BRAND Napa Valley

BRAND Napa Valley was founded by Ed and Deb Fitts. Ed’s background is in paper manufacturing – supplying a number of contracts including packaging to fast food restaurants. He founded Dopaco, a company that specialized in providing packaging and paper products for nationally known fast food franchises including Burger King and McDonalds. He sold his business in 2004 although he stayed on for a while following the sale as the CEO. Dopaco operated a number of manufacturing plants in select locations in the United States. One of these manufacturing plants was located in Stockton California and during a number of visits to this plant he also had the opportunity to visit Napa Valley. He became intrigued with the wines and the lifestyle and ultimately decided to buy property in Napa Valley (after joining and being a member of the Napa Valley Reserve for many years).

In 2005 he purchased land on Pritchard Hill from the long time Pritchard Hill family (the Longs, reference nearby David Arthur and Montagna Estate). This is a part of Napa Valley that the Wine Spectator originally referred to as “the Rodeo Drive of the Napa Valley”. Top wineries have estates here including Bryant Family, Chappellet, Colgin, Continuum, and Ovid, among others. And in fact, the Long’s sold land to a number of these prominent nearby wineries.

Three acres were already planted on site; their first wine was made from this small vineyard. The inaugural vintage was from 2009 and the wines were produced at Vineyard 29 until BRAND’s physical winery was built. Ed’s vision for the property widened as he came to know the land and his neighbors. This is prime terroir for growing Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa. Later he acquired several other acres from a nearby vintner. The property is two adjoining parcels ranging in elevation from about 1,200 to 1,500 feet ASL with 110 acres of which 12 acres are planted to grapes including 8 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 4 acres of Cabernet Franc. There are three distinctive vineyards at Brand, a lower planting at about 1,200 feet which produces the grapes for their N°95 Cabernet Sauvignon bottling, a middle vineyard and an upper vineyard at about 1,400 feet planted entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Their vineyards are CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers). This farming is a rigorous organic viticulture practice that prioritizes soil health, biodiversity, and the elimination of synthetic inputs to meet USDA National Organic Program standards. To achieve and maintain this certification, growers must abstain from using synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers for at least three years, relying instead on natural alternatives like cover crops (such as clover and vetch), compost, and mechanical weeding to manage the vineyard’s ecosystem.

The process involves developing a comprehensive Organic System Plan (OSP) and undergoing annual third-party inspections to verify that every input—from the roots of the vines to the harvesting equipment—is traceable and eco-friendly. By fostering a “living soil” rich in microorganisms and natural predators, CCOF farming aims to produce grapes that offer a purer expression of terroir while protecting local water supplies and supporting long-term environmental sustainability. For reference, the earliest wineries to be CCOF in Napa Valley include Tres Sabores and Napa Wine Co., in 1991 followed by Helena View Johnston in 1992.

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In early 2019 Ed and Debbie sold the winery and property to husband and wife, James Bean (born and raised in Pennsylvania) and Christine O’Sullivan (originally from Cork in southern Ireland). James (Drexel LeBow alum) and Christine are former Apple executives who met while working at Apple; during his time at Apple, James had several roles including overseeing finance for the Americas and then internationally and later as the former vice president of retail operations (helping oversee hundreds of Apple stores in numerous countries) while Christine helped manage the release of the Mac OS X operating systems. In 2018 Jim and Christine donated Bean $1 million in matching funds towards the renovation of the Vidas Athletic Complex at Drexel University.

Both have since left Apple, Christine in 2013 and James in 2017 after 20 years, and have put down roots in Napa Valley; they were married at the Culinary Institute of America, are members of the Napa Valley Reserve and own several vineyards in Napa Valley. BRAND was not their first acquisition in Napa Valley; their initial wine-related purchase was a vineyard on the valley floor south of St. Helena in 2013.

