Brown Estate Vineyards

Last month I attended my first wine party event at the Brown Estate Vineyards in Napa Valley. This was a party to celebrate the release of a new blend. It was also catered by Chef Thomas Keller of Ad Hoc Restaurant with live music in the garden and DJ in the cave.

The landscape of the estate is beautiful despite the overcast weather and light showers we encountered during the event. You drive about 5-10 miles of winding roads of beautiful scenery until you reach the private estate. The vineyard is privately owned and operated by the Brown family since 1981. The restored victorian house that you see above is over a hundred years old and full of character from it's time.

The event's them was the "Roaring Twenties" where most of the members and visitors dressed up to have a great time. It was really fun to see everyone in character in a home that caters to it's theme. I had to use a wide angle indoors because it's not as spacious as modern housing. Nonetheless it was a home of history and a place for history in the making. Below is a little about the family and history of the Browns.

Brown Estate is a family owned and operated private estate winery tucked into the eastern hills of the Napa Valley. In 2005 we celebrated our 25th year in the Valley and our tenth crush.

The seeds for this labor of love were planted in 1981 when our parents fell in love with the rolling hills, rambling walnut groves, and majestic oak trees that populated what we now affectionately refer to as "The Ranch." The property had been abandoned for ten years prior to coming into our family. We subsequently built access roads and reservoirs, brought in residential and agricultural electrical power, refurbished the hundred-year old Victorian home that barely stood on the property when we acquired it, and between 1985 and 1990 we planted a total of fifty acres of vineyards that include Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.

Through our first decade of farming the land, we sold all of our fruit to a variety of small wineries in the Valley. During that period of continuing education – and to this day – we have worked to maintain, nurture, and encourage the land in a fashion that yields what we believe to be exquisite fruit, while simultaneously remaining mindful and respectful stewards of the property.

In 1996 we produced our first vintage of Zinfandel under the Brown Estate label. Our first Cabernet Sauvignon followed in 2000, and in 2002 we added a tiny production of Chardonnay. Through years of hands-on labor Brown Estate has remained a truly homegrown endeavor, and today every aspect of the business remains under direct family control.