Tasting Notes from Lynmar:
The 2012 Terra de Promissio Pinot Noir exhibits a flashy garnet color. On the nose, one can sense wild aromatics of ripe plum, elderberry, black tea, and sauvage. Supple tannins give way to flavors of blackcurrant, ginger, and tangerine skin. The broad finish blends sprinkles of nutmeg, pluot, and graphite. Enjoy this Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir upon release. Cellaring will be rewarded through 2024
2012 Spell Terra de Promissio Released
Tasting Notes from Spell Estate:
The Terra de Promissio Vineyard is owned and managed by Charles and Diana Karren with the help of Diana’s parents it is a true family operation. Planted in 2002 to Pinot Noir clones 777 and 115 it is located east of Petaluma on a rolling hill in what is unofficially referred to as the Petaluma Gap of the Sonoma Coast AVA. Buffeted by cold maritime winds the fruit ripens slowly and produces wines of exceptional elegance and purity.
Dark violet in color, aromas of cherry, strawberry, oats, all spice, anise, sassafras add to a brooding quality in the glass. Flavors of cranberry and pomegranate hinting towards darker fruit and forest duff sweep across the palate. Balanced by smooth tannins and perfect acidity flavors of black cherry and bitter chocolate seem to linger for eternity. Drink now or over the next 5 to 7 years.
Oak: 100% French; 40% new, 25% once used and 35% older.
Harvest Dates: 10/11/12
Bottled: August 8, 2013
Alc: 14.3%
Cases Produced: 148
Kosta Browne Grower Lunch
Pictured after lunch: Diana Karren, Winemaker Michael Browne and Charles Karren
Charles & Diana Karren had a wonderful time at the annual Kosta Browne Grower's lunch held at their new winery complex at the Barlow.
2011 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Released
Charles & Diana spent the day at the new Kosta Browne winery at the Barlow in downtown Sebastopol pouring the Sonoma Coast Pinot for the Kosta Browne Wine Club members. It was a beautiful facility and a fun day meeting and greeting all the members.
From Kosta Browne:
Our 2011 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a blend of three vineyards; Gap’s Crown, Terra de Promissio and Walala. The first two are located in the southern portion of the Sonoma Coast appellation and lie directly in the path of the Petaluma Wind Gap’s Pacific Ocean cooling and the maritime influence of the San Pablo Bay. The third vineyard, Walala Vineyard, is from the northwestern coastal reaches near Annapolis. The wines from the Petaluma Gap region are rich, voluptuous and structured with dark black and blue fruit, deep texture and broad structure. The wines from Walala are red fruit driven with clean earth, a slight spice, elegant structure and a complex core. We recommend drinking this wine between 2015 and 2020.
Aromatics: The wine shows focused blueberry, black cherry and ripe currants in the nose, followed by intense blackberry and cassis. In the background there is a dusting of cocoa and black plum.
On the palate: The 2011 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir exhibits dark black and blue fruits that drive down the center of your palate and slowly melt into all areas of the mouth. There is focused acidity and a tannic grip that carry the rich dark fruit character towards the midpalate, followed by creamy black cherry, dark plum and dried currants. There is intensity to this wine that is followed by a slow release of complex flavors and textures, leading to a long and lingering finish.
2011 Williams-Selyem Terra de Promissio Released
Charles & Diana Karren spent Sunday pouring the newly released 2011 Williams-Selyem Terra de Promissio. Like the fall Williams-Selyem, it was a fun event meeting and talking to all the members of the Williams-Selyem wine club. The 2011 was the first vintage with Williams-Selyem and we could not be more pleased with the result. The winemaker Jeff Mangahas, Director of Winemaking Bob Cabral and the entire Williams-Selyem team have produced an outstanding Pinot. And while at the event, Bob and Jeff told us that it had just received a 96 from the Wine Enthusiast!
Wine Spectator's Grand Award Banquet
Friday Night Tasting of the KB 2009 Sonoma Coast
In December of 2011, the Wine Spectator named the 2009 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir as its 2011 Wine of the Year. The wine comprises fruit from three vineyards including Terra de Promissio. It is the first Sonoma County wine to win the award since 1999 and the first ever Pinot Noir wine to win.
