Kosta Browne 2012 Kanzler Vineyard Pinot Noir

93 points Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

Bright ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes candied red berries and potpourri, with a zesty blood orange quality adding complexity. Offers lively strawberry and raspberry flavors that put on weight while picking up spiciness. A sweet lavender pastille note carries through the finish, which is framed by subtle, even tannins. (ST) (5/2014)

93 points Vinous

Freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries, blood orange and cinnamon are all laced together in the 2012 Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard. Bright, floral and lifted throughout, with terrific energy, the Kanzler impresses for its gracious personality. This is a decidedly feminine, gracious wine built on floral aromatics and nuance. Rose petal, lavender and mint are some of the signatures. The Kanzler is one of the most impressive wines in this range. (AG) (1/2015)

93 points Wine Spectator

Focused on a rich core of dark berry, raspberry and savory dried herb notes, this gains depth and dimension midpalate on, ending with a potent mix of vivid flavors supported by fine-grained tannins. (JL) (9/2014)

92 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Showing a fresh, perfumed and graceful style, the 2012 Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard possesses sweet berry fruits, damp underbrush, spring flowers and light spice in its delicate, sweetly fruited personality. It doesn’t quite have the depth of the other wines here, but it has a lively, pure texture and excels on its balance and harmony. Already hard to resist, plan on drinking this over the coming 3-5 years. This was another stacked lineup by the team of Dan Kosta and Michael Browne. All of these wines showed the more approachable style of the 2012 vintage, and had seamless, elegant characters. They’re beautiful now, but I suspect they will evolve nicely given their overall balance. (JD) (10/2014)

Kanzler Vineyard began in 1996 as the dream of Steve and Lynda Kanzler. The vineyard location is near the edge of the Petaluma Wind Gap known as the Sebastopol Hills, which is a microclimate characterized by morning and evening fog, breezy afternoons and bright, but mild afternoon sun. The cooler temperatures allow for an extended hang time and produce grapes of uncommon intensity and complexity. The Kanzler Vineyard is usually the last Pinot Noir vineyard we harvest. The gently sloping vineyard is a former apple orchard near the town of Sebastopol. Consisting of clones 115, 667 and Pommard, this vineyard delivers complexity, strength and purity, along with wines exhibiting a sensuous mouth feel. Our first vintage of Kanzler Vineyard was in 2002 and the vineyard has proven to be unique and extremely consistent.

Aromatics:

Richly concentrated blackberry and raspberry fruit accented by violets. A subtle and pleasing minerality helps to complement the lush briary fruit.

On the palate:

An abundance of black currant and wild berries. The opulent berry flavor drenches the palate. The middle softens to fig and sea-salted caramel, with restrained spice, intermingling to provide a long and decadent finish.