2021 Brown Estate, Zinfandel, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley.
With its deep and intense mountain structure and dark purple color the 2021 Howell Mountain Zinfandel from the Brown family is wildly delicious stuff and with a serious terroir driven profile, highlighted by the depth of black fruit, mineral, spice and tannic backbone. An impressive and bold wine that delivers old vine richness with poise and wonderful length showing off black raspberry, plum, currant and kirsch fruit on the palate, all nicely accented by briar and brambles, red peppery spice, a touch of sweet cedar, a bit of earthy loam, lilac and sage. Excellent and finessed wood use never intrudes on the fruit and frames this powerful wine, from a vintage that had good acidity and grip, with just the right amount of vanilla and softens the tannic nature without taking away from its charm, I can imagine this Zin aging nicely for another decade with ease and class.
Located in the remote eastern hills of Napa Valley in the Chiles Valley, the Brown Estate is one of the best Zinfandel producers in the state and this 2021 Howell Mountain version from vines from the famous Beatty Ranch, set at 1,800 ft up on volcanic soils, is a gorgeous wine that should win over a whole new legion of fans, it might be my favorite since the 1997! David Brown and his family have now more than 30 years under their belts making top Zinfandel and a tiny amount of Cabernet Sauvignon from their property. The Brown Estate label officially launched in 1996 when founder Dave Brown harvested what would become his first bottling of Brown Zin, and became the first African American vintner to own a Napa winery. Brown, over the years, has joined the likes of Turley, Biale, Ridge, Bucklin, Bedrock and a few others in making some of the State’s best Zin, and this 2021 and is a truly outstanding effort and I am looking forward to trying the new 2023 Estate bottling, which I just bought for myself!
($75 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive