I have always been a fan of Kosta Browne! We have been holding on to this bottle for quite some time and thought, since it’s my birthday weekend, why not!?? It’s such a cool story how this small Sonoma winery came about more than a decade ago by two waiters who pooled their tips so they could make wine. With no formal winemaking training, Dan Kosta and Michael Browne stumbled along a path of trial and error. Their first Pinots in 2000 weren’t inspiring, but since 2002, they’ve made 66 wines that have earned 90 points or higher—though they don’t own a single vine and make wine in a rented warehouse.  2009 was the greatest vintage yet for California Pinot and the Kosta Browne team pinot was labelled Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year in 2011. This 2002 pinot  is a blend of two vineyards: the Carinalli Vineyard and the Kanzler Vineyard. Both vineyards lie in the Petaluma Gap just south of Bodega Highway in Sebastopol. It has a complex nose of bright red cherries, cloves, and spice that’s full of bouquet. The palate is bursting with bright cherry, hints of blueberry and candied orange peel. Showing elegant and well balanced acidity and brightness, this wine has a nice depth of fruit and an opulent tannin structure, making it perfect for a casual sip or pairing with the most complex cuisine. We thoroughly enjoyed this bottle with our grilled rib-eye steak, roasted cauliflower with homemade pangratatto (Italian bread) and sautéed fava beans and mushroom! This is an early dinner so we can enjoy our late date-night at the Kabuki Theaters to watch The Avengers!  Wonder twins (Kosta and Browne) — keep activating!