
Decent, needs a bit more time in bottle. Not as overtly 'sweet' (from a confection standpoint) as previous vintages.
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8/31/2008 - mike_d wrote: 89 Points
floral bouquet on the nose, lot of heat right out of the bottle, taste of licorice, slightly acidic. Bad bottle? Opened up with an hour of sitting time, not well structured maybe could use another six months cellar time. -MGD
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8/30/2008 - milwaukeewino wrote:
We are on a tear. Grip it and rip it. Tried WH Smith first, now this. Triple the darkness. Clear and clean.
TIM SAYS -- Sexy nose, less obvious fruit than WH Smith. I get more booze on the nose, too. Haven't tasted it yet. OK, holy crap, just tasted it. Massive. This is Pinot? Actually, for as big as it is it retains Pinot character. Kosta Browne is to Pinot as Barry Bonds is to baseball. Same sport, different rules. Heavy on the palate. No dancing. Syrah in the blend? Better than Sea Smoke (which I am convinced is not made form Pinot Noir). This is a rich, beautiful, well-made wine. But what does it say about Pinot? Great wine, fun to drink. Not where I would go for Pinot.
JAMES SAYS - Bright cherry nose, touch of cinnamon. Smells like Christmas - spices and Christmas/Chanukah/Festivus gifts. Light on the nose, heavy on the palate. Manny Pacquiao - might be a lightweight boxer but will knock you out, just like he's gonna knock out de la Hoya in December. You heard it here first.
(Editor's note: removed obscenities after complaints.)
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8/25/2008 - Frank Murray III wrote:
In my view, this wine is too young to drink yet. It has some of the raw materials of the past SC bottlings--nice fruit, richness but the brown flavors and brown sugar sweetness is still a bit forward. I want to see where this wine goes after another six months. Some of the heat others have lobbed at this wine.....I don't find it but I did drink the wine at a cooler temp, which I prefer my pinots at anyway.
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8/23/2008 - Paul Lin wrote: 86 Points
Cali Winemakers Offline - Barrett, Browne, Kurtzman, Melka and Masyczek (Brentwood, CA): Same impression as the last time. Notes of mineral, chalk, and ocean spray around a faint core of blue fruit. Hot and a little incomplete.
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8/22/2008 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured ar Pearl's, Great Barrington, MA. Drank over 45 minutes, opened up somewhat at end. A very good, but not great KB. Tight raspberry tart cherry flavor.
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8/17/2008 - tanglenet wrote:
2nd bottle of the evening. Opened and decanted between 2 and 3 hours. Some heat with dry spice on the nose. Rounder and more plummy fruit than the RR; ends with a dry orange citrus finish. Good to Very Good.
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8/7/2008 - foodandwineblog wrote: 88 Points
Not overly impressed with this effort by KB- a bit too much alcohol while being a one dimensional (bright fruits) effort. Good bottle of wine, but so far it's quite overrated. Won't open another bottle of this for at least 4 years...hopefully by then it will have come together.
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8/1/2008 - sachsen wrote: 92 Points
Those with the patience to double decant for 2 full hours will be greatly rewarded. Otherwise, was astringent and alcoholic when first popped.
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8/1/2008 - Todd French wrote:
Still far too hot at this stage - feels like better than 15.5% alcohol. The oak has yet to sweeten and integrate - give it time, and it will likely be a far different wine.
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7/25/2008 - nvandyk wrote: 94 Points
Drank on the heels of a DRC Romanee Conti and while a completely different style, wasn't the boorish embarrassment that I thought any new world Pinot would be after that old world elegance. I've had a dozen of these, and most have been very fine, but with some serious heat from the alcohol. This one wasn't nearly as forceful out of the glass...very nice indeed. Perhaps these might be even better in three years?
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7/25/2008 - twelch wrote: 89 Points
Drank this just off the beach in Carlsbad. Funny the people that turned and took a double take at the bottle we were drinking, what fun! On to the wine. A little hot, but wine was not properly chilled so I don't know if that will account for the heat. Lots of fruit and the best way to describe the finish is that it doesn't have that typical pinot taste at the end that I've become accustomed too.
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7/23/2008 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
Started with loads of alcohol on the nose. Tamed down, but not a very serious wine. Plush and jammy with little structure. Ideal for drinking in coffee cups @ a guerilla BYO pizza joint's sidewalk tables. The brown bag from which we poured added an extra touch of pleasure knowing we were hiding this lauded label. The scads of fruits and overblown character fit right and and made this ultra-enjoyable. What more could you want?
