2016 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard

Aged 16 months in 47% new French oak, the medium ruby colored 2016 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard opens with a touch of alcoholic heat and balsamic, with a pretty perfume of dried rose petals, cranberries and tangerine peel underneath, plus a core of bright red cherries and berries. The palate is light to medium-bodied and silky. It's bright, spicy and energetic in the mouth with a soft frame and juicy freshness, finishing long and super perfumed. 550 cases produced.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Garys Vineyard offers more minerality and iron/meaty notes as well as classic black cherry fruits, mint, and smoked earth. It’s beautiful on the palate as well and has medium to full body, perfectly integrated acidity, and an elegant, lengthy personality. Drink it anytime over the coming decade. Winemaker Nico Cueva continues to fine tune his approach at Kosta Browne, experimenting with new vinification and aging vessels. While the wines were richer and more upfront in the past, today, they have slightly more freshness and tension while not abandoning the beautiful fruit and texture that defines California wines. As I hope these notes show, these are distinctive, singular wines up there with the crème de la crème of the region.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard comes across as compact, dried out and lacking in fruit. Moreover, there is not a lot of site specific, or even regional, character. Red stone fruit, blood orange and floral notes struggle to fully emerge in a wine that remains disjointed and not especially well put together.