Their vineyards are located between 1200 and 1500 feet. They are above the fog line and the frost line; growing days are full of sunshine. The extremes in weather are narrower on Pritchard Hill than perhaps other parts of Napa Valley; this region generally has a moderate climate. The vineyards are divided into two sections – an upper and a lower site broken into 17 individual vineyard blocks containing a ‘spice rack’ of different rootstock and clonal combinations. The upper vineyard is primarily planted to Cabernet Sauvignon while the lower vineyard is planted to Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Like most of Pritchard Hill, the vineyard preparations required significant work – based on the voluminous number of rocks that form the soils up here.

In 2020 they introduced a number of biodynamic practices to their vineyards while continuing to farm their vines completely organically. Due to the wildfires and resulting heavy smoke in Napa Valley that year, Brand did not produce any wines.

And the soils (or lack of) are classic Pritchard Hill and abundance of both small and large rocks featuring a rust colored brown look at time (both the soils and rocks) from the high iron content. The name BRAND is an appropriate name, tying in Ed’s love of horses; he originally choose a double horseshoe as the logo with the rusted iron equating to the color of their soils and representing their own brand. Since the transition in ownership, BRAND’s logo has been significantly rebranded including the design of their wine label. The horseshoe shaped BRAND logo mimics the shape of the outside of either of the two ends of the winery building.

The winery was completed in 2012, just in time for harvest that year and was designed by Architect Juan Carlos Fernandez, also known for designing the cave at Cade Winery on Howell Mountain and later, nearby Nine Suns, now REALM Houyi Estate. BRAND is a beautiful winery blending both form and function. Based on Ed’s love of horses, he originally instructed Juan Carlos to build something in the general shape of a horse barn – tall with a sloped roof. He gave him further instruction; use buildings from old mining towns in parts of the Western USA for design inspiration.

The landscaping surrounding the winery is “east meets west”; landscape architect Hoichi Kurisu created peaceful surroundings utilizing both Asian influences combined with aspects of what makes Pritchard Hill unique – the use of large iron-stained boulders. Two small waterfalls are located next to the winery. Hoichi recalled that Ed reminded him of water – having the ability to flow around obstacles in the business world; these two falls are dedicated to Ed.

BRAND is certified Napa Green for the winery. This certification program is operated by the Napa County Department of Public Works and the California Green Business Program overseeing water conservation and reduced energy and waste within Napa based County wineries.

Through a winery club in St. Helena – Ed was introduced to highly regarded winemaker Philippe Melka. While Philippe is no longer the winemaker at BRAND, he played an integral role in the physical design of the winery as well as matching the type and size of winery equipment to this particular property and its specific vineyard blocks. Philippe has certainly worked in a number of exceptional winery facilities around the valley through his consulting and wine making. Until Philippe and his wife Cherie built and opened Melka Estate near the town of St. Helena, BRAND was ground zero for Atelier Melka – Philippe’s own wine consulting company and is where he made his own wines for several years.

Philippe grew up in Bordeaux, earned his degree in Geology at the University of Bordeaux and later his master’s degree in Agronomy and Enology. His first wine position was at Château Haut Brion in Bordeaux. His first introduction to Napa Valley came in 1991 as an intern with Christian Moueix, proprietor of Chateau Petrus in Bordeaux and Dominus in Napa Valley. Philippe came to Dominus to study soils and then spent a few years as a traveling winemaker and ultimately settled in Napa Valley in 1994.

In what would become the start of a long and successful wine making career, his first two wine making / consulting jobs were in 1995 at Seavey Vineyards and at Lail Vineyards (both of whom he is still involved with today). He began Atelier Melka in 1995, a wine consulting company specializing in creating limited production premium wines for a variety of well-regarded brands – primarily based in Napa Valley. Atelier in French means an artist’s studio or workroom (where specific skills are taught and passed down). But today he has plenty of help; Atelier Melka employs several talented, accomplished and highly respected winemakers.

All their tanks are small and incorporate the latest fermentation technology – they were made in Bordeaux. One is used to seeing the red Bucher Vaslin press at premium wineries around the world – this one is not red but rather a custom color, the “BRAND brown”.

