Brown Estate Vineyards in Napa Valley

For the Brown family, land stewardship is everything. They settled in Napa’s Chiles Valley in 1980, began planting vineyards in the mid-80s, and started making their Napa Valley Zinfandel in 1996. Brown Estate Vineyards debuted at the ZAP Grand Tasting in San Francisco in 2000, and have been on the upswing ever since – growing from humble beginnings into a celebrated name known for producing quality wines and representing diversity in the Napa Valley.

To make their wines and hospitality experience more accessible, in April 2017 they opened Brown Downtown tasting room on the First Street corridor in the heart of downtown Napa, and in 2018 they established sister label, House of Brown. As their heritage winemaking enterprise approaches its 30-year anniversary, Brown remains 100% family-owned.

We interview David Brown, Brown Estate Co-founder & Winemaker to chat about his family, the wine and the land that nourishes both.

What type of wine do you specialize in?

David Brown, Brown Estate Co-founder & Winemaker: Our family became enamored of this variety soon after our parents acquired land in the heart of Chiles Valley in 1980. Zinfandel’s versatility and bold character perfectly capture the maverick spirit that brought us here and the essence of our unique terroir.

Over the years, we’ve dedicated ourselves to mastering Zin, crafting wines that reflect both our commitment to the varietal and the exceptional qualities of our vineyards.

What makes your wine unique?

David Brown: Our wines truly express their environment. Nestled in the rugged, mountainous terrain of Chiles Valley a sub-region within Napa Valley AVA, our vineyards benefit from a distinctive microclimate. The interplay between the geography here and the evening winds creates a cooler environment than prevails on the Napa Valley floor.

This in turn facilitates our grapes holding acid late into the growing season. Coupled with the lush forest and diverse wildlife surrounding our vineyards, the conditions at Brown Estate enable us to produce Zinfandels that are elegantly balanced and reflective of a harmonious ecosystem.

What’s one thing you wish more people knew about Brown Estate Vineyards?

David Brown: The 2025 vintage will be our 30th bottling of Brown Zin, and we remain 100% private family-owned. That’s a pretty cool pair of milestones I think!

Also, the nuances of our microclimate. Due to its proximity to Pope Valley, Chiles Valley is often assumed to be a hot zone when in reality it runs cooler thanks to the mountain ranges and a unique Venturi effect.

Our property forms its own valley in which this phenomenon channels cool air from San Pablo Bay through our vineyards, creating a very favorable environment for growing grapes. It’s this cooler temperature and an accompanying dramatic diurnal shift that help us produce Zinfandels of note.

Another thing I’ll mention that we haven’t spoken to through the years is that although we didn’t become CCOF official until 2016, we’ve been farming regeneratively and organically since we began planting in the mid-80s. It’s all the rage now, and frankly has never been more important.

How did you get started in the wine industry? 

David Brown: My journey in the wine industry began right here on our property. Growing up, I developed a deep bond with the land, which naturally led me into winemaking. As a young grower, I was inspired by winemakers like Jay Heminway and Greg Brown, who despite being ordinary individuals were extraordinarily passionate about winemaking. Their encouragement and belief in my potential fueled my desire to cultivate our vineyards and tell our story through our wines.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the winemaking process?

David Brown: The most crucial lesson I’ve learned is to resist the urge to fall into a routine. Each vintage is unique, and applying the same approach year after year doesn’t work because growing season conditions vary so much. Winemaking requires adaptability and a keen awareness of changing factors. My approach is whenever in doubt, the best course of action is to pause, observe, and follow nature’s lead.

Do you remember the first time you fell in love with wine? 

David Brown: My love for wine began with my deep connection to the land. Growing up in the vineyard, I was captivated by how a bottle of wine could encapsulate the story of the place and the growing season. That realization made me fall in love with the idea of capturing the essence of our land in each bottle, making every vintage a personal time capsule with its own narrative.

Describe your winemaking approach.

David Brown: I believe winemaking is a collaboration between humans and nature. It starts in the vineyard, where we honor the land through organic and regenerative practices. Our goal is to be good stewards of the environment, respecting both the land and the planet. By working in harmony with nature, we create wines that are a true reflection of our — and their — terroir.

What do you love about winemaking?

David Brown: What I love most about winemaking is the profound connection between the land and the wine. Each vintage is a reflection of the unique collaboration between the vineyard and the growing season, and being able to translate that into a bottle of wine is incredibly fulfilling. It’s a harmonious blend of nature and nurture that continually inspires me.

Has word-of-mouth played a significant role in the success of Brown Estate Wines?

David Brown: We value the consumer trust we’ve built over nearly 30 years, and the power of word of mouth. The connections people feel to us and our wines — from in-person visits at Brown Downtown to social media to our monthly email bulletin to remote support through local restaurants and retailers — are invaluable not only to our continued success but in terms of making our labor of love meaningful.

It keeps us inspired! Each bottle is our avatar, and once the cork is popped each wine tells our story while simultaneously creating its own stories with those present. We love hearing how our wines resonate with people. We encourage everyone who’s new to Brown to visit us in downtown Napa.

Do you have any winery traditions with your team?

David Brown: We have several traditions that bring us together, the quintessential one being our annual harvest celebration. After a long season of hard work we gather to share a meal, reflect on the year’s accomplishments, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our successes and strengthen our bonds as a team.

How does your team help you as a winemaker?

David Brown: We’ve kept the same vineyard crew for 35 years, from the time we were growers before we started making our own wine. Our vineyard manager has been with us from the get-go and his wife is our cellar master.

Some of the vineyard crew now are the second generation working for us. So on both the farming and winemaking sides those longtime relationships and the knowledge, understanding, and trust that’s been built over so many years make those operations not only seamless but really meaningful and joyful.

Across our entire business, including on the hospitality, sales, and admin sides, our team’s belief in our mission and what we’re doing here at Brown makes everything possible.