Wine Spectator editors tasted and reviewed over 16,000 new releases from 12 countries and they noted the Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast bottling showcases Michael Browne’s meticulous winemaking and the quality of their grape sources.
The 2009 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir rated 95 points on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale.
The Wine of the Year Dinner on Saturday Night
Diana and Charles Karren were thrilled to be included as Kosta's Browne special guests at the Wine Spectators Grand Award Banquet in Los Angeles--the wine industry's premier awards event. The honors began with a formal salute to the 2011 Wine of the Year, the Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2009.
It was a festive three days of socializing with hundreds of winemakers, sommeliers, chefs and wine lovers. Both Diana and Charles gave heartfelt thank-you to the entire Kosta Browne team of Michael Browne, Dan Kosta, David Hejl, Chris Costello and Tony Lombardi. Michael, Dan, Chris and the entire KB team are very deserving winners.
Grower Lunch at Kosta Browne
Pictured left to right: Dan Kosta, Vadim, Diana Karren (holding a double magnum of a 2010 Kosta Browne Terra de Promissio), Michael Browne, David Hejl, Sonia, Chris Costello
The Karren's as well as Diana's parents Vadim and Sonia had a great time at the Kosta Browne Grower Lunch. This annual lunch is always the highlight of the summer season.
wine of the year
In 2011, the Wine Spectator named the 2009 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir as its 2011 Wine of the Year. The wine comprises fruit from three vineyards including Terra de Promissio. It is the first Sonoma County wine to win the award since 1999 and the first ever Pinot Noir wine to win. Wine Spectator editors tasted and reviewed over 16,000 new releases from 12 countries and they noted the Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast bottling showcases Michael Browne’s meticulous winemaking and the quality of their grape sources. The 2009 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir rated 95 points on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale.
California pinot noir
There is no such thing as a perfect vintage. But 2009 comes close to nirvana for California Pinot Noir. Ideal weather and a modest-sized crop led to even-ripening and the tastiest group of young Pinots I’ve yet sampled. Without a doubt, 2009 ranks alongside 2007 as the best vintage this decade. But in terms of the number of great wines, ’09 is head and shoulders above any other vintage in California Pinot Noir history. -James Laube
Cool Climate Pinot
Sites once thought too marginal are now producing world-class Pinot, says Linda Murphy. What’s more, they’re at the elegant end of the spectrum
In the Petaluma Gap region of the Sonoma Coast appellation, Denis Malbec, a former Château Latour cellarmaster who consults in California with his wife, May-Britt, produces Pinot under the Notre Vin brand. The grapes come from Charles and Diana Karren’s Terra de Promissio Vineyard in the Gap, a west-to-east break in the coastal mountain range southeast of the Russian River Valley and northeast of Marin County, through which cool marine winds and fog blast their way across vineyards.
During the growing season at Terra de Promissio, mornings are usually shrouded in fog, which burns off around noon. By late afternoon, the cool air returns, and by nightfall, the fog envelopes the vineyard again. Daily temperature swings of 20°C and more are common, and there’s just enough sunlight to ripen small yields of tiny, intensely flavoured grapes.
‘I like the balance of temperature and light here,’ Malbec says of the Petaluma Gap. ‘It doesn’t get above 27°C, and while the wind is not my friend, I like what it does to the grapes (in drying out moisture). It’s an advantage over Burgundy, which must contend with rain and botrytis.’
Kosta Browne Video on Our Family
Kosta Browne began an intensive project in 2008 to produce a series of videos to provide an insider's view of Kosta Browne. The first video was on us and as Kosta Browne says:
These segments will give you insight into our extended family of growers, their philosophies and personalities. Consequently, the dedicated people and their families who grow incredible Pinot Noir for us are an important "first step" in a long journey towards producing our Pinot Noirs. The production of our wines relies heavily on superior quality fruit and we wouldn't be where we are today without the support and friendship from our wine growing partners! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do."