The Vine Guy

Here are my notes from the remarkable Kosta Browne dinner at Bistro Bis featuring Michael Browne and Tony Lombardi:

2001 Trimbach Frederic Emile Cuvee Riesling – Delicious, unctous and charming.
1990 Charles Heidsieck Millesime – A lovely way to get the evening started. Charming, yeast notes mixed with apple, nectarine and a touch of citrus on the finish.
2004 Peter Michael L’Apres-Midi Sauvignon Blanc – a bit out of place for this event, but a great Sauvignon Blanc. Needs oysters.
2006 Aubert Lauren Chardonnay – A classic California Chardonnay. Lovely and not over-oaked. I thought it was killer until I tasted the KB Chardonnay (below).
2005 Domaine Michel Bouzeraeu Meursault Les Perrieres 1er Cru – Excellent structure – a bit too refined for the line-up.
2009 Kosta Brown 1-16 Chardonnay – their first Chardonnay effort and it was a “10+” – quite possibly the wine of the night. The bad news? They only made 200 cases! Let’s hope they plan on making more. One of the best California Chardonnays I have ever had.
2009 Kosta Browne Russian River Valley Pinot Noir – pretty, elegant and lush. This could be my new “house” pinot noir if only I could get any. I was blown away by how soft-yet-tasty it was over the whole palate.
2009 Kosta Browne Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir – Smokey, sultry and ladden with red fruit. It will peak in 2 -3 years.
2009 Kosta Browne Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir – Whoa! Big, earthy, jammy. This is a big wine and will require another two or three years just to reach puberty. In 5 years, this wine will be spectacular – if you can wait that long to drink it.
2006 Domaine Dublere Volnay Les Pitures 1er Cru – Good, not great. It was definitely out of place at the tasting only because of how big the other pinots were. Although, this wine had the prettiest finish of the evening.
2003 Domaine Hudelot-baillet Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras 1er Cru – Again, good, not great. The structure was there but the fuit was almost non-existent.
1990 Domaine De Courcel Pommard Les Rugiens – Uber-pretty wine. One of my top three wines of the night. Even though it was delicate, it was remarkably well balanced and lush. Hard to believe that there was so much fruit left in a 20+ year old red Burgundy.
1996 Chateau Cos d’Estournel – Evidently, I am a slut for Bordeaux in general and Cos in particular. This wine was my third-of-three wines of the night. Powerful, yet restained. Brash, yet elegant. Wonderful black fruit, lead pencil and just a waffer-thin-mint hint of curry on the back of the long, long finish.
1989 Chateau Grand Mayne – eh.
2004 Penfolds Bin 60A Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz – I was surprised by how much I liked this wine! It had nice fruit and remarkable acidity. The tannins were a tad too soft, but the finish was flavorful (blackberry, dark plum and black pepper) and memorable.
2004 Bond Vecine Napa Valley Red – Not great. Not bad. Just not as great as I had hoped. It was a bit out of balance and lacked the refining qualities of its Bordeaux counterparts.

The Wine Line-up!

Michael Browne, Winemaker/Owner of Kosta Browne

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of meeting Michael  Browne, winemaker/owner of the uber-popular Kosta Browne Winery – producer of elegant California Pinot Noir wines, for a remarkable wine dinner at Bistro Bis in Washington, DC. Tony Lombardi, PR rep extraordinaire, also attended the dinner.

In honor of the occasion, several members of a regular tasting group, joined in and brought some pretty remarkable wines with them, including 1996 Cos d’Estournel, 2005 Bond, 2006 Aubert “Ritchie Vineyard” Chardonnay, 2006  Dublere Volnay Les Pitures 1er Cru, and, of course, a gaggle of Kosta Browne pinots, to name but a few.

But of all the stellar wines we had that night, the undisputed wine of the night was the new, never before released, 2009 Kosta Browne Chardonnay. Yes, Chardonnay! As much as I adore Aubert wines, particularly the Chardonnays, the KB Chard was pitch perfect! Even at this remarkably young age, it was focused, balanced and elegant. The only depressing thing about the wine is that Michael only made 200 cases, so I doubt I will have the pleasure of having that wine please my palate again… unless I haul by butt out to Sonoma and show up on his doorstep with an empty glass.

And I’d be remiss if I did not thank the entire staff at Bistro Bis for a remarkable experience. Special thanks to the Chef de Cuisine, Joe Harran, and Omar, the most outstanding Sommelier in the entire restaurant!

Menu:

Raviolis Des Champignon et Artichauts  

forest mushroom and artichoke ravioli with

spring vegetables and black truffles

Salmon Argenteuil

pepper crusted salmon with white asparagus, black trumpet

mushrooms ,potato gnocchi and veal cheek ravigote

Gigot d’Agneau Roti  

spice crusted lamb top round with rapini, peppers,

onions , socca frites and white balsamic vinaigrette

Selection of Artisanal Cheese

I will have the tasting notes published shortly… stay tuned!