(October 8, 2024 – Windsor, CA) — Sarah and Michael Browne, co-owners of Browne Family Wines, which includes CHEV and CIRQ wines, announce their appointment of Cabell Coursey, Director of Winemaking and Viticulture
“We are thrilled to have Cabell lead our winemaking team,” says Michael Browne. “Our shared passion for wine started while we worked together, creating the Kosta Browne wines. I have worked alongside Cabell and believe that his global wine experience, immense attention to detail, and integrity are paramount to who he is, showcased in the intense and elegantly refined wines he makes.”
Cabell’s obsession with winemaking began with a harvest in Burgundy while on an undergraduate semester abroad. After finishing his degree., Cabell spent a few vintages picking grapes and scrubbing tanks in Burgundy and then moved up to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Following his time in Oregon, Cabell traveled to Christchurch, New Zealand, where he earned degrees in Enology and Viticulture from Lincoln University. His winemaking experience includes harvests in Germany, France, New Zealand, and Australia. All have been focused on cool climate regions and included Pinot Noir. In 2015, Cabell launched his very own winery, Coursey Graves Winery in Bennett Valley in Sonoma County exiting in spring 2024.
Cabell’s approach to winemaking is to use his senses in conjunction with his knowledge of biology, chemistry, and farming while describing his philosophy: “Winemaking is the culmination of a vast number of decisions. Starting with the site, the farming practice, the response to weather conditions, the picking date, the tank and barrel programs, ferment protocols, and continuing through blending and bottling. It is the daily decisions, actