CIRQ Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2019

Do you know Kosta Browne?  The cult Pinot Noir was first created when buddies Dan Kosta and Michael Browne were both working at a popular restaurant in Santa Rosa and decided they wanted to make some wine.  They each pooled $10 from their restaurant tips each night until they had $1400 and were able to purchase a half-ton of Pinot Noir, a manual crusher/de-stemmer, and a used barrel.  It didn't take long until their Pinots became some of the most sought-after Pinots in California, sourced from the most amazing vineyards in California.  In 2008 however, Michael Browne became restless, as many winemakers do, and wanted to develop his own vineyards and grow his own fruit, ultimately focusing on toning down the massively fruit-forward style associated with Kosta Browne and highlighting the more elegant side.

Finding untapped sites with the potential for greatness is no small feat but knowing this part of the wine country so well, he knew it could be done and he knew just the person to help make it happen.  He called in his good buddy Charlie Chenoweth.  Charlie's family has been farming in Sonoma County since 1838.   He has worked with some of the most accomplished producers in the world of Pinot - Kistler, Merry Edwards, Patz & Hall, Siduri, to name just a few.  After discovering what they considered to be two of the best sites in one of the world's greatest regions for Pinot Noir, the Russian River Valley, the opportunity to farm them and make wine exclusively from these two vineyards, what they called Treehouse and Bootlegger's Hill, became the beginning of CIRQ.  Until 2017, Cirq was part of the Kosta Browne family and until that vintage, the grapes were from only these two sources. CIRQ is now fully owned and operated by Michael Browne. Michael and his wife Sarah established their own estate winery located in the heart of the Russian River Valley and are introducing a new chapter for CIRQ. This evolution will allow Michael the freedom to be involved in every fine detail of CIRQ and realize his life-long dream of making elegant, delicious wines crafted from special Russian River Valley vineyard sites.  

“I’m a blender”, says Michael. “For any wine—appellation-wide or single-vineyard—I blend. And now I can make one wine from other great sources across the Russian River Valley, blended down to the finest expression. I can work with more tones—darker, lighter … I have more freedom to offer the ultimate effort.”   Harvesting fruit from unique and hand-selected vineyards, he can take the elegant, plush, red-fruited pinot noir attributes from one and blend them with the darker-fruited qualities of another, forming a union of balance and purity from the highest quality fruit, for the ultimate Pinot Noir.

The name Cirq harkens back to Michael’s childhood growing up in Washington, where he became a trapeze artist (yep) in the local circus.  An “homage to all the artists—the producers of great food, art and, yes, wine—engaged in performances for the benefit of others. Creating something that will make us happy.” Sara L. Schneider/Robb Report

Freshly picked raspberries, wild strawberries, touches of bright cherry, crunchy red fruits, and baking spice. A hint of nutmeg and star anise combined with notes of allspice and a sprinkle of morning rain.  Flavors: Ripe plum, pomegranate, and rhubarb-strawberry pie …unbaked with some “razzle- dazzle”—a slight hint of earthy tones and fresh forest floor, softened with a pretty ocean breeze.  This Pinot is one to gain complexities from additional age—it is stunning in its youth and sure to over-deliver in its ripe old age.