Michael Browne – Following Vineyards, Not Trends: Winemaking as a Musical Symphony of Mother Nature & Craft

For some, winemaking is a process combining tradition and expert craftsmanship, with the sole goal of transforming grapes into a rich, delectable bottle of wine from different varieties. For Michael Browne, it is Pinot Noir. Also for Michael Browne, winemaking goes beyond harvesting, fermenting, and bottling; it’s a symphony of Mother Nature and human nurturing that, just like the world’s most scintillating melodies, sends chills down your spine with an explosion of flavors and undertones. With a passion for transforming grapes into exceptional, rich, balanced wines, he co-founded Browne Family Wines with his wife Sarah in 2009, promising to treat every harvest as an opportunity to collaborate with Mother Nature on his next piece.

From A Single Barrel To A Lifelong Passion

Michael began his journey in winemaking in 1997, starting Kosta Browne Winery, with one barrel of wine with his partner Dan Kosta. When Michael fell in love with the tangible craft of winemaking, he started pouring love and dedication into every step of the process, from feeling grape clusters with his hands, selecting the perfect barrels, and perfecting the profile with the right instruments. Now, preparing for his 28th harvest season, Michael reflects on his journey with a clear conclusion: winemaking is like music—Mother Nature provides all the notes, and the winemaker ensures they flow in tune.

Honoring Mother Nature

As the creator of the award-winning wine brands Cirq and Chev, Browne Family Wines emanates Michael’s artistic interpretation of colors, textures, and flavors, of grapes, soil, leaves, and foliage, and of every other element that goes into this complex process. Located in the scenic Russian River Valley, or what Michael calls ‘the Garden of Eden,’ this wine estate is where ancient redwood groves, lush farmlands, and rolling hills converge, creating a true heaven on Earth where everything grows well, including humans. 

“Mother Nature is powerful, and we just happen to be at its center,” he shares. “In the Russian River Valley, wildlife thrives, sunkissed plants blossom, and humans feel connected, and each Browne Family Wines bottle is an homage to this power.”

While every harvest touches Michael’s heart differently, he appreciates them all for what winemaking is at its core: an opportunity to work alongside nature and learn from it. “Grape vines are extremely sturdy and can grow virtually anywhere. But ‘anywhere’ is not where fine wine comes from,” he stresses. “You have to cut off over- and underripe grapes, ensure canopies are getting just the right amount of sunlight, and harvest at the right time. ”

Just Like A Musical Symphony

He draws a parallel between winemaking and releasing a song, with the release date being able to make or break success: Sometimes a musician finishes writing but, even when the label is telling you to release it, you just know that it’s not the right time. A year later, that song will hit the perfect cultural moment and thrive globally – but, for now, you just have to wait. It takes a lot of patience, but the results are worth it. Michael holds all of his wines about one year longer than most Pinot Noir producers as he believes his wines need more time.

The winemaker must follow the cycle of Mother Nature—the true artist. As Michael emphasizes, there is only so much humans can do with vines, and mastering the process requires adjusting to weather conditions, respecting the leaves, soil, and most importantly the grape clusters, along with all that surrounds them, and harnessing the best out of each vine with attentiveness, care, and a personal touch. With a resounding understanding of the energy in each place, just like a musician would do with a song: Verve and energy resound.

Pursuing Excellence With Purpose And Creativity

“You can harvest any grapes and make wine, and it might even taste good. But excellence is a constant pursuit, and it can only happen when you’re close to the real artist, Mother Nature,” he says. “Aubert De Villaine, from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, once told me in person: ‘Michael, focus on the vineyards, with all of your attention, and winemaking will follow.’ That was the epiphany moment I needed to never fall into the trap of following trends. The vineyards will give you all the notes you need; your only task is to listen.”

To illustrate the importance of people and nature working in tune, Michael alludes to a trend he noticed in California. “For a long time, Californian Pinot Noirs were thin, with 13.5% alcohol volumes as a target. On a mission to match trends in Burgundy, winemakers were harvesting grapes too soon, resulting in an unbalanced, sometimes acidic profile.” In 2002, a grower phoned Michael and offered him grapes that had been on the vine a few weeks longer than what everyone else wanted. When Michael tasted the grapes, they exploded with flavor in his mouth, and he knew that the time was right. And he has followed that path ever since when it comes to ripening. Two years later, the wine produced from those grapes was awarded an excellent score in Wine Spectator, and Michael and Dan were featured in an article with a photo and a write-up. They finally had written their first hit song.

Results Speak For Themselves

Today, Browne Family Wines produces two brands—CIRQ, a high-quality Pinot Noir made from grapes grown exclusively in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, and CHEV, which offers Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from grapes grown in Oregon, Russian River Valley, Santa Rita Hills, and Santa Lucia Highlands—both of which have waitlists reaching as long as three years. According to Michael, those who have tasted the wines’ luxurious texture and precise flavors always ask: How do you achieve such a rich color and balanced flavor?

“If you listen to Mother Nature and harvest at the right time, the final product will have the beauty, the richness, the vibrant colors, aromatics, and flavors. But most importantly, the supreme balance on the palate,” Michael says, adding: “I want my wines to sound good. For people to listen to the wines. Blind people can see, and deaf people can hear, the resounding essence of wine can be felt without the eyes and the ears, just like music can be felt without sound. There is a resonance of both wine and music that reverberates through the soul.”

Throughout history, there has been a constant intertwining of wine and music. This is nothing new and is something that winemakers and musicians understand. Their craft, their pursuit of excellence, is translated into sensory experiences, for the ultimate satisfaction of the audience.

Let Yourself Be Thunderstruck By The Vineyard’s Song

Michael recalls, a very famous musician once toured Kosta Browne with his family. Michael was a huge fan of this band and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. During the visit, Michael explained in great detail, that he sees wine as music and how he creates wines to sound good. About a month later Michael received an old bass guitar that was shipped to him containing a letter. It said that he, the musician, fully understood what Michael was talking about. The gift was one of six bass guitars the musician had been playing in the studio and touring for over 40 years. It was number 4. It is one of Michael’s prized possessions. Michael will not say who this musician is, but if he did, let’s say you would be “Thunderstruck.”

Michael concludes: “Once the grapes are picked, the song is written, and there’s no going back. And when you open the bottle to savor all the notes, flavors, and aromas, that’s when the music starts playing. It’s up to you to listen to the song.”