We take our zinfandel very seriously, and we think it worth noting for you diehard Brown zin fans out there that 2011 marks the first time in our fifteen-year history that five BE zins from the same vintage will be released in one calendar year. This historic Brown Zinapalooza is made possible by the arrival of our 2009 Mickey’s Block and 2009 Rosemary’s Block zins, both brand new this year to the Brown zin lineup.

With the addition of these two new single vineyard bottlings, winegrower Dave Brown has completed a nifty deconstruction of our original hallmark Napa Valley zin, which is blended from our Mickey’s, Rosemary’s, Chiles Valley, and Westside vineyard blocks. The latter two names will strike a chord with the Brown zin faithful among you; they are the first and second single vineyard zins, respectively, that Brown Estate has bottled over the years – the Chiles commencing in 2002, the Westside in 2006.



It’s a fascinating exercise not only for the nose and palate, but for the imagination, to taste through five Brown zins from a single vintage. While the Napa zin blend embodies components from all four vineyards, the individual bottlings from our Mickey’s, Rosemary’s, Chiles Valley, and Westside blocks, in concert with the Napa zin, give proof to the oft-abused notion of terroir. As strikingly different as each of these zins is – from the fullness of the Napa to the jamminess of the Mickey’s to the elegance of the Rosemary’s to the brooding fruit of the Chiles to the mellow structure of the Westside – there is an unmistakable imprint, primarily in the noses, signaling that these five very distinct zins can only have come from one place. Intriguing evidence of what we call the Brown Estate pedigree is present in each of these gorgeous and complex wines, even as each is a singular expression of our estate property.

Production on our single vineyard zins is just a few hundred cases each. We hope you will stock your cellar with these wines so you can indulge in a series of in-the-round Brown zin tastings from the 2009 vintage. By partaking of this unique opportunity you will experience both the extraordinary versatility and the unparalleled virtue of our estate grown zinfandels.

The Napa, Mickey’s, and Rosemary’s are available currently online (the Napa also is in distribution), and we will release the 2009 Chiles Valley in May, and the 2009 Westside in the fall. Collect all five and join us on our zintastic voyage!

Update 04/26/11: Our 2009 Chiles Valley zin is now available online. To commemorate our first ever five-zin vintage, beginning May 28th we will be hosting a series of 2009 "Zinapalooza" horizontal tastings at the winery – a rare opportunity to experience all five 2009 Brown zins with winegrower Dave Brown and wine educator Coral Brown as your guides. See page 8 of the Summer 2011 BE Paper or click here to request tickets.