Fresh and juicy our Red Blend showcases notes of cinnamon, pomegranate, cloves, hibiscus and caramel apple.
Eye: Brilliant translucent ruby through and through.
Nose: Hibiscus, tea rose, pomegranate, and Maraschino cherry with subtle cinnamon, clove, and English lavender.
Palate: Light body and crisp acidity meet lush fruit and spices. Intense flavors make for a sublime lingering finish.
Pairing inspirations: Avocado & beet salad, tomato tart, hoisin pork buns, trout & watercress fritters, chicken Caesar salad, French onion soup
Specs
Varietals: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Pinot Noir
Small amounts of naturally occurring & added sulfites - nothing else
Appellation: Lodi, CA (Consumnes River)
Fermented in stainless steel lined with oak staves, 11 months
Alcohol: 12.5%
Vegan friendly
Certified sustainable per “Lodi Rules”
What’s Included
6-bottles:
6x 2021 House of Brown Red Blend Case:
12x 2021 House of Brown Red Blend
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $240/case MSRP
About The Winery
HOUSE OF BROWN is a sister label to Brown Estate, Napa Valley’s first Black-owned estate winery. As our wines have attracted a terrifically diverse consumer base over the last 25+ years, a vibrant community and dynamic culture have coalesced in our ecosystem. HOUSE OF BROWN, created to expand access to the Brown wine experience, is an homage to our ‘Feel Seen’ ethos and to the sense of welcome and belonging that are hallmarks at Brown.
Anytime-anywhere wines. Always in season. Certified sustainable, vegan-friendly.
HOUSE OF BROWN is 100% Black/family-owned and -operated, and women-led.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
I received a note from Alice saying I was the lucky recipient of a Labrat bottle and to be on the look out for a shipment. I received a bottle of 2021 House of Brown California Red Blend late Thursday evening. I am tasting this on my own as my wife is actually out in the Sonoma area for the weekend. So I get to have a little fun while single parenting and running the kids around to all the activities. Late Friday afternoon, having let it sit on the counter, I cracked the screw top and decided to see what I was in for…
Upon PnP there’s a faint hint of tartness on the nose. At first taste I get pomegranate, bing cherry, and clove. Nice light garnet in color, with light legs to match. This is very tart out of the bottle. Not exactly my jam. I typically like big bold reds. Had a little Hooks cheddar and an aged gouda. Tried pairing it with that as well as some salumi. The cheddar and salumi overpowered the wine, but the gouda gave it a little depth.
The label is an interesting collage of the tasting notes. I try not to research/ read anything before tasting, but it is a little hard when they write them on the bottle. (But no other info, such as what goes into the blend). After visiting their website I find that they recommend chilling their red blend - so I go for it. I pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes to give it a chill and try round two.
2nd glass, this time chilled. The tartness is more restrained now and I pick up more cherry, cinnamon, and the hibiscus comes through. The pomegranate has become a secondary note. I enjoy this chilled. I could see a rose drinker really liking this wine. This would make a good choice as a chilled summer red.
From where I started to where I ended was an interesting progression with this wine. It definitely wasn’t a favorite to start, but at the end I would be interested in purchasing depending on the price point to have some around for a nice summer afternoon wine. I can see it being a nice chilled picnic option.
@jshaver I’m surprised they recommend chilling a cab. At 80%, that’s what this is. Chilling will tend to mute the flavors, both good and bad. And it did seem to dull the tartness you describe, so I guess it’s mission accomplished!
@hscottk@rjquillin Fair. Should have expanded on those details- room temp was 70, chilled to 45. I revisited as it came back to room temp and preferred it chilled out of the fridge.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2021 House of Brown Red Blend - $40 = 28.57%
labrat checking in!
Always love getting an email from Alice with the news that we get to be a labrat.
The label is quite eye catching and interesting to look at.
The wine comes in a burgundy shaped, yellow-green glass bottle, but the label simply states “red blend”. Upon initial pop and pour, aromas of sour cherry and maybe some subliminal reaction to the pomegranate on the label? No hints of alcohol, and slight fruit punch coming though.
