Kosta Browne

Kosta Browne was founded in 1997 by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne, who met while working at John Ash & Co. restaurant in Santa Rosa. The two pooled their tip money to buy their first grapes; Michael built relationships with Northern California growers while Dan, with support from third partner Chris Costello, focused on marketing and selling the wine. Wine Spectator's account of the founding differs on two points: it dates the winery's start to 1998 rather than 1997, and describes the original purchase as one barrel of Pinot Noir made by Kosta and Browne, with Costello joining later. In 2018 Duckhorn Wine Company purchased Kosta Browne from J.W. Childs Associates of Boston, the controlling owner at the time, in a deal that included the Sebastopol winery and tasting room, 80 acres of owned vineyard, leases on 90 additional acres, and all inventory; the sale price was not disclosed. It was Kosta Browne's fourth set of investors in 20 years of business: the winery had earlier been purchased by the Sonoma-based investment firm Vincraft in 2009, and J.W. Childs took over in 2015. Duckhorn Wine Co. was itself owned by TSG Consumer Partners of San Francisco, which had acquired Duckhorn and five other wineries, including Goldeneye, in 2016. All three founders, Dan Kosta, Michael Browne and Chris Costello, officially stepped away from the winery in 2017 to pursue personal projects; the 2018 sale did not include CIRQ, a separate wine label owned by Michael Browne. CEO and president Scott Becker and winemaker Nico Cueva remained with the company through the sale. In December 2024 the Los Angeles-based private equity firm Butterfly Equity completed an all-cash, approximately $1.95 billion acquisition of The Duckhorn Portfolio, Kosta Browne's then parent company, at $11.10 per share.

• Founded in 1997 by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne, who met at John Ash & Co. restaurant in Santa Rosa and pooled tip money to buy their first grapes; Chris Costello later joined as a third partner handling marketing and sales
• Ownership chain: Vincraft (2009), J.W. Childs Associates (2015), Duckhorn Wine Co. (2018, purchased from J.W. Childs for an undisclosed price; Duckhorn itself owned by TSG Consumer Partners since 2016), Butterfly Equity (completed December 24, 2024, for approximately $1.95 billion at $11.10 per share)
• All three founders, Dan Kosta, Michael Browne and Chris Costello, stepped away from the winery in 2017; the 2018 Duckhorn sale excluded CIRQ, a separate label owned by Michael Browne
• The 2018 sale included the Sebastopol winery and tasting room, 80 acres of owned vineyard and leases on 90 additional acres; CEO Scott Becker and winemaker Nico Cueva remained with the company

Kosta Browne's 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir earned Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year designation for 2011, an achievement Wine Spectator says made the winery "one of the most famous Pinot Noir brands in California." The 2018 sale to Duckhorn Wine Co. united two Wine Spectator Wine of the Year winners: Duckhorn's Merlot Napa Valley Three Palms Vineyard 2014 had received the top honor in 2017. Announcing the 2018 acquisition, Duckhorn CEO Alex Ryan said Kosta Browne "has written a chapter of great Pinot over the last 20 years" and, comparing it to other wineries for sale, said "Kosta Browne has authenticity and you can't match that." Michael Browne said of the sale, "I am proud to have been a part of Kosta Browne for so many years, and I'm grateful that it is being passed on to such a wonderful group who understands a brand like this and can take it to the next level in good fashion; rare indeed."

• 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir: Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year for 2011
• The 2018 Duckhorn acquisition united two Wine Spectator Wine of the Year winners: Kosta Browne's 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (2011) and Duckhorn's Merlot Napa Valley Three Palms Vineyard 2014 (2017)
• Duckhorn CEO Alex Ryan, announcing the 2018 acquisition: Kosta Browne "has written a chapter of great Pinot over the last 20 years"
• Michael Browne on the 2018 sale: "I am proud to have been a part of Kosta Browne for so many years... rare indeed"

Julien Howsepian joined Kosta Browne in 2012 as a production assistant and advanced through cellar master and assistant winemaker before being named winemaker in 2019 at age 34, the third winemaker in the company's history; he succeeded Nico Cueva, who had served as winemaker through the 2018 Duckhorn sale. Howsepian is a first-generation American with a French father and Dutch mother, raised in the Bay Area, and holds a degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis; before joining Kosta Browne he worked at several California estates and in New Zealand's Hawkes Bay region. Under his direction the winery elevated its Chardonnay program to what its own site calls world-class status, established a sparkling wine program, and expanded the portfolio into Oregon's Willamette Valley and Burgundy, France. In 2025 Beverage Information Group named Howsepian to its "40 Under 40" list of young wine industry leaders. Howsepian has described the house style in his own words: "Seamlessly combining richness and refinement, there is an elegance to our wines that flows across the palate."

