Russian River Valley · Sonoma County
Visit CIRQ Estate with a Private Chauffeur
Kosta Browne co-founder Michael Browne's own Pinot Noir, poured by request at a hilltop estate with views in every direction, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
CIRQ is the personal project of Michael Browne, who co-founded Kosta Browne in 1997 with a few hundred dollars the Pinot Noir house that made his name. He started CIRQ in 2009, took back sole leadership of it in 2018, and today owns it with his wife, Sarah, as part of Browne Family Wines, which also makes the CHEV label. Browne joined the circus at 16, and the turn-of-the-century circus art on CIRQ's back labels, which changes every year, is a nod to those roots.
CIRQ began with single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, Treehouse and Bootlegger's Hill, which built waiting lists, and now makes one Russian River Valley Pinot Noir each year, blended from a handful of vineyards. The 2023, from the Koplen, Graham and Giudici vineyards and the Browne Family Estate, aged 15 months in French oak, and about 2,400 cases were made. Critics have been generous: 100 points from Jonathan Cristaldi's Sonoma County Buyer's Guide, 98 from Jeb Dunnuck, and a place in Robb Report's Best of the Best 2026.
The 2018 vintage was the first from CIRQ's home in the heart of the Russian River Valley, a hilltop estate off Slusser Road in Windsor with panoramic views over vineyards and redwood country. There is no public tasting room. The winery offers what it calls an exclusive, private experience at the CIRQ and CHEV estate, with a limited number of appointments any day of the week; requests go through its mailing list and are confirmed by email. We make the request for you and build the day around the time the estate gives.
Tasting Fees
Tasting fees to be verified upon reservation.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
4525 Slusser Road, Windsor
AVA
Russian River Valley
Visiting
By private appointment only, with limited reservations offered Monday to Sunday. Appointments are requested through the mailing list on the winery's website and are not confirmed until the team replies by email; the request is made for you when you book with us.
Known For
A single Russian River Valley Pinot Noir blended from top vineyards, made by Kosta Browne co-founder Michael Browne
Founded
2009
Good to Know
Guests must be 21 or older. There is no walk-in tasting room. Wines are sold to the mailing list, and the estate also makes the CHEV label under Browne Family Wines.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:40 a.m. from a Russian River Valley hotel such as Farmhouse Inn in Forestville or Vinarosa in Santa Rosa.
10:40 · Pickup at Farmhouse Inn or Vinarosa
Farmhouse Inn, a 25-room inn on River Road in Forestville, is about 15 minutes from CIRQ, and Vinarosa, set among 92 acres of vineyards in Santa Rosa, about 20. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
11:00 · CIRQ Estate
The first stop. A private visit and tasting at the hilltop estate. CIRQ sets the time when it confirms, and we build the rest of the day around it.
12:40 · Lunch at Willow Wood Market Cafe
About 25 minutes away. A café, soda fountain and general store at the center of Graton since 1995, serving down-home comfort food on a remodeled patio or inside. Lunch from 11:30 a.m., with brunch on Sundays. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:10 · Kanzler Family Vineyards
About 20 minutes away. The Kanzler family's 20-acre Pinot Noir estate in the Sebastopol Hills, planted in 1996 on an old apple orchard; Kosta Browne has made a Kanzler vineyard-designate wine every year since 2002. The private, seated tasting starts with the Estate Chardonnay and a walk to the vines, then a flight of Pinot Noirs ($75, about 90 minutes, up to 8 guests). By appointment.
4:05 · Dehlinger Winery
About 25 minutes away. Tom Dehlinger planted this Vine Hill Road estate in 1975, one of the first to revive western Sonoma County's vineyards after Prohibition, and his daughters Carmen and Eva run it today. The private Discover Dehlinger tasting is $45, and Pinot and Place, a side-by-side look at the estate's Pinot Noirs, is $75, for up to 6 guests. By appointment only.
5:05 · Back to your hotel
Back in Forestville or Santa Rosa by 5:30 p.m.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. CIRQ, Kanzler and Dehlinger are all by appointment, so we confirm each time when we book, and the order may change around the slot CIRQ gives. It ends around 5:15 in Forestville and 5:30 in Santa Rosa.
About $120 to $150 per person at Kanzler and Dehlinger, paid directly to each winery; CIRQ's tasting fee is to be verified upon reservation.
Every tour is custom. This day is a starting point: your chauffeur will shape it around what matters to you, and we plan multi-day tours for guests who want to see more of wine country.
Your Vehicle & Six-Hour Tour Rates
Up to 6 guests
Elite Luxury SUV
Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade
From $750
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $125 each.
Up to 9 guests
Jet Sprinter or Executive Luxury Van
Captain's chairs and room to spread out
From $1,350
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $225 each.
Larger groups travel in more than one vehicle, and we plan the winery appointments around your group, since many wineries limit groups to 6 to 8 guests. Tasting fees are separate and paid directly to each winery. Every tour starts with six hours; add time by the hour when you book.
Questions
Can you visit CIRQ Estate?
Yes, by private appointment only. CIRQ offers a limited number of visits any day of the week, requested through its mailing list and confirmed by email. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at CIRQ?
CIRQ does not publish a tasting fee, so tasting fees are to be verified upon reservation.
Who owns CIRQ?
Michael and Sarah Browne. Michael co-founded Kosta Browne in 1997 and started CIRQ in 2009.
Is CIRQ connected to Kosta Browne?
Only through its founder. Michael Browne co-founded Kosta Browne and has since stepped away from it; CIRQ and CHEV are now his family's wineries, under Browne Family Wines.
What wine does CIRQ make?
A Russian River Valley Pinot Noir blended from several vineyards, including the Browne Family Estate. Its 2023 vintage received 100 points from Jonathan Cristaldi's Sonoma County Buyer's Guide.
How does booking a tour with Bien Chauffeured work?
Reserve a six-hour tour online, even if your plans are still taking shape. Your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Extra hours can be added.
Reserve Your Tour Now, Plan the Details Later
Your plans don't need to be final to book. Reserve your six-hour tour online, and your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Prefer to talk? Call our concierge at 888-291-2328.
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