Browne Family Vineyards

BrowneA winery inspired by the life of William Bitner Browne, late grandfather of proprietor Andrew Browne, the winery had its first vintage in 2015 focusing on high quality red wines from great sites across Washington. Browne has tasting rooms sprinkled across the state, including a new one opening this weekend in Tacoma . Winemaker John Freeman crafts many of the Browne red wines to spend 23-30 months in French oak. The resultant wines have a soft texture and mouthfeel from the oak treatment. Joh has a diverse background spending seven years at Franciscan Vineyards and an additional five spent as the Cellar Master at Miner Family. John decided to move to Washington in 2002 and has been Browne winemaker since 2015. 

I really enjoyed the diverse lineup of red and white wines here. The new 2018 Browne Family Vineyards ‘Dottie’ Chardonnay (OB, 91) is fresh and beautifully textured with great length. This is a downright awesome Chardonnay as the seasons change and cooler temperatures arise, as this is best consumed a bit on the warmer site. I love the new 2018 Browne Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 92) which is a big wine that has a great acid backbone and gobs of dark fruits alongside the herbal tones. Learn more about this great lineup at https://brownefamilyvineyards.com Here are my reviews of the new Browne Family Vineyards wines. 

2019 Browne Family Vineyards ‘White Arrow Blend’ White Wine- The soft mouthfeel is really good here as layers of buttercream and mango connect with honeydew melon tones and minerals on the palate.  Enjoy over the next five years. Drink 2020-2025- 90

2017 Browne Family Vineyards ‘Bacchus Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Toasty oak melds with butterscotch and melon tones on the nose. The palate has great acidity and length with layers of toasty brioche and Meyer lemon zest that mingle with minerals on the palate. Drink 2020-2027- 90

2018 Browne Family Vineyards ‘Dottie’ Chardonnay- Named after the family matriarch, the ‘Dottie’ Chardonnay shows vanilla cream flavors with toasty oak, Macadamia nut and shades of ripe pineapple on the palate. A big wine, this gets better with more air at a warmer temperature. Drink 2020-2027- 91

2017 Browne Family Vineyards Petit Verdot- The 2017 2017 Browne Family Vineyards Petit Verdot shows rich dark fruits that collide with chocolate and red bell pepper tones on the palate. Medium to full-bodied and lightly tannic, with a good sense of acidity, this beautiful new Petit Verdot will cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2020-2028- 91

2017 Browne Family Vineyards Merlot- Soft and elegant, the 2017 Browne Family Vineyards Merlot shows a kiss of milk chocolate and red cherry tomato on the nose alongside blackberry compote tones. The palate is plush and nicely textured with a smooth sense of mouthfeel. Loaded with dark kirsch and dark raspberry flavors, with coffee grounds and cocoa powder, this is beautiful wine in its youth that has another decade of life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2028- 91

2017 Browne Family Vineyards ‘Klipsun Vineyard’ Merlot- The 2017 ‘Klipsun Vineyard’ Merlot opens with creosote and cigar ash aromatic tones alongside shades of red bel pepper, mocha and dark currants that all take shape in the glass. The palate shows some good viscosity and weight as the minerality also entices. The core of dark fruits mingle with shades of exotic spices and pipe tobacco tones on the palate.  Drink 2020-20320- 92

2017 Browne Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc- The 2017 Browne Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc is a fantastic effort from this warmer vintage in Washington State. Once on the nose this takes on fresh herbs that mingle with blackberry compote and black cherry cordial tones. The palate has good verve with a soft mouthfeel. Layers of red and dark fruits parade with smoky minerals, red bell pepper and baking spices. Drink 2020-2028- 91

2018 Browne Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2018 Browne Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon shows sagebrush and dark currants on the nose, alongside violets and suggestions of dark chocolate shavings. The palate is nicely structured with good richness and viscosity. Layers of kirsch cordial and creme de cassis mingle with minerals and menthol tones on the palate. Delightful to savor now, the 2018 Browne Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon has another ten years ahead of it. Drink 2020-2030- 92

2017 Browne Family Vineyards Red Blend- The 2017 ‘Red Blend’ by Browne Family Vineyards shows a soft mouthfeel with plenty of freshness. Layers of chocolate cake, espresso bean and minerals, with black tea tones all combine on the palate. Showing good verve at this stage, the well-crafted 2017 Browne Family Vineyards Red Blend will provide drinking enjoyment over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2020-2028- 91

2017 Browne Family Vineyards ‘Klipsun Vineyard’ Syrah- The 2017 ‘Klipsun Vineyard’ Syrah shows nice smoky undertones alongside the core of dark fruits and chocolate covered espresso bean aromatics that all mingle in the glass. The mouthfeel imparted is really nice as layers of dark currants and blackberry compote mingle with smoked brisket and dark chocolate shavings on the palate. Fantastic in its youth, this will cellar well over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2020-2028- 92

2017 Browne Family Vineyards Malbec- Violets, with blackberry cobbler, mocha and sagebrush tones all collide on the nose. The palate is fresh and vibrant with medium to full-bodied dark fruits that mingle with the scorched earth tones and salty terroir. Drink 2020-2027- 90

2017 Browne Family Vineyards ‘Canyon Vineyard Ranch’ Malbec- This inky Malbec opens with red rose petals and milk chocolate tones alongside shades of scorched earth on this great bouquet. The palate is fresh and vibrant with great acidity. Somewhat tightly wound, after an hour of air the ripe dark currants collide with minerals, creosote and shades of Black Forest Cake flavors. Seriously good in its youth, this beautiful wine has another decade or more ahead of it. Drink 2020-2032- 92

2017 Browne Family Vineyards ‘London Is Calling’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This offers medium bodied dark cherry and sagebrush  tones alongside minerals and shades of chocolate cake on the palate. This is fresh but I would like a bit more in terms of mid-palate weight for the varietal. Drink 2020-2025- 88

2017 Browne Family Vineyards ‘The Farm’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Sourced from.  The ‘Springfield Block’ at their Walla Walla estate vineyard, the 2017 ‘The Farm’ shows nice bell pepper tones with mocha, black tea and exotic spices on the nose. The palate is elegant with nice balance, showing off medium bodied roasted figs and black currants that mingle with minerals. Drink 2020-2027- 89

2017 Browne Family Vineyards ‘Liberation of Paris’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The ‘Liberation of Paris’ is sourced from the Harvard Block at their estate Walla Walla Vineyard. The wine shows good freshness and finesse but is lacking somewhat in mid-palate density and ripeness with black currants and blackberries marching on with minerals. Drink 2020-2025- 89

2017 Browne Family Vineyards ‘Homecoming’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The ‘Homecoming’ is sourced from the Donovan Block from their Skyfall estate vineyard located in the Columbia Valley. Only 13.1% alcohol, this shows ripe red cherry flavors with mocha and pipe tobacco on the palate.  With good finesse, this is best enjoyed over the next seven years. Drink 2020-2027- 90

2017 Browne Family Vineyards ‘The Continent’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2017 ‘The Continent’ is sourced from the Williamson Block of their Walla Walla estate vineyard.  The soft mouthfeel is really good as wild blackberry compote mingles with milk chocolate and sagebrush tones on the palate. Drink 2020-2027- 90