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.
Dark crimson in color. 15.2% ABV. Awesome nose of brambly red and black fruits, peach and pepper. Medium to full bodied with terrific acidity. Absolutely bursting with bright, sweet fruits. Well balanced. Black cherry, raspberry liqueur, strawberry and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Another stunning Zinfandel from this producer. Best over the next 2-4 years.
My rating: 94 points.
Look for the 2018 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.