Select Wines
Reds
The Brand wines represent the mountain terroir of Pritchard Hill very well; these are muscular, texturally-driven and powerful wines which are built to age. They are not shy bottlings by any means. While they produced only one wine for several years, they now produce three red wines each year including BRAND Vineyard N°95 Cabernet Sauvignon, BRAND Proprietary Blend and their flagship bottling, the BRAND Cabernet Sauvignon.

Vineyard N°95 Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2023 Brand Napa Valley N°95 Cabernet Sauvignon (100% varietal) is deep ruby and opaque; a full throttle expression of Pritchard Hill and this site, the bouquet is a union of dark fruits and barrel influences. This wine smells like blackberry jam, cherry pie, boysenberry spread, dark mulberry and Santa Rosa plum. Its barrel contributions include mocha, cocoa powder, a light toast and dark chocolate. Packed with layers of flavor, yet both flavor and structure never seem heavy due to the lively acidity which creates a lovely tension here. This wine tastes like blackberry, boysenberry, red plums, red cherries and currant – with a finishing savory edge including smoked sage, dried bay leaf and chalk. The tannins are well tumbled in their youth, surprisingly integrated for both youth, this particular vintage and its hillside location. Their texture is broadly dispersed with a gravelly and long lasting dusty and chalky cadence. This wine has plenty of life ahead of it with the proper aging. Lets try this again in the next 8-10 years.

The 2018 BRAND Napa Valley Vineyard N°95 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Cabernet Franc. This wine is medium to dark ruby in color; our initial impression after smelling the bouquet is that its aromatics are focused on fruit rather than barrel influences. It offers dark berries and cherries along with light notes of cedar and chocolate, which complement the fruit without overshadowing it. The dark fruit carries onto the palate, with an appealing savory character becoming more apparent towards the finish. This wine is the most approachable in its youth of their three red bottlings, but it still offers plenty of structure. The tannins are gravelly and long lasting, accompanied by savory notes of darker pepper and spicy plum. These fruit and spice characteristics persist alongside the tannins on the lingering finish.

Proprietary Red Blend
The 2019 BRAND Proprietary Red Blend is 62% Cabernet Franc and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is dark ruby in the glass; the bouquet offers aromas of damp earth, a darker dessert spice note and a sweetly fruited note deeper in the aromatics. These earthy and sweeter components provide an appealing contrast, revealing additional depth as the wine opens. Those expecting a lighter style Cabernet Franc-led wine will instead discover a wine that is rich, complex and built with robust fruit and tannic power. This bottling offers flavors of plum and blackberry, with a density of fruit that holds its own against the sizable structure. Lingering notes of toasted oak and cedar complement the darkly fruited finish. The finish persists for an extended amount of time, accompanied by plenty of grip and a dust/earth nuance. Its fruit and savory character linger alongside the tannins, leaving a lasting impression of both richness and power.

BRAND Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2019 BRAND is 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, harvested from both their best and highest vineyard blocks. This is their flagship bottling. The color is immediately noticeable; it is dark ruby and opaque. The bouquet offers aromatics of dark fruit along with chocolate and darker dessert spices, adding layers of sweetness and spice to its deeply fruited core. This is a robust and energetic mountain wine in its youth; while tasting this, we wrote savory several times to describe the palate. Its concentration of fruit is matched by a sizable structure, with both making a lasting impression. This bottling lingers with chewy tannins and a woodsy note, its savory character continuing well into the finish. It needs to be paired with protein or aged for a few years to tame its memorable and long-lasting textural grip. This wine offers plenty of youthful power and is built to be highly age-worthy.

The 2011 BRAND is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc. There was not much produced of this particular wine and or succeeding vintages. Only 304 cases of this vintage were crafted. The wine typically spends 22 to 24 months in French oak barrels of which 80-85% is new. The smell is the first thing that attracts one to this bottling; its scents are of the earth with layered aromas of seductive fruit and hints of darker chocolate and espresso. It also offers notes of toasted cedar. The beauty of this wine and perhaps a Philippe trademark, is how seamless it is, from start to finish. Well integrated tannins linger in the front of the palate and then work their way backwards. The finish is clean, delicate and silky with a textural profile represented more of their vintage rather than their mountain terroir.

