United States · California

Kosta Browne

Kosta Browne was founded in 1997 by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne, two former waiters at John Ash & Company in Sonoma who pooled tips to fund their first barrel. The winery quickly became one of California's most sought-after Pinot Noir producers, building a mailing list that grew to thousands of names and driving secondary market prices well above retail. The estate sources fruit from prestigious vineyards in Sonoma and the Santa Lucia Highlands, producing single-vineyard wines alongside appellation-level blends. Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands leads at auction with 31 lots averaging $108 per bottle and the 2019 vintage most traded. Koplen Vineyard averages $85 across 29 lots; Cohn Vineyard averages $93. The multi-appellation Pinot Noir averages $62 across 31 lots. Bootleggers Hill Chardonnay averages $190 — the estate's highest per-bottle average across 5 lots. Auction prices range from $31 to $615, with an overall average of $83. Kosta Browne was acquired by private equity firm Vincraft in 2009 and later by Duckhorn Portfolio in 2018, a transition that raised concerns among collectors about maintaining quality and allocation status.