• Julien Howsepian: joined 2012 as production assistant, advanced through cellar master and assistant winemaker, named winemaker in 2019 at age 34, the third in Kosta Browne's history, succeeding Nico Cueva
• First-generation American with a French father and Dutch mother; degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis; prior experience at California estates and in New Zealand's Hawkes Bay
• Under Howsepian, Kosta Browne elevated its Chardonnay program, established a sparkling program, and expanded to Oregon's Willamette Valley and Burgundy, France
• Named to Beverage Information Group's "40 Under 40" list in 2025

As of this fetch, Kosta Browne's own site lists seven wine-growing regions: Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands, Sta. Rita Hills, Willamette Valley (Oregon) and a Burgundy Series (France). In the Russian River Valley, the site names five vineyards: Treehouse Vineyard (14 acres; its facts box gives an established year of 2009, though the page's own descriptive text elsewhere says 2006; first Kosta Browne vintage 2016, Franciscan soils), Keefer Ranch (20 acres, established 1996, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay since a 2005 collaboration with grower Marcy Keefer), Giusti Ranch (9 acres, established 1875, farmed by the Giusti family since the 1870s on Josephine loam soils, first vintage 2004, Pinot Noir only), El Diablo (28 acres, established 2008 at 500-foot elevation, Chardonnay focus, first vintage 2017) and Bootlegger's Hill (30 acres, established 2009, 750 feet above the fog line on ancient seabed soils, seven Pinot Noir clones plus Chardonnay, first vintage 2016). On the Sonoma Coast the site names Gap's Crown Vineyard (138 acres, established 2002 in the Petaluma Gap AVA, Kosta Browne partnership and first vintage beginning in 2006) and Thorn Ridge Ranch (27 acres, established 1995, first vintage 2005, dry-farmed hillsides). In Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, about 65 miles north of the Sebastopol winery, Kosta Browne's Cerise Vineyard is 35 acres today, established 1996, planted across 26 west-facing blocks at elevations from 587 to 1,620 feet, with a first Kosta Browne vintage of 2016; Wine Spectator reported in 2018 that Kosta Browne had purchased 60 acres of Cerise Vineyard, a figure the current site's 35-acre total does not match. In the Santa Lucia Highlands the site names Pisoni Vineyard (40 planted acres, established 1982, 1,300-foot elevation, granite and sandstone soils, first Kosta Browne vintage 2008), Garys' Vineyard (51.7 acres, established 1997, first vintage 2005, founded through a Franscioni-Pisoni family collaboration) and Rosella's Vineyard (50 acres, established 1996, first vintage 2005, planted by Gary Franscioni and named for his wife). In Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, the site names Rita's Crown Vineyard (256 acres, established 2007, first Kosta Browne vintage 2019, diatomaceous earth soil, organic farming) and Mt. Carmel (24 acres, established 1989, first vintage 2018, primarily dry-farmed, diatomaceous earth soil). At the time of the 2018 Duckhorn sale, Wine Spectator and the Press Democrat reported that Kosta Browne controlled 170 acres via ownership or long-term lease, roughly 80 owned and 90 leased, including Cerise Vineyard in Anderson Valley, portions of Keefer Ranch in the Russian River Valley, and Gap's Crown Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast.

• Russian River Valley: Treehouse (14 ac, site's facts box lists established 2009), Keefer Ranch (20 ac, est. 1996), Giusti Ranch (9 ac, est. 1875, first vintage 2004), El Diablo (28 ac, est. 2008, first vintage 2017), Bootlegger's Hill (30 ac, est. 2009)
• Sonoma Coast: Gap's Crown Vineyard (138 ac, est. 2002, Kosta Browne partnership since 2006), Thorn Ridge Ranch (27 ac, est. 1995, first vintage 2005)
• Anderson Valley: Cerise Vineyard, 35 acres today, established 1996, elevations 587 to 1,620 feet, first Kosta Browne vintage 2016 (Wine Spectator reported a 60-acre purchase in 2018)
• Santa Lucia Highlands: Pisoni Vineyard (40 ac, 1,300 ft elevation, granite and sandstone soils), Garys' Vineyard (51.7 ac), Rosella's Vineyard (50 ac)
• Sta. Rita Hills: Rita's Crown Vineyard (256 ac, diatomaceous earth soil, organic farming) and Mt. Carmel (24 ac, dry-farmed)

