Kosta Browne

This was probably my first list and one my first introductions to “higher end” wine. Had one of their Chardonnay tonight with dinner and can’t belive this is at the same price point as a ceritas or Aubert. Been slowly disappointed with their Pinot as well. May no longer be a buyer of their wines

Big ripe and sweet. But Aubert is too.

This was just acid and oak

I bought some of the Chardonnay que it was first introduced. Realized not soon enough that it’s 180° opposite the style of Chardonnay I like (although I think it’s well made). Still like the Pinot noirs though - just getting a lot harder to afford.

I’ve only had it once, and I thought it was very good. But I’ve certainly had even better ones. Out of the classic Pinot producers, Williams-Selyem was the one I was least impressed with.

Where WBers used to be their core market, it is no longer, as they found the much larger, less picky market in the well-to-do wine hobbyists, who buy based on label status. MUCH bigger market, no fuss. The wine is made for that market - big, bold, unabashed, and gobs of profit.

So I guess I’m not a WBer and I’m not fussy either… To each his own.

Ceritas and Aubert are not at the same price point as one another.

Had an interesting conversation with a somm friend who recently led a tasting of Kbs from both the 2007 and 2017 vintage. His comments on the pinots: the 2007s spoke of the ‘house style’, whereas the 2017’s spoke a lot more of vineyard sources / AVA’s.

I honestly have not had these wines for quite some time - truly curious if the opinions expressed here are based on ‘generalizations from the past’ or from current experiences, especially with the pinots?

Cheers.

Ceritas Chardonnay runs 65, Aubert about 80 and KN was 72. Pretty much same price point.

Aubert vineyard designates are $100+ and more on the after market. Yes, they have appellation blends at $80 but those should be compared with the Marena from Ceritas, which is their vineyard blend and is around $50.

A friend talked them up for months but I found their Pinot and Chardonnay disappointing. Similar to what you see with certain boring overpriced Burgundies.

I’d be curious to try some older vintages. These were both recent ones.

“No fuss” is such a good way to put it.

I’m all about the fuss and people who care about what they’re drinking. Bring that on.

Besides the prices jumping, the style of the wine has changed. I moved on from buying their wine.

I switched to Cirq.

There is a pronounced “what you are supposed to say about KB” fashion on here, one that is more about generalizing about the kinds of people who buy and drink it, and the various ownership changes and valuations of the company, than about the wines themselves.

To the extent any discussion can get to the actual wine, most of the impressions are left over from the early years of KB, pre-2007, when they were making 15%-ish super ripe pinot. It’s hard to get through all that and have any actual conversation about their wines, and there seems to be little point to making the effort.

But since you actually seem interested, their style went from Martinelli-type max lush ripeness in the early 2000s to a medium-large style (14.5% or so) starting about 2007. For example, the 2011 Sonoma Coast pinot was 14.4%, 3.59 ph, 5.8 g/L TA. While I think they would hold on longer and better than the pre 2007 wines, they’re still best in the first 5-6 years from the vintage, I think.

In the last vintage or two, they have dialed the style lower. Here are the specs for the 2017 Sonoma Coast pinot (KB has always done an excellent job of putting out detailed information about each wine):

Fermentation
84% Stainless Steel open tops / 8% Concrete open tops / 8% Wood open tops / 4% Whole Cluster

Oak
40% New French Oak for 17 months / 6% Concrete tank for 10 months / 15% Wood tank for 10 months

Alcohol
14.2%

pH
3.52

TA
5.62 g/L

I don’t think I’ve opened one of the “newest” style pinots. I only buy a few a year. I should open one before the next ordering season, though, just to see whether I want to keep buying.