Californian star Kosta Browne adds Burgundy to its line-up

Sonoma Pinot Noir powerhouse Kosta Browne – part of the Duckhorn Wine Company – has added five Burgundian wines to its portfolio following a new partnership. 

The Pinot Noir specialist from Sebastopol in California has added around about 4,000 cases of the five 2020 Burgundies, which comprise 2020 Pinot Noirs from Beaune (a blend of Les Bressandes and Les Teurons), a Gevrey-Chambertin, Pommard and Volnay, plus a Chardonnay from Meursault.

It is the culmination of a long-held ambition, winemaker Julien Howsepian told Wine Spectator, but it wasn’t until 2020 that the Sonoma-based company had a breakthrough finding the right partners, winemaker. It now plans to grow and expand the operation, particularly in light of the smaller 2021 yields.

The wines had been produced via a négociant model, with some wines purchased already-fermented while others were produced in France by an established winery in Côte de Beaune that the team have partnered with, after they acquired grapes and must.

The wines were barrel aged in France, before being transported to California for analysis and bottling.

Vice president of winemaking for Duckhorn and Kosta Browne general manager Neil Bernardi pointed out that when it came to Pinot Noir, “all roads lead back to Burgundy”.

“Whether you’re in Oregon or Tasmania or Chile or any Pinot-dominant wine region, the work done in Burgundy over the last 1,000 years sets the stage for what Pinot Noir is in the New World,” he said.

Kosta Browne was founded in 1997, but was acquired by Duckhorn in 2018.