Kosta Browne 2014 Gap’s Crown Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

94 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Coming from steep, rocky soils on the Sonoma Coast, the 2014 Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown Vineyard was brought up in 25% new French oak, 16% concrete and the rest in old barrels. All of the Pinot Noirs here go into barrel dry and see malolactic fermentation in barrel. This fabulous beauty gives up notes of black cherries, spring flowers, violets and spice in a medium-bodied, ultra-pure, seamless and elegant package that will benefit from short term cellaring and then cruise for a decade on its impeccable balance. This was another rock star lineup from Kosta Browne and it’s certainly one of the most impressive lineups I tasted all year. And while I generally consider 2013 to be a better vintage than 2014, these 2014s are a step up over last year’s releases, which were no slouches either. The estate continues to use moderate amounts of whole clusters for their reds, and aging occurs in varying amounts of French oak (and recently, some concrete). While these are big, rich wines, they’re in no way over the top and the vast majority have classic, structured and age-worthy profiles. Other producers at this level are few and far between. (JD) 94+ (8/2016)

90 points Vinous

The 2014 Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown is pretty, silky and polished, even if it is lacking a touch of depth through the middle. Sweet red cherry, pomegranate, blood orange and sweet floral notes give the 2014 its gracious, mid-weight personality. Bright chalk and minty notes add aromatic intrigue as the wine opens up with time. There is a lot going on at Kosta Browne these days, which just goes to show how unrelentingly committed the winery is to improving quality all around. It’s amazing to think how much KB has come along in the nearly twenty years since Dan Kosta and Michael Browne started off with just a few barrels of Pinot Noir…As for the 2014s, they are solid across the board. A number of the wines are, however, lacking a bit of depth, something that is not uncommon in this vintage more broadly. Hopefully Cueva and his team will mine the depths of Hervet’s experience and take Kosta Browne to the next level. (AG) (7/2016)

90 points Wine Spectator

Supple and generous, with ripe plum and blackberry flavors, this is aromatic and delicate, enticingly friendly and easy to drink, ending with fine-grained tannins. (JL) (9/2016)

This Sonoma Coast vineyard was developed specifically with Pinot Noir in mind. Bold sweeping elevation changes and clonal selections define this exemplary property which is farmed to exacting standards. For us, Gap’s Crown is all about a professional singular focus on Pinot Noir and we love it.

Steep hillsides and a variety of clones help add diversity to this vineyard whose aspects were carefully planted to encourage even sunlight exposure during the final stages of fruit ripening. The Sonoma Coast influence is key at Gap’s Crown – located in the Petaluma Gap where late season fog becomes trapped and takes a little longer to burn off. The fruit is allowed to hang a little longer creating more balanced and evolved flavors.

We’ve been working with the vineyard since 2006 and enjoy a long term lease of 37 acres. This allows us to manage how the vineyard is farmed and exercise our influence as an estate producer. Gap’s has become the backbone of our Sonoma Coast program and we believe the viticultural standards at work here are second to none.

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