MayTasting - Ken Brown Wines

Friday, May 14 DoubleTree Hotel Santa Ana / OC Airport 6:45 p.m.

Make your plans now to join us for our last monthly tasting of 2010. Ken Brown will be our featured winemaker and speaker.

Ken’s first experience with Pinot Noir in what is now known as the Santa Rita Hills came in 1976, when he 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, reinvigorated his excitement about the vineyards and the wines that brought him to Santa Barbara County in the first place 30 years ago. Experience tells him that great achievements still lie ahead, and it is in that spirit that he continues the quest for the next echelon of quality in Pinot Noir.

Most of Ken’s career has been spent pursuing the elusive traits that make great Pinot Noir.

From his early days at Zaca Mesa Winery to his 20-year tenure at Byron Vineyard to the small family operation at Ken Brown Wines, he has continued to experiment with clones, root stocks, soils, and winemaking techniques, exploring the tremendous potential for Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara County.

The 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 the winery in Buellton at the gateway to the Santa Rita Hills appellation and most lots consist of 250 cases or less. Total annual production is only about 2,000 cases. Ken works with growers—many of whom he’s known for years—to hand-select vineyard blocks of grapes. Some of the remarkable vineyards he works with include Cargasacchi, Clos Pepe, Rio Vista, and Sanford & Benedict. He also produces a limited bottling of Chardonnay and Syrah. His wife, Deborah, and he make up the staff at Ken Brown Wines and enjoy the close relationships they have with their wines and customers.

Come join your fellow OCWS members on Friday, May 14, for a delightful evening of award-winning wines, informative facts, a light meal, and all for $33 for members and $38 for guests. The DoubleTree Hotel in Santa Ana is the place. Dinner at 6:45 p.m., meeting at 7:30 p.m.

See you there!

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Chris Cunningham