House of Brown

The first and only Black-owned estate winery in the Napa Valley, Brown built their reputation on single-block estate Zinfandels, though they also produce elegant, balanced Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and small-lot specialty wines.

In 1980, Dr. Bassett and Marcela Brown’s search for a rural homestead brought them to a far-flung, 450-acre property in Napa’s eastern hills. The rugged land here in the Chiles Valley AVA contained a neglected walnut orchard, an 1859 barn, and an 1885 Queen Anne Victorian home, but no vines—yet. The Browns spent the next decade restoring the property and planting rows of Zinfandel, Cabernet, and Chardonnay.

Early on, they sold most of their grapes to established Napa Valley wineries. But the next generation of Browns—Daneen, Coral, and David—saw the ravenous demand for those grapes, tasted their quality, and knew they deserved to stand on their own. The siblings crafted the first estate Zinfandel in 1996 at Rombauer, and after outgrowing their custom-crush facility, built a winery on their property in 2002.

Brown remained under the radar for two decades before a confluence of local and national events skyrocketed them into the spotlight, especially on social media. So in 2017, they expanded to a downtown Napa tasting room to accommodate their rapidly growing fanbase.

Today, the team farms 50 acres of vineyards to certified organic and sustainable standards, and after more than forty years in Napa, they still craft some of the region’s premier single-site Zinfandels.