In 1980, The Brown Family acquired land in the hills east of Rutherford in the Napa Valley. In 1995 they decided to make wine under their own label. The following year the first vintage of Zinfandel was produced and subsequently they have added Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Petite Sirah to their lineup. First and foremost, Brown Estate is known for their exceptional array of Zinfandels.
Brown Zinfandel is near and dear to me. I’ve had all the Estate Zinfandels from the 1997 vintage forward, and my wife and I served the ’99 Zin at our rehearsal dinner at PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn in 2000.
Maroon in color. 15.2% ABV. Bold nose of red fruits, cassis and pepper. Plush, ripe and jammy on the palate with perfect acidity. Flavors of raspberry liqueur, strawberry and marionberry. The finish is exquisite. Absolutely scrumptious Zinfandel. Drink over the next 2-3 years.
My rating: 93 points.
It should be noted that the front label of the wine has a #BROWNZIN hastag. The winery was an early adopter of Twitter in their marketing endeavors.
Brown Estate makes Zinfandel that truly has very few peers in California. The wine can be found at retail and at the winery. Consider signing up for the mailing list.
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