The wine is a very light garnet color, no differences at the edges.
First sips confirm that this is light to medium body and more fruit-forward than I typically prefer. There is some definite fizziness - not anywhere near full blown sparkling, but that “buzz” on your tongue that you sometimes experience with older juice that is starting to ferment. This goes away after 5ish minutes in the glass. It’s not sweet as in residual sugar, but does come across as sweet on the palate. Very young, even though it is a 2021 vintage. Reminds me a bit of a beaujolais.
After a few minutes, with the fizziness gone, it’s much less fruity and now seems to lean more to what I would expect from a grenache… some spicyness, and a touch of acidity. We had it with baked salmon, and it went fine, but the food did not do much for the wine or vice versa.
Not much different the next day.
From Michelle - tastes fizzy on pop and pour. Better after a few minutes of sitting. I’m having trouble identifying a smell or flavor specifically, but it’s a fairly easy drinking red. Not my favorite, but not bad by any stretch.
thanks, as always for the opportunity to contribute to the community!
I plan on being around the pool a lot this summer. And I rarely drink whites. This might help me stay away from the beer. And it sounds like it’s good chilled.
Brown Estate Zinfandel is exceptional, was hoping for more enthusiasm for their side project. Currently am full on wine so will pass, but could have somehow found room for a couple or 12 bottles if there was a stronger case argument. Please chime in if any fans are out there.
Chilled one of these in the wine fridge after it arrived yesterday. Came back from playing tennis and popped and poured a glass.
Lovely nose of raspberry, bing cherry and maybe a little rhubarb even when it’s chilled.
On the palate, it had very little of the effervescence the rats noted but it was still there and dissipated after a few minutes. Cold, the red berry flavors carried through but with a solid bed of somewhat darker fruit, most prominently ripe plum and something I can’t quite identify but it was pleasant.
The tannins were there and played with some bright acidity. In fact, it was really nice.
Looking forward to sipping this clod by the pool. Not disappointed by this purchase.
2021 House of Brown Red Blend
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $240/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jun 10 - Wednesday, Jun 12
2021 House of Brown Red Blend
6 bottles for $69.99 $11.67/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $99.99 $8.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Good thing
won’t be 
FedEx…
@rjquillin
Did I miss something?
A cab and Pinot blend?! Whyyyyy?
@klezman I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Cab/Pinot blend.
Maybe I’ve just been aware of it??
@karenhynes but why does this exist???
@karenhynes @klezman This is no stinkin’ blend. At 80% this is a Cabernet. Who cares what the other % is…ha!
@kaolis @karenhynes @klezman agreed! this wont show pinot at all.
@CorTot @kaolis @karenhynes that’s kind of my point… Why waste the Pinot?
I received a note from Alice saying I was the lucky recipient of a Labrat bottle and to be on the look out for a shipment. I received a bottle of 2021 House of Brown California Red Blend late Thursday evening. I am tasting this on my own as my wife is actually out in the Sonoma area for the weekend. So I get to have a little fun while single parenting and running the kids around to all the activities. Late Friday afternoon, having let it sit on the counter, I cracked the screw top and decided to see what I was in for…
Upon PnP there’s a faint hint of tartness on the nose. At first taste I get pomegranate, bing cherry, and clove. Nice light garnet in color, with light legs to match. This is very tart out of the bottle. Not exactly my jam. I typically like big bold reds. Had a little Hooks cheddar and an aged gouda. Tried pairing it with that as well as some salumi. The cheddar and salumi overpowered the wine, but the gouda gave it a little depth.
The label is an interesting collage of the tasting notes. I try not to research/ read anything before tasting, but it is a little hard when they write them on the bottle. (But no other info, such as what goes into the blend). After visiting their website I find that they recommend chilling their red blend - so I go for it. I pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes to give it a chill and try round two.
