2016 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Giusti Ranch

From a warmer site (it’s one of the first to be harvested) in the Russian River Valley, the 2016 Pinot Noir Giusti Ranch (98% destemmed and 50% new French oak) offers lots of black plum, black cherry, and underbrush aromatics and hits the palate with a pleasure-bent, ripe, sexy profile on the palate. It has that rare mix of opulence and elegance, with good acidity as well as tannins, and is going to offer loads of pleasure over the coming 7-8 years. Winemaker Nico Cueva continues to fine tune his approach at Kosta Browne, experimenting with new vinification and aging vessels. While the wines were richer and more upfront in the past, today, they have slightly more freshness and tension while not abandoning the beautiful fruit and texture that defines California wines. As I hope these notes show, these are distinctive, singular wines up there with the crème de la crème of the region.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Giusti Ranch is one of the more complete wines in this range. Powerful and virile in the glass, with notable character, the Giusti Ranch has so much to say. There is real substance and depth to the Giusti, something that eludes many wines in this lineup. Sweet red cherry, pomegranate, mint, game and licorice are woven throughout, but it is the wine's shape and overall feel that are its most defining characteristics.