2017 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Bootlegger’s Hill Russian River Valley 750 ml

From ten bucks a night to thousands on the waiting list.

That’s Kosta Browne, which was hatched when Dan Kosta and Michael Browne were working at Sonoma County restaurant John Ash. Neither had experience making wine, but they had the itch. They started by putting $10 each in an envelope on nights they worked together, and in a few months they had a thousand dollars. After one of the restaurant’s chefs ponied up $400 more, they set off.

Over the next five years, they persevered, scouring Northern California for grapes and capital. Their huge breakthrough came in 2005 when Wine Spectator crowned two of their 2003 Pinots with 95-point scores and named the Sonoma Coast bottling the #11 wine on their Top 100 list. Almost overnight, the challenge changed from keeping afloat to keeping up with demand.

Kosta Browne kept climbing Spectator’s Top 100: Their Russian River Pinot took #7 in 2006, and the Sonoma Coast landed at #4 in ’09 and claimed the top spot in 2011. And the demand? The queue to get on their mailing list is now endless.

The Kosta Browne pedigree is on full display in their 2017 Bootlegger’s Hill Pinot Noir. Sourced from a former apple orchard with classic Russian River Goldridge soils, this 2017 is drinking beautifully now—bold and bright, full of rich, spicy strawberry and raspberry flavors.