2018 Mickey’s Block Zinfandel

Tasting Notes

Eye
Magenta core, scarlet rim.

Nose
Boysenberry syrup on brioche, tea rose, English lavender gardenia, kumquat, chantilly.

Palate
Juicy, jammy, silky, creamy, and lush with fine tannins and long finish.

Cellar life
Drink now through 2029.
Specs
- Composition
  100% estate grown Zinfandel
- Vineyard Source
  Brown Estate, Mickey's Block
- Appellation
  Napa Valley
- Barrel aging
  12 months in 30% new oak, 50/50 French/American
- Alcohol by vol.
  15%
- Production
  700 cases in 12 x 750ml format
Background

Our Mickey’s Block Zinfandel vineyard is located on the far west side of our property beside a seasonal stream at an elevation of 1100 ft. The soils are volcanic, rocky, and mineral rich, with ideal quantities of sand and clay. This tiny six-acre vineyard has long been coveted for its unusually small clusters and berry size, which provide maximum intensity due to the high ratio of skins to volume. Mickey’s Block is our only Zinfandel vineyard with a north-south orientation. Shaded in the morning, it gets the afternoon and evening sun, and is subject to a diurnal shift in temperature during the ripening season that allows us to gain maximal extraction and intensity.