2020 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills 750 ml

From ten bucks a night to thousands on the waiting list.

That’s Kosta Browne, which was hatched when Dan Kosta and Michael Browne were working at Sonoma County restaurant John Ash. Neither had experience making wine, but they had the itch. They started by putting $10 each in an envelope on nights they worked together, and in a few months they had a thousand dollars. After one of the restaurant’s chefs ponied up $400 more, they set off.

Over the next five years, they persevered, scouring Northern California for grapes and capital. Their huge breakthrough came in 2005 when Wine Spectator crowned two of their 2003 Pinots with 95-point scores and named the Sonoma Coast bottling the #11 wine on their Top 100 list. Almost overnight, the challenge changed from keeping afloat to keeping up with demand.

Kosta Browne kept climbing Spectator’s Top 100: Their Russian River Pinot took #7 in 2006, and the Sonoma Coast landed at #4 in ’09 and claimed the top spot in 2011. And the demand? The queue to get on their mailing list is now endless.

The Kosta Browne pedigree is on full display in their 2020 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir. Sourced from some of the best vineyards in the AVA—including famous sites like Sanford & Benedict, Hilliard Bruce, and Rita’s Crown—it’s bold and lush, with soaring aromatics and a rich, silky texture.

This bottle delivers the kind of complex, elegant Kosta Browne experience that keeps collectors clamoring, mailing-list members salivating, and those on the outside green with envy. Pinot lovers, take note.