As we approach Brown Estate's 15th crush and our family prepares to celebrate thirty years in the Napa Valley, we feel at liberty to say that at its core, winemaking is an act of creative production. Science has its say in the process, but the true beauty in wine from both the producer's and consumer's sides derives as much from the care and artistry with which the winemaker practices his or her craft as from the fruit source itself.

For this reason – like most aspiring, passionate, determined artists – while we inject our hearts and souls into growing and making wine each year, we live for those moments when our wines fuel discovery, inspire contemplativeness, and foster passion in those who partake.


Photo courtesy of Shea Coulson

Pictured above, on his most recent visit to Brown Estate (and customarily deep in thought), is a young man whose ongoing discovery of our wines and our family has been nothing short of a gift to us. This retiring soul has seen and understood what Brown Estate is about – and has articulated his experiences with us and our wines – as thoughtfully and as beautifully as anyone we've come across in the fifteen years since we began making wine under the Brown Estate label.

We could not begin to paraphrase his words, so instead we share them with you. Herewith, a glimpse inside Brown Estate by Vancouver-based wine blogger Shea Coulson. Shea has become much more than a friend to us; he is wine critic turned muse, for the level of appreciation he has shared with us for what we do is something every wine producer – indeed every artist – should be fortunate enough to experience at least once along the way.