2nd glass, this time chilled. The tartness is more restrained now and I pick up more cherry, cinnamon, and the hibiscus comes through. The pomegranate has become a secondary note. I enjoy this chilled. I could see a rose drinker really liking this wine. This would make a good choice as a chilled summer red.
From where I started to where I ended was an interesting progression with this wine. It definitely wasn’t a favorite to start, but at the end I would be interested in purchasing depending on the price point to have some around for a nice summer afternoon wine. I can see it being a nice chilled picnic option.
Thanks for the opportunity!
@jshaver I’m surprised they recommend chilling a cab. At 80%, that’s what this is. Chilling will tend to mute the flavors, both good and bad. And it did seem to dull the tartness you describe, so I guess it’s mission accomplished!
@hscottk agreed. I wouldn’t have even considered chilling it. Also, I wouldn’t have guessed it was 80% Cab by tasting it. It is a unique wine.
@jshaver
Where did you find this?
The site (that I found) is spartan, at best.
@hscottk
Well, chilling from what to what?
From 80°F to 55° or 60°F; absolutely.
Just some random Sunday morning observations/thoughts…
@hscottk @rjquillin Fair. Should have expanded on those details- room temp was 70, chilled to 45. I revisited as it came back to room temp and preferred it chilled out of the fridge.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2021 House of Brown Red Blend - $40 = 28.57%
labrat checking in!
Always love getting an email from Alice with the news that we get to be a labrat.
The label is quite eye catching and interesting to look at.
The wine comes in a burgundy shaped, yellow-green glass bottle, but the label simply states “red blend”. Upon initial pop and pour, aromas of sour cherry and maybe some subliminal reaction to the pomegranate on the label? No hints of alcohol, and slight fruit punch coming though.
The wine is a very light garnet color, no differences at the edges.
First sips confirm that this is light to medium body and more fruit-forward than I typically prefer. There is some definite fizziness - not anywhere near full blown sparkling, but that “buzz” on your tongue that you sometimes experience with older juice that is starting to ferment. This goes away after 5ish minutes in the glass. It’s not sweet as in residual sugar, but does come across as sweet on the palate. Very young, even though it is a 2021 vintage. Reminds me a bit of a beaujolais.
After a few minutes, with the fizziness gone, it’s much less fruity and now seems to lean more to what I would expect from a grenache… some spicyness, and a touch of acidity. We had it with baked salmon, and it went fine, but the food did not do much for the wine or vice versa.
Not much different the next day.
From Michelle - tastes fizzy on pop and pour. Better after a few minutes of sitting. I’m having trouble identifying a smell or flavor specifically, but it’s a fairly easy drinking red. Not my favorite, but not bad by any stretch.
thanks, as always for the opportunity to contribute to the community!
“House of Brown” usually means someone ate too much Taco Bell
I plan on being around the pool a lot this summer. And I rarely drink whites. This might help me stay away from the beer. And it sounds like it’s good chilled.
In for a case.
/giphy contentious-quicker-shadow
Brown Estate Zinfandel is exceptional, was hoping for more enthusiasm for their side project. Currently am full on wine so will pass, but could have somehow found room for a couple or 12 bottles if there was a stronger case argument. Please chime in if any fans are out there.
@kainc There is a lot to be said for producer participation, or not…
Valid!
@kainc it’s just given my fondness of their top lines (including petit sirah) it would have taken a mild exhale to push me over on this offer.
Anyone in northeast ohi in for a case split?
Chilled one of these in the wine fridge after it arrived yesterday. Came back from playing tennis and popped and poured a glass.
Lovely nose of raspberry, bing cherry and maybe a little rhubarb even when it’s chilled.
On the palate, it had very little of the effervescence the rats noted but it was still there and dissipated after a few minutes. Cold, the red berry flavors carried through but with a solid bed of somewhat darker fruit, most prominently ripe plum and something I can’t quite identify but it was pleasant.
The tannins were there and played with some bright acidity. In fact, it was really nice.
Looking forward to sipping this clod by the pool. Not disappointed by this purchase.