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7/22/2008 - ginfizz wrote: 90 Points
Quite a different profile than the 05, with more cranberry and red currant fruit. Solid, but not the lush fruit bomb I was hoping for. I knew this would be a lean vintage, and this is true to the style. Needs time, and will be an elegant bottle (for KB).
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7/19/2008 - sweitz wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful nose. A bit hot. Hopefully will improve over time. Decanted 2 hours.
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7/13/2008 - petitblanc wrote: 90 Points
Very ripe and flabby style, redeemed by a generous nose and lovely fruit. Not likely to improve with age.
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7/13/2008 - JOJ wrote: 94 Points
Excellent. You could just smell this wine all night and have an enjoyable experience -- from the glass waft notes of Asian spices, baking spices, cherries, black cherries, and forest floor. The palate is, as *Vine* described below, "liquid velvet." Super smooth waves of cherry and spice, with nice earthy notes and a long finish. Nice balanced. Good acidity. Firm tannins. No heat. After a 2 hour decant, this was ready to go now, but I suspect it will improve from here for a few years. A notch above the RRV at this point.
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7/12/2008 - *Vine* wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Nice, dark ruby hue. Pronounced nose full of ripe, red fruits and spices. Medium body. Initially, flavors of oak seemed to dominate (think vanilla bean). After about an hour the fruit really started to shine through with subtle hints of forest floor and minerals adding slight complexity. Really smooth, tannins are so supple. Like liquid velvet. Really an enjoyable drink right now but I'm going to hold my other 2 until next year (at least) as I do believe this will only gain complexity. My first KB, can't wait to try more!
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7/6/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote:
A couple of weeks ago I opened one of these and my notes say that I thought it would match up well with a wide variety of foods. I opened this bottle for dinner with the wife on her birthday and it matched up great with a marinated tri-tip with roasted red, yellow and orange bell peppers. My preference between the two KB appellation bottlings still goes to the RRV but this one is very nice as well. Same score as before.
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7/6/2008 - jnanz wrote: 92 Points
Very nice wine. Preferred to the Russian River at this point. Great cherry and berry flovor along with a nice round finish that encompasses some cola and vanilla notes. Certainly ripe, but well balanced.
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7/5/2008 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Enticing black cherry and earthy aromas and flavors on the palate with hints of oak and spice culminating in a tasty finish. Classic KB mouth feel and texture holds a lot of promise for the future!
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7/4/2008 - steffenpelz wrote:
4th of July Blowout (Chez Rick): I dropped off the mailing list with vintage 2006 and I am glad I did. Still very big in style and comments from other tasters were "pancake syrup", "over extracted" and the like. And I agree. Just too much power for a wine that should be all about finesse. Only good news is that it didn't taste hot and disjointed...balanced wine, but for those who like to drink the candied big style of CA Pinot.
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7/4/2008 - kleinahoe wrote: 93 Points
Good fruit, elegant, silky mouth feel, great finish.
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7/4/2008 - Meerlust wrote: 91 Points
This was tasted side-by-side with the 06 Benovia Sonoma Coast, and the two were evenly matched.
Dark red color with high extraction was easily recognizable. The highly expressive nose pumped out dark cherry, orange blossoms, and spice. This wine was all about ripe, dark fruit with a plush mouthfeel. Structurally, there was enough acidity to keep everything together and the plush profile is typical Kosta Browne style. Where this wine differentiated itself from the Benovia was on the very long finish that highlighted the ripe fruit in the wine. Overall, this was a hedonistic wine with great fruit and an exceptionally long finish.
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7/2/2008 - tim_c wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. After pouring my first glass, an explosive nose of ripe, sweet fruit and raspberry liqueur soared from the glass. Soft, round plush texture with ripe plum, cola & nutmeg flavors. Tannins don't stick out as you see in many other 2006's. Mid pallete and finish is a bit tarnished with some heat that covers up the concentrated fruit.
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6/25/2008 - ecnemergut wrote: 92 Points
Big wine. Wonderful strawberry and cherry cola nose. Big and round on the palate with a sweet finish.
