2023 Vintage No. 28 Napa Zin
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Sensory
2025 SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE WINE COMPETITION GOLD AWARD WINNER
Eye
Dark garnet core, magenta rim.Nose
Ripe black cherry, Asian pear, spun sugar, grenadine, effervescent citrus, rose garden, English trifle, blooming gardenia, discoverable notes of cedar box and sandalwood.Palate
Juicy and enveloping with silky glycerine-like mouthfeel balanced by vibrant acidity. Medium- to full-bodied, finely integrated tannins, lingering finish.Cellar life
Drink now through 2036+. -
Technical
- Composition
100% Napa Valley Zinfandel - Vineyard Source
Brown Estate
Chiles Valley
Yountville - Appellation
Napa Valley - Barrel Aging
10 months in 30% new French oak - Alc. by vol.
14.5%
- Composition
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Wherefore
About the Growing Season
The 2023 growing season began with enough accumulated rainfall to put an end to drought conditions that were lingering for years. The vines responded with vigor reminiscent of our early years at Brown Estate. Budbreak was recorded on April 15 in our northwesternmost chardonnay vineyard. Springtime conditions were mild with only one night of frost on April 19 when the low hit 30.9 degrees. The summer months were warm but never too hot. Only a handful of days saw triple digits with the annual high of 104 recorded on July 16. As usual the warm days were accompanied by cold nights with diurnal shifts as dramatic as 55 degrees. Harvest time conditions were ideal with foggy mornings keeping us cool as we brought the fruit in. This was a year when mother nature afforded us the luxury of hangtime. On October 22 an isolated rain shower brought nearly half an inch of rain, just enough to knock the dust off our Far East Cabernet Sauvignon which came in on October 29, more than a month behind the previous year. Reminiscent of the legendary 1997 vintage, 2023 was called by some a vintage of a lifetime. The resulting wines bear witness to the legend.
