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The May 2025 Auction: Part 3
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1 / 2Lot 1058
Estimate: $60
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Collection name
Reviews
95WA
"The 2019 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard has a unique expression, with layered, pleasantly rustic scents of dried red cherries and cranberries, dried herbs, bitters and desiccated roses. The light-bodied palate is seamless and finessed, its dusty tannins, bright acidity and layered fruits merging into a seamless, lengthy finish. I visited Kosta Browne to taste the 2019s and a few 2020s with winemaker Julien Howsepian. Due to the wildfires, production in 2020 was down about 60% in the Russian River Valley, and Kosta Browne will not be able to release their usual 35,000-42,000 cases. However, the brand was able to pivot—because they are owned by the Duckhorn company, they were able to source more fruit from the Sta. Rita Hills and the Anderson Valley. "The fires started early, on August 17," Howsepian remembered. "It had been an amazing growing season; the flavors developed much earlier than they did in 2019. We were able to get a lot of fruit off the vine very quickly. We picked a lot of fruit but not everything." Lots were kept separate in the winery, and a committee of winemakers across the Duckhorn portfolio came together to taste the wines and assess potential impact from the smoke. "It has to be the same quality as always," Howsepian emphasized. "We did rigorous testing and tasted many times. But testing numbers don't really say much." Most of the 2020s were still in barrel when I visited, but there are some appellation wines included in this report. Although I didn't perceive any smokiness in these wines, consumers should consider drinking these 2020s on the early side, since the impact from smoke sometimes takes months or years to appear in the bottled wine."
Region
Red
Country
Score
"The 2019 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard has a unique expression, with layered, pleasantly rustic scents of dried red cherries and cranberries, dried herbs, bitters and desiccated roses. The light-bodied palate is seamless and finessed, its dusty tannins, bright acidity and layered fruits merging into a seamless, lengthy finish. I visited Kosta Browne to taste the 2019s and a few 2020s with winemaker Julien Howsepian. Due to the wildfires, production in 2020 was down about 60% in the Russian River Valley, and Kosta Browne will not be able to release their usual 35,000-42,000 cases. However, the brand was able to pivot—because they are owned by the Duckhorn company, they were able to source more fruit from the Sta. Rita Hills and the Anderson Valley. "The fires started early, on August 17," Howsepian remembered. "It had been an amazing growing season; the flavors developed much earlier than they did in 2019. We were able to get a lot of fruit off the vine very quickly. We picked a lot of fruit but not everything." Lots were kept separate in the winery, and a committee of winemakers across the Duckhorn portfolio came together to taste the wines and assess potential impact from the smoke. "It has to be the same quality as always," Howsepian emphasized. "We did rigorous testing and tasted many times. But testing numbers don't really say much." Most of the 2020s were still in barrel when I visited, but there are some appellation wines included in this report. Although I didn't perceive any smokiness in these wines, consumers should consider drinking these 2020s on the early side, since the impact from smoke sometimes takes months or years to appear in the bottled wine."
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The fourth-largest wine producer in the world, led by California. American fine wine is defined by ripe, expressive fruit and a spirit of innovation, with Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon among the most sought-after wines globally.
A thin-skinned, terroir-sensitive red producing perfumed, silky and elegant wines of red-berry fruit and earthy complexity. It reaches its apogee in Burgundy.