Zinfandel of the Month is a regular feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. Keep in mind that although the Zinfandel of the Month might be an older bottle, the current vintage will be one you can find at retail or via the mailing list.
The March Zinfandel of the Month is the 2016 Brown Estate Zinfandel.
I chose the 2016 Brown Estate Zinfandel as my Zinfandel of the month since the 2017 was recently released and I needed validation before making my purchase.
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.
Purple in color. 15.2% ABV. Awesome nose of brambly red and black fruits, anise and pepper. Medium to full bodied with perfect acidity. Black cherry, black raspberry liqueur, cocoa and pepper on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Absolutely delicious Zinfandel that goes down way to easy. Best over the next 2-3 years.
My rating: 93 points.
Look for the 2017 version of this wine at retail and the winery. Pricing is around $45 per bottle.
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.