A number of Cabernet Sauvignons from the 2011 vintage show clear vintage characteristics including herbal and smoky notes on the bouquet; these wines represent a leaner style of fruit on the palate along with bright acidity. A number of wines from this vintage we have tried over the years have been a bit thin. However, BRAND’s vineyards were less affected by the cooler and rainy conditions than perhaps other parts of the valley experienced during that year. More sunshine and favorable wind conditions helped ensure even ripening fruit. In our opinion, their 2011s were some of the top wines in all of Napa Valley from this particular vintage.

Whites
Falanghina
Falanghina is an Italian white variety from Compania (Amalfi Coast). We rarely come across this variety from Napa producers; a couple that have produced wines with at least some Falanghina include The Prisoner for their Saldo label, Tank Garage and Localism Wines. Spottswoode Winery grows a few rows of this in one of their experimental blocks.

The 2023 BRAND Falanghina California is medium yellow in color; The listed ABV is a refreshing 13.1% but at this relatively lower alcohol the bouquet smells fully ripe with no herbal presence. Its sweetly fruited scents throw notes of baked apples, creme Brulé, butterscotch, apricot, honeycomb, an aromatic that reminds us of pulling honeycomb hexagonal cells straight from bee hives, white peach and white nectarine, pineapple and white florals including jasmine. Be patient, this bouquet is deeply layered with additional aromatics taking time to express themselves with time. And as fully ripe as the bouquet, the palate is woven around a minerally or saline character (especially noticeable on the finish) and flavors of yellow peach, white nectarine, chamomile, yellow apple and Meyer lemon. The mouth feel is rounded but supported nicely by a vein of bright acidity. Only 50 cases were produced of this beauty. Ageworthy. In terms of pairing, perhaps associate this bottling with dish of a pesto sauce, grated parmesan, linguine and clams. Mmm 🙂

White Blend
Brand produces a very limited production proprietary white blend of Italian varieties grown on Pritchard Hill including Fiano and Ribolla Gialla.

The 2016 Brand White Wine, Napa Valley was tasted 10 years post vintage. This wine is deep gold in color, clearly showing some oxidation as a result of its age at 10 years post vintage. The bouquet offers tangy and sweet-sour aromatics including of pineapple, bruised apple, concentrated citrus including dried lemon peel, dried apricot, orange marmalade, quince, apple cider and a persistent note of toasted nuts. The palate is in perhaps better shape than the aromatics at this age; it offers flavors of ripe pineapple, mature orchard fruits, preserved lemon, dried apricot and orange peel – with additional notes of honey and toasted almond – this nutty attribute especially noticeable on the finish. The acidity has kept a semblance of liveliness here, but like the bouquet expresses, the palate also shows a tangy character, a result of its age. The mouth feel is lightly rounded and is accompanied by a saline attribute. The finish lingers with noticeable tannins and a persistent drying character which outlasts both fruit and acidity.

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Appointments are for serious wine enthusiasts and collectors with priority given to active members of their mailing list. With little traffic allow about 30 minutes to drive here from downtown Napa. The final drive into the winery is on Long Ranch Road which provides a significant climb into the mountains above picturesque lake Hennessey. Parking is in a small lot behind a gate next to the entrance to the hospitality space. Unscripted seated tastings are hosted in their comfortable and cozy well-decorated hospitality space following a visit and tour of their cave and winery. Allow at least 90 minutes for a visit.

BRAND participates or supports select events throughout the year including the One Mind Festival hosted at Staglin Winery and Festival Napa Valley.

Annual production hovers around 2,000 cases. In addition to purchasing wines direct, select bottlings may be available through a limited number of online retailers including Benchmark Wine Group. To join BRAND’s waiting list for upcoming allocations, to schedule a tasting or for more information please visit: www.brandnapavalley.com

Grounds/Vineyard

Hospitality

Cave/Winery