This property sits along the Silverado Trail corridor into beautiful Calistoga at the foot of the Palisade Mountains. With a clean slate of 2.25 acres to build their dream, the parcel was purchased and Brian and Arden set in to make that dream a reality. Four years later, in 2014, the winery was ready for its first harvest in the new building with state-of-the-art equipment. In May of 2015 the hospitality center was opened and the pouring began with the opening of a 2008 Cabernet Franc.
With a small team of highly educated wine lovers, three dogs and two winemakers on hand, Brian Arden Winery runs as small family business producing less than 2500 cases a year.
The scarab beetle they have adopted as part of their visual branding is an ancient Egyptian agricultural totem, a symbol of good luck and long life that in various iterations has graced their wine labels through the years. The watermark version displayed below is the de facto logo for the Brown Downtown Napa tasting room. It is an apt metaphor for Brown Estate, its overall form a relatively streamlined picture of calm whose intricate timeworn carvings tell tales that require a deeper level of engagement to tease out. The business of operating an estate winery, making wines from grapes grown on their own land, relies heavily upon forces beyond control. Mother Nature is a brilliant but fickle business partner, and the increasingly burdened planet a delicate resource from which livelihood is derived. Moving through Brown Estate's third decade, these immutable realities continue to demand and inspire their passion, humility, and gratitude.
The story begins with a piece of land, a family passionate about wine, and a community of friends and partners who helped bring Cakebread Cellars to life. Since founding the winery in 1973, they’ve set out to create quality wines that pair best with good food and good company. The wines reflect the personalities of their estate vineyards as well as the spirit of their entire team.
Having grown up in the Napa wine industry, the two daughters of the iconic Peju Winery founded Calamere in 2016 in the Carneros region of Napa. Located on 100 acres of vineyards with gentle slopes and stunning views of the San Pablo Bay, Calmere makes small batch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The tasting room is a fresh, modern, and stylish spot to enjoy their boutique wines. After the tasting, relax beneath olive trees or play bocce ball in the picturesque outdoor setting.
A 107 room, 13th century inspired Tuscan castle, offering both self-guided tours and host guided tours and tastings.
