2016 Kosta Browne Chardonnay Mount Carmel
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Chardonnay One Sixteen was aged in several vessels for varying lengths of time, from five to 14 months in 26% new French oak, 25% stainless, 12% foudres, 10% concrete tanks and 2% concrete eggs. It opens with soft notes of petrichor, crushed hazelnuts, Greek yogurt and fresh apples with accents of white peaches and lime peel. The palate is light to medium-bodied with bright citrus and tree fruits with a rocky streak, tangy acidity and a long, energetic finish. This offers a nice balance of savory and mineral character and has the structure to gain amplitude in bottle. 3,700 cases produced.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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Bottled in December and sourced from sites mostly in the Russian River (there’s a small amount of Sonoma Coast in here), the 2016 Chardonnay One Sixteen is the larger production cuvée of the estate and could be thought of as the flagship Chardonnay. It reveals the fresher, crisper style of all the wines from Kosta Browne today and has lively notes of green citrus, stone fruits, toasted almonds, and white flowers. Steely and vibrant today, with beautiful purity, it’s going to flesh out nicely with a year in bottle and keep for 6-7 years. 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 Chardonnay One Sixteen is a hollow, watery wine with, sadly, little to recommend it.
About the producer
Kosta Browne is one of California's most acclaimed wineries, renowned for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that express the character of top vineyard sites across Sonoma and beyond. Combining meticulous sourcing with thoughtful winemaking, the wines offer richness, precision, and remarkable sense of place.