Under Howsepian, Kosta Browne has expanded beyond Sonoma County. In Oregon's Willamette Valley (Lane and Benton Counties), the site names two vineyards: Eola Springs Vineyard (104 acres, established 1972, in the Van Duzer Corridor, west-facing and dry-farmed, first Kosta Browne vintage 2022) and Shea Vineyard (145 acres per the site's facts box, though the page's own descriptive text elsewhere says 149 acres; established 1989 by grower Dick Shea, in Yamhill County, first Kosta Browne vintage 2021). The Burgundy Series, as shown on the site for the 2023 vintage, sources Pinot Noir from four French appellations, Beaune Premier Cru, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard and Volnay, plus a Chardonnay from Chablis Premier Cru; Kosta Browne's own site frames the project as an effort to explore "the spirit of our founders by expanding to the most renowned Pinot Noir sites." Elsewhere on the site, in describing winemaker Julien Howsepian's tenure, Kosta Browne also credits him with expanding the portfolio to the vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin and Meursault in Burgundy, appellations not listed among the Burgundy Series' 2023-vintage regions shown on the dedicated Burgundy Series page.

• Willamette Valley, Oregon: Eola Springs Vineyard (104 ac, est. 1972, Van Duzer Corridor, first KB vintage 2022) and Shea Vineyard (145 ac per the site's facts box, est. 1989, Yamhill County, founded by Dick Shea, first KB vintage 2021)
• Burgundy Series (2023 vintage, per the site): Pinot Noir from Beaune Premier Cru, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard and Volnay; Chardonnay from Chablis Premier Cru
• Site framing: expanding "to the most renowned Pinot Noir sites"
• Howsepian's bio page also credits him with expanding the portfolio to Gevrey-Chambertin and Meursault, not part of the 2023 Burgundy Series lineup shown on the site's dedicated Burgundy Series page

Kosta Browne is based in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, at The Barlow, described on the winery's own site as "a dynamic open-air marketplace filled with local culture, art, and gastronomy"; the Barlow was established in 2011 and has been home to Kosta Browne since 2013. Visits are by appointment only, reachable at (707) 823 7430; for private events, the winery recommends reaching out at least 90 days in advance, and gatherings of 20 or more guests may need additional accommodations. Tasting experiences described on the site include private reserve tastings, behind-the-scenes tours and exclusive cellar flights. At the time of the 2018 Duckhorn sale, Kosta Browne produced approximately 30,000 cases annually, sold about 85% of that production direct to consumer through a roughly 30,000-member mailing list, and held an 18-month waiting list for new customers; retail pricing for the Chardonnay started at $75 a bottle. The winery typically receives the highest bid at the annual Sonoma County Barrel Auction, per the Press Democrat.

• Location: The Barlow, Sebastopol, Sonoma County (Barlow established 2011; Kosta Browne there since 2013); visits by appointment only; private events recommended 90 days in advance, with additional accommodations for gatherings of 20 or more guests
• As of the 2018 sale: approximately 30,000 cases annually, about 85% sold direct to consumer through a roughly 30,000-member mailing list, an 18-month new-customer waiting list, Chardonnay retail pricing starting at $75/bottle
• Tasting experiences described on the site: private reserve tastings, behind-the-scenes tours, exclusive cellar flights
• Typically receives the highest bid at the Sonoma County Barrel Auction, per the Press Democrat

Primary sources (producer's own site, fetched as raw page text via curl and tag-stripping, not a summarizing tool): https://kostabrowne.com, .../our-story/, .../winemaker/, .../wine-library/, .../visit-us/, .../russian-river-valley/, .../sonoma-coast/, .../anderson-valley/, .../burgundy-series/, .../santa-lucia-highlands/, .../sta-rita-hills/, .../willamette-valley/, .../events/. Secondary sources (also fetched as raw page text): Wine Spectator (published July 17, 2018), Press Democrat / North Bay Business Journal (published July 17, 2018), SEC Form 8-K Exhibit 99.1 for The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc. (press release dated December 24, 2024). Last verified 2026-09-08. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs; see conflicts.json for the founding-year, Cerise Vineyard acreage and Burgundy Series discrepancies, plus two internal inconsistencies found on the producer's own site (Treehouse Vineyard's established year and Shea Vineyard's acreage).