OUR FOCUS at Ken Brown Wines is on very small lots of Pinot Noir from the finest vineyards of Santa Rita Hills. The wines are produced at our winery in Lompoc just west of Santa Rita Hills and most lots consist of 250 cases or less. I work with growers, many of whom I’ve known for years, to hand select vineyard blocks for our program. Some of the remarkable vineyards we work with include Cargasacchi, Clos Pepe, Rio Vista and Sanford & Benedict. We also produce limited bottlings of Chardonnay and Syrah. My wife, Deborah and I make up the staff of Ken Brown Wines, and we enjoy the close relationships we have with our wines and our customers.
Most of my career has been spent pursuing the elusive traits that make great Pinot Noir. From my early days at Zaca Mesa Winery to my 20-year tenure at Byron Vineyard to our small family operation at Ken Brown Wines, I have continued to experiment with clones, rootstocks, soils and winemaking techniques, exploring the tremendous potential for Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara County.
My first experience with Pinot Noir in what is now known as the Santa Rita Hills came in 1976 when I met Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict and tasted one of the first Pinot Noirs from the Sanford and Benedict Vineyard. Launching the Ken Brown label in 2003 has reinvigorated my excitement about the vineyards and the wines that brought me to Santa Barbara County in the first place nearly 30 years ago. Experience tells me that great achievements still lie ahead—especially in the Santa Rita Hills—and it is in that spirit that I renew the quest for the next echelon of quality in Pinot Noir.
MORE ABOUT KENKen Brown (Byron Kent Brown) is recognized as one of Santa Barbara County’s pioneering winemakers and innovators. He was among the first vintners to realize the great promise for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in this cool-climate appellation in the mid-1970’s. He was also 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, Ken enrolled in the graduate enology program at California State University at Fresno in 1974 and led the research program in the school vineyard and winery. He was approached by several growers from Santa Barbara County to help determine the commercial viability of wine grapes and made wine from some of the county’s earliest vineyards. Ken accepted an offer to become Zaca Mesa Winery’s first winemaker in 1977. His wines were highly acclaimed, and he was one of a handful of winemakers to catapult Santa Barbara County into an established appellation.
Lured by the appeal of making great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Ken, with his wife, Deborah and several partners founded Byron Vineyard & Winery in 1984 in the Santa Maria Valley of northern Santa Barbara County. Byron Winery enjoyed early success and gained national recognition for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Ken sold Byron Winery to the Robert Mondavi family in 1990. Over the next decade, Ken and the Mondavis embarked on an extensive experimental vineyard program featuring various rootstocks, clones and planting densities and built a state-of-the art gravity winery in 1996.
In 2003, Ken founded Ken Brown Wines, a venture in which he feels he can optimize the best sources of Pinot Noir with uncompromised winemaking.
MORE ABOUT DEBORAHA native of Santa Barbara, Deborah Kenly Brown holds a degree in political science from Vassar College in New York. She started her career in the wine business in 1973 at Simi Winery in Sonoma County. She first worked in the tasting room and later gained experience in accounting, government compliance, public relations and sales.
In 1981, Deborah returned to Santa Barbara to become the new visitor center manager at Zaca Mesa Winery where she met Ken Brown. They were married in 1983 and the following year started Byron Vineyard & Winery. Deborah served as business manager and oversaw public relations until the winery was sold to Robert Mondavi in 1990.
With the debut of Ken Brown Wines, Deborah is back working side by side with Ken, handling the business side of their small winery, including direct sales. Ken and Deborah have a daughter who attends college in New England.
