Ken Brown Wines

Ken Brown Wines is a winery in Buellton, California, at the gateway to the Sta. Rita Hills appellation. Its focus is on very small lots of Pinot Noir from Sta. Rita Hills vineyards, with most lots consisting of 250 cases or less and total annual production of about 1,500 cases. The winery also produces limited bottlings of Syrah and Chardonnay. Ken Brown launched the Ken Brown label in 2003, continuing a career in Santa Barbara County winemaking that included founding winemaker roles at Zaca Mesa Winery and Byron Vineyard & Winery.

Ken Brown Wines is a winery in Buellton, California. Ken Brown (Byron Kent Brown) is described as one of Santa Barbara County's pioneering winemakers and innovators, serving as founding winemaker at Zaca Mesa Winery, owner and winemaker of Byron Vineyard & Winery, and owner and winemaker of Ken Brown Wines. He was among the first vintners to recognize the promise of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the cool-climate appellation beginning in the mid-1970s, and was the first winemaker to introduce the Syrah grape, as well as Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, to Santa Barbara County. A third-generation California native from Sacramento, he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Linfield College in 1966, worked in sales with IBM and in real estate development, then enrolled in the graduate enology program at California State University at Fresno in 1974. While at Fresno State he led the research program in the school vineyard and winery, was approached by Santa Barbara County growers to assess the commercial viability of wine grapes there, and accepted an offer to become Zaca Mesa Winery's first winemaker in 1977. He launched the Ken Brown label in 2003. The winery's focus is on very small lots of Pinot Noir from the finest vineyards of Sta. Rita Hills, produced at its winery in Buellton at the gateway to the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, with most lots of 250 cases or less and total annual production of about 1,500 cases. Vineyards worked with include Sanford & Benedict, Radian, Rita's Crown and La Encantada, and the winery also produces limited bottlings of Syrah and Chardonnay.

Very small-lot, hands-on Pinot Noir producer in Santa Barbara County's Sta. Rita Hills.

• Pinot Noir

• Syrah

• Chardonnay

1. 1Ken Brownkenbrownwines.com
2. 2Ken Brown - About Us | Ken Brown Wineskenbrownwines.com
3. 3Ken Brown - Ken Brown Bio | Ken Brown Wineskenbrownwines.com
4. 4Ken Brown Wineswikidata.org