Arriving to the Russian River Valley on a cold, damp, winter rainy day in Sonoma. Besides the bad weather I could not be more excited to spend the afternoon tasting with Michael Browne where he shared CIRQ Wines with me.

Arriving in style to CIRQ Wines…. For my weekend getaway to The Russian River Valley followed by a stay at Fort Bragg, Lexus generously partnered with me sharing this amazing brand new 2019 Lexus UX. It was perfect for this rainy weather as it’s a hybrid of a small SUV and a sporty wagon.

Upon arriving to CIRQ Wines Michael showed me around starting with the barrel room.

After the barrel room, we continued to the wine cellar for a tasting of the entire line up of CIRQ Wines starting with the 2011 vintage leading up to their most recent vintage the 2017.

Upon arriving at this view I have to admit I was in shock. I had met Michael Browne (one of the Co Founders of Kosta Browne) many times over the years at World of Pinot Noir amongst other wine events in the region, however, getting to spend a few hours with him tasting through CIRQ Wines was something in my wildest dreams. CIRQ is producing very very limited quantities so he said they don’t do these expansive tastings too often making it that much more special. OMG!

This shot may be my favorite view of the wines as it showcases the beautiful back labels. The inspiration behind CIRQ Wines comes from Michael’s childhood where he performed in the circus starting at 12 years old! Pretty cool, right? Each of these labels has a different type of circus inspiration whether it is a vintage circus ticket, an old ledger. Each of the vintages has a unique story to it adding to the already exclusive hard to find CIRQ Wines within these beautiful bottles.

Let the fun begin here Michael shares the first wine we tasted, the 2011 CIRQ with me.

The 2013 CIRQ Vintage back label is especially interesting with two unique parts of the label each representing part of the Circus ticket. So cool, right?

This 2016 Bootleggers is especially fun. I’m not sure why but I love the ring of Bootleggers paired with CIRQ…

It’s hard to beleive this afternoon completed. What a special experience getting to taste through the entire CIRQ Wine assortment with Winemaker Michael Browne. If you asked me a few years ago when I was new to California and learned about Kosta Browne and Michael’s background and stellar reputation I would have never guessed in my wildest dreams I would get to taste with him.. A huge thanks to Michael and the entire CIRQ team for putting this together. It will be one of those tastings I never forget and dream about when I’m craving beautiful Russian River Pinot Noir Wines.

After finishing the tasting I was heading north for a weekend stay in Fort Bragg. Thanks to Lexus for partnering with me and sharing this fabulous Lexus UX200 for the trip. It was perfect for my road trip to the Inn at Newport Ranch and the windy vineyard roads and coastal conditions I came across on my way North.