Winery Notes

“A much-anticipated release, the return of Convene Russian River Valley Chardonnay pays homage to the Old World of Burgundy. Pale straw in color, this expressive wine opens with aromas of coconut shavings, Bartlett pear, and hazelnut. On the palate, fruit flavors of pineapple and green apple mingle with notes of creme brûlée, vanilla bean and white florals through an exuberant and prolonged finish.”

94 Points Wine Enthusiast – “Mellow, intricately blended spices, butter, toast and generous fruit flavors give this wine a pleasing, rich expression without losing its balance. A medium to full body and supple texture support deep poached-pear and peach flavors for impressive concentration and length.”

94 Points Decanter – “Dan Kosta and Shane Finely have worked together since 2006, when Finley, at age 26, began working in the cellar at Kosta Browne. These guys are having a lot of fun with Convene, the label Kosta launched in 2019. After their entry-level bottlings, the Convene label represents the ‘Premier Cru’ level wines, while DK Grail is the ‘Grand Cru’ tier. They are unquestionably ‘Holy Grail’ worthy. Finley and Kosta are big fans of longer ageing and extended lees contact with their Chardonnays. We tasted in February 2024, and they’d just bottled their 2022s. Super expressive nose with wonderful ripe fruit flavours alongside butterscotch and toasty brioche. Wonderfully rich and full-bodied with plenty of salty mineral tension. Partial malolactic fermentation means the wine retains great tension, vibrancy, and freshness. Flavours run the spectrum from Meyer Lemon to apricots and white peaches. Crushed Marcona almonds are entangled in the finish, and I find this a balanced expression of California Chardonnay with the right amount of toasty richness and acidity.”

93 Points Wine Spectator – “Elegant, with peach, pear and tangerine flavors at the core and pretty grace notes of salted butter, pastry and crème anglaise, while dried pineapple details linger on the long finish. Drink now.”