Russian River has been known for Pinot Noir since the mid '80s. In 1997, Dan Kosta and Michael Browne, who met while working at John Ash & Co. restaurant in Santa Rosa, California, decided to join the Russian River Pinot tradition. For one year they pooled all their tips to purchase a half-ton of grapes, a used barrel and a hand-crank stemmer-crusher. This was the beginning of Kosta Browne Winery.
After their experimental run at home winemaking, Kosta and Browne decided to get serious -- but their first vintage, 1999, was a bust. They partnered with Chris Costello in 2001 and in 2003 produced their first successful vintage. Today Kosta Browne produces 15,000 cases annually, harvesting from vineyards in the Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley and Santa Lucia Highlands appellations.

Kosta Browne Pinot Noirs are intensely flavorful and fruity wines. The top bottling is the 4-Barrel Pinot Noir, of which only 100 cases are made. They also produce several single-vineyard wines as well as Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley appellation bottlings. In 2009, Vincraft purchased majority control of the winery. Dan Kosta and Michael Browne, however, remain in their managerial roles today.