This is part 2 of our coverage of the Santa Barbara Vintners Wine Seminar from April of 2015.  The theme of the seminar was “Zaca Mesa University” with a panel of wine makers all of whom had come through the Zaca Mesa Winery.  Sommelier, Christopher Sawyer introduced the first of these winemakers Ken Brown.

Ken Brown or Byron Kent Brown started his career working for IBM, never dreaming that he would end up a winemaker.  He later got into real estate development with his father, who had a friend with a family vineyard in Lodi.  He got to know some people in the wine industry, fell in love with it and went back to school to become a winemaker.  When Marshall Reams decided to build a winery, he called Ken to help purchase the equipment and set the place up.  Ken became Zaca Mesa‘s first winemaker.  While there, he hired Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist who each went on to found Au Bon Climat and Qupe respectively.  After a bit as Zaca Mesa’s winemaker, Ken found he wanted to start making his own wines.  He founded Byron Winery in 1984 and built a winery where he not only made his own wines, but could also make the overflow wines for Zaca Mesa, when they ran out of room.  So basically he got his own winery, subsidized by Zaca Mesa, while still serving as their head winemaker.  Pretty good gig!  In 1990 Mondavi bought Byron.  He stayed on for 14 years before leaving to start Ken Brown Wines in 2003. They do small lot wines in an unassuming little tasting room in Buellton with a range of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.  But here…let’s let Ken tell it.

The next segment featuring Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat will be released on June 3rd 2015.

For more conversations with winemakers and wineries visit Crushed Grape Chronicles – From Dirt to Glass