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6/23/2008 - pakabear wrote: 80 Points
As others have noticed, this wine tastes of strawberry jam, has some nice secondary spices that I come to expect in KB Pinots. This wine however is very hot on the finish. I tried the remainder the second day and I thought I was drinking some wine with a shot of Vodka in it.
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6/17/2008 - N2Vin wrote: 93 Points
Utterly sumptous. Cherry and strawberry, creamy toasted oak with a bold finish with wet forest.
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6/14/2008 - dionysis wrote: 92 Points
Not extraordinarily complex, but very good. Hit its peak around hour 3. Agree with others that the strawberry flavors predominate, with other ripe red berry mixed in. Looking forward to trying more in a year.
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6/12/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 90 Points
Having recently had the Kosta Browne Russian River Valley bottling, I thought I would give the Sonoma Coast bottling a try for a good comparison. These two wines could not be more alike and unalike at the same time. This Sonoma Coast offering is very similar in color, but slightly more transparent. It gives up a little more cherry fruit on the nose and the acidity is slightly higher. Flavors are really nice and smooth and while still quite complex, it just lacks a little of the wow factor that you get from the RRV. My preference goes to the RRV as it is a little more well rounded and has a little something extra that puts it over the top. However, this one is still quite good and I do think that the higher acidity level in the SC bottling will help it match up with a wider variety of foods.
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6/11/2008 - mmurry wrote: 92 Points
I let this wine breath for 5 hours. The nose had a pretty heavy dose of cherry, but this was tamed a little by the dried herbs and dirt that followed. It ended with some nice licorice and strawberry. The palate was silky and a little sweet, with a nice cherry and strawberry mixture, a hint of dirt, and a finish that had some nice tartness.
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6/7/2008 - dannyk8232 wrote: 90 Points
Notes from memory.
Perfumy nose of candied red berries. Slight touch of heat which almost seared my brain, but blew off. This wine is a bit tight right now...and certainly will benefit from a little bottle time. Palate struggles to emerge, but shows restrained cherries and sweet blackberries. Slightly tart on the finish, but not astringent. I will assume six months will assist in everything coming together.
40+5+5+16+16+8=90
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6/1/2008 - jdoakpark wrote: 91 Points
Nice Pinot overall, just did not knock my socks off like Ithought it would. Good nose of fruit and berries....nice mouthfeel and flavors of cherry, strawberry, and some spice. Not a great QPR, but nice.
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6/1/2008 - drs wrote: 89 Points
Big strawberry jam fruit bomb. Lacks in subtlety but pretty damn tasty.
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5/31/2008 - mgl wrote: 92 Points
Consumed on cruise - Silve Wind - great
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5/29/2008 - kris.h wrote: 91 Points
Nice medium red color. Not super dense or concentrated. The nose and palate however are a different story. Nice aromas of cherry cola with some dried leaves and red licorish. The palate is voluptuous with sweet ripe fruit, moderate tannins and decent acidity. The finish is persistent and enjoyable. The wine is young and needs some time to come together, maybe 6 to 12 months. The alcohol is also a little stronger than I'd prefer. Overall though, it's very enjoyable and tasty as the bottle disappeared very quick. 50 + 5 + 12 + 16 + 8
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5/27/2008 - riccodog13 wrote: 87 Points
Super-ripe nose of cherry, strawberry and toasty oak. Palate has more ripe flavours- cherry, strawberry, cola, oak and pink bubble gum. Nice concentration and good ripe flavors. But tastes sweet and marked by oak, and is pushing the line of being over the top. Drink now-2012. 87? pts.
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5/24/2008 - Paul Lin wrote: 86 Points
I actually found it a little disappointing. Seemed underfruited (for a KB) and a little angular. I suspect it needs time to come around.
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5/23/2008 - mreinitz wrote: 92 Points
Better than the last bottle. Opening up a bit, with fairly big red fruit and some spice. I didn't think that it was overly alcoholic.
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5/22/2008 - fisk15 wrote:
Drank this one too soon after a sinus infection, but my wife liked it alot. It was interesting to taste a wine with almost no sense of taste - the alcohol was still prominant on the finish. No rating
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5/21/2008 - Stingo wrote: 92 Points
My first '06 KB. Still a little tight, but excellent floral notes, with hints of strawberry and melon. Light to medium bodied. Served at around 60 degrees and alcohol was not noticeably obstructive. This wine has good acidity and should continue to improve for at least a few years.
