*Meet Brown Estate, Napa Valley’s first and only Black-owned winery—regarded as one of the best zinfandel producers in that region, receiving a score of 91 points by Wine Spectator.
This two-generation family-run winemaking business was established in the ‘90s by siblings Deneen, David & Coral Brown and made possible by an investment from their parents Bassett Brown (from Jamaica) and Marcela Brown (from Panama). They acquired the 450 acres in the Chiles Valley AVA of the Napa Valley, California back in 1980.
The couple planted zinfandel vines, the fruit of which they sold off to winemakers. In 1996, their kids decided to move the winemaking in-house.
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Brown Estate produced its first Napa Valley zinfandel in 1996 and as of 2016, they have bottled their 20th vintage.
“It’s natural for the second generation to take it from vine to bottle,” Deneen tells 7×7 about the legacy left by her parents.
Earlier this year, the siblings debuted their Brown Downtown location in the heart of downtown Napa.
“It’s downtown, so it’s a different experience from driving up the winding hills to the winery,” says designer Catherine Kwong, who fell in love with the tasting room space — which was inspired by her “residential interiors with a fashionable sensibility.”
via 7×7:
The second-floor industrial interior—housed in the old Napa Register building (there from 1905–1965), which suffered some damage in the 2014 earthquake—has high ceilings, exposed brick walls, and steel beams.
Celebrities also love the stylish Brown Estate. Cookie Johnson hosted her book signing party at the space, where Tina Knowles was a guest.
Support from the Miami Heat:
Here are some of the Brown’s wine club members:
