The Queen must have showed up tonight.

I did mention in my Brown Estate review that she would have to be here for me to open this bottle. She was definitely here, figuratively speaking.

Liz may have have shown up, but the only reason I knew about Brown Estate was because of Mike (check out his photography below).  It was my good fortune that he was in Napa a few years ago and had the great foresight to ask a somm at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen for a recommendation on the best Napa Zinfandel he could recommend. Brown Estate was the answer.

Fast forward five years and find me at the Brown Estate earlier this month in Napa – curled up, fetal position, in love with this stuff. Seriously. I never liked Zin before this. How is this possible? Am I so easily smitten? I thought not, but maybe it is so.

This wine is clean and bright, medium ruby with legs. On the nose, it’s intense with raspberries, red plums, black cherries, baking spices, cedar and leather.

The palate is heavenly. A dry wine, it’s medium plus and juicy acidity; the tannins are completely unobtrusive. The body is medium plus and the flavour profile is full of field berries, boysenberry and blueberry with a hit of licorice and dark clover honey with leather strap. The finish is long and lovely.

This is outstanding wine. The complexity, layers and balance, fruit and acidity… It would age for a few years, but don’t wait – drink now and often. It’s the perfect wine to finish our two plus weeks of holidays off with. It’s heartbreaking to think I can’t buy this at home. It’s not fair that living north of the border we are to be deprived of Brown’s wines.

Pic credit to Mike Woods Photography