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5/18/2008 - PVJC wrote:
Really nice bottle of pinot but didn't stand out nearly as much as an '04 we drank 6 months ago, will wait at least a year before opening any more of the '06.
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5/12/2008 - jerhardt wrote: 88 Points
Medium bodied with red fruit and a bit of heat. Better at a cooler temperature...
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5/11/2008 - CMCLR wrote: 92 Points
Much better than the 2006 Flowers Sonoma Coast which we had alongside
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5/10/2008 - yovinny wrote: 91 Points
Floral nose. Subtle light red fruit with good acidity. A little tight, as it is young. Heat on the finish. After being open a half hour, this opened up nicely. Will benefit from another 6 to 12 months of cellar time. If you must approach now, I recommend at least a half hour decant so it opens up and alchohol blows off.... A very pleasant pinot.
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5/9/2008 - mebydef wrote: 95 Points
Okay, this was outstanding. The color was more Burgundian in that is was delicate, translucent, and ruddy with some very very slight bricking. It was served right out of the cellar at about 55 to 60 degrees, and I think that that is what's needed to keep the wine in check. As it warmed up, it got more clunky, heavy, and the alcohol became more apparent. This wine had a beautiful floral nose with asian spice, and candied strawberries and cherries. There was some wood, but it was held in check by the temp of the wine, and the body which was medium to full. The length was good, could have been a bit longer, and the wine was very picky as to which foods it went best with. It needed to be paired in a very balanced and not under or overwhelming way. When things went right for this juice, they really went right. I'm glad to have more.
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5/7/2008 - jasonh wrote: 90 Points
By mistake I ended up with 2 extra 06 SCs, which I offered to pay for but of course the folks at KB wouldn’t have it. So I decided to try one of these a little earlier than I normally would. Enjoyed this with some friends so no specific notes, just my quick thoughts about what this juice is made of. Right now things are a bit monolithic. Tasty and sweet. Mid to heavy weight fruit with a touch of non fruit elements. Everyone really enjoyed the wine. A big pinot but not a monster. This is not a wine I would age but it certainly needs another 12-24 months and should hold just fine a few years beyond that.
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5/3/2008 - kanab ram wrote:
Initial heat on the nose upon opening but dissipated after a couple of hours in the decanter. Floral with notes of vanilla, baked cherry, spice, strawberry, and licorice. Explodes on the sides and back of palate, mouth pucker, and incredible finish. Soft and feminine yet quite complex. One of my favorites of the year.
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5/2/2008 - keelegl wrote: 91 Points
No decanting and drank not to long after coming out of the cellar. I like pinot a touch cooler than other red wines. Cherry cola, stewed red fruits and a small hint of spice and earth on the nose. Better balance on the palate compared to past vintages, with more cherry cola and strawberry syrup. This is a big pinot with solid tannins that should provide the base to age for 4-5 years.
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5/2/2008 - Go RedSox wrote:
Much better than Russian River, no HEAT. Very complex with plenty of fruit and floral flavors.
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4/18/2008 - Schemer wrote: 93 Points
A floral nose. Very concentrated fruit, berries, but elegant and complex. Really long finish. Really an amazing wine for me and the wife (we both had "ooooh" moments on the first sip). Waited a couple years to get an allocation, well worth it.
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4/17/2008 - air guitar & pinot noir wrote: 93 Points
Sent one of these to Slim for his 50th birthday.
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4/17/2008 - beachnic wrote: 92 Points
Nice fruit and spice filled nose with a little Dr Pepper and or Cola. More foward than I expected. I thought it would be tighter than this from previous experience drinking Kosta Browne's young. Big concentrated, sweet fruit flavors with a nice backbone to it. This should age extremely well and is already drinking well now. I'm decanting overnight to see into the future.
After 2 hour decant: Very aromatic, lots of earth with sweet red fruit and Cola. Big concentrated sweet fruit with some spice followed by some bitterness. Very smooth. I'd lay it down for a couple of years. I'm repurchasing a few bottles. 93Pts on potential.
Overnight decant: High acidity will help this concentrated Pinot age very well. Silky and elegant in texture but with alot of flavor to it. Very nice albeit overpriced but so is Burgundy.
