Brown Estate Chiles Valley Zinfandel 2015
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In 1980, the family acquired land in the hills east of Rutherford in the Napa Valley. They were farmers first, and farmers they remain. In 1995 they decided on the strength of the fruit to make wine under their own label. The following year the family produced the first vintage of zinfandel, and along the way we have added Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Petite Sirah, and the occasional dessert wine.
In 2010 the Brown family celebrated thirty years in the Napa Valley and Brown Estate's fifteenth crush. Over the years the farming philosophy has not changed: Their fifty acres of vineyards are planted amidst 450 acres of roughneck wilderness that they strive to tend rather than tame – from the occasional inconvenient honeybee hive in the winery to the prickly star thistles in the vineyards that are a part of their ecosystem.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.
Nestled in the Vaca Mountains on the northeast side of Napa Valley, Chiles Valley is one of the cooler Napa subregions with vineyards at about 600 to 1,200 feet in elevation. The region is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon blanc.