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4/16/2008 - Li6 wrote: 93 Points
A bit young still, but gorgeous in its youth. Blackberry, cherry, spice on a medium-bodied frame. Has a floral quality to it as well. Not nearly as extracted as I expected -- a thoroughly elegant wine. This will be even better in a few years.
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4/13/2008 - Moorese wrote: 92 Points
Having enjoyed the SC bottling young since 2003, I found this rather thrilling. No formal notes, but a delicious, sappy, and zesty Pinot.
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4/12/2008 - GreenDrazi wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 1+hr’s. Beautiful, floral nose of lightly candied red cherries, asian spices, a touch of earth and a hint of violets. Crushed red cherry flavors on the palate along with lots of black berry and dark spices with a solid backbone of acidity. Soft attack, then builds on the palate while maintaining a nicely layered texture followed by even more spice on the long finish.
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4/5/2008 - kennyg wrote: 88 Points
Similar color and nose to the Russian River, but more heat and tannins. 1 hour of decanting did not help all that much, still a bit out of balance, but enjoyable for some but not all of the guests. Needs a couple of years to hopefully mellow out a bit.
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3/29/2008 - mwagner7700 wrote: 92 Points
I couldn't wait anymore. This was my first KB. Decanted with an aerating funnel for 1 hour. Very creamy in the mouth. Nose of cherry, spice (maybe nutmeg) and raspberry. Medium finish... 30 seconds. Very enjoyable. 91-93 points.
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3/27/2008 - Nutty08 wrote:
Pebble Beach Food and Wine; 3/27/2008-3/30/2008 (Pebble Beach Resort, CA): Tasted again at Pebble Beach Food and Wine with consistent notes.
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3/26/2008 - Nutty08 wrote: 86 Points
Rather closed unimpressive nose with some cherry. Tons of heat on the palate, the alcohol really hides the wine. Finish was long, but not particularly interesting. Was rather disappointed given the reputation. Won't try the other bottles for a couple of years.
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3/19/2008 - Stephan O wrote: 92 Points
Reticent for a KB; it takes a long, long while to open up. The nose is slightly candied, with cherries, menthol, and nutmeg the main elements. The palate's more intense, with raspberry and sharp spice showing up by the last glass. The eternal finish turns an otherwise good wine into a very good one. This one is perfectly consistent, both stylistically and qualitatively, with the '04 and '05 versions.
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3/15/2008 - rsepulve wrote: 90 Points
Opened a couple of days after receiving it. Initially reticent, it opened considerably after a few hours. Had a cherry vanilla cola thing going, very enjoyable but still too young. Look forward to trying again in a year.
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3/14/2008 - PortFanatic wrote:
Weak. I much prefered the 2004 and 2005 editions of thid wine. I slightly prefered the 2006 Russian River to the Sonoma Coast, but both were very close. A disappointment.... even decanting didn't help here.
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3/14/2008 - psmith wrote:
Bright, cherry cola fruit - forward and red. Not so forward where it's overbearing - actually quite balanced on the palate with a firm acidity. Enjoyable wine.
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3/13/2008 - whynblog wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured right off the truck. Light garnet in color all the way to the rim. The nose has a nice aroma of spice box and damp earth. The flavors are very concentrated and complex. Cherry, raspberry, cola, and a touch of oak on the long finish which also has a nice peppery finish. It might improve some in the bottles but it drinks pretty well right now. Another great wine from this winery.
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3/12/2008 - mreinitz wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured right off the truck. Nice cherry nose. Cherry, a little cola, some bramble and spices on the palate. A tad sweet. A bit more restrained than previous vintages. Good.
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2/9/2008 - tanglenet wrote:
2nd Annual Freeman Caves Weekend for VinoCellar.com; 2/8/2008-2/10/2008 (Various Sonoma County Locations): Served as part of the 2nd Annual Freeman Caves Weekend for VinoCellar.com. Citrus and a baking spice profile with dark after tastes and a dry spicy / peppery finish. Good.
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2/9/2008 - Winetex wrote: 88 Points
Tasted at the 2nd Annual Freeman Caves Dinner for VinoCellar.com - (Sonoma area, California). A lighter color than previous vintages but too candied for my tastes.
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5/31/2000 - RBurgundy wrote: 90 Points
Kosta Browne is my favorite Pinot. This one was okay for me. Initially it was a little rough around the edges. After 30 minutes it smoothed out some but there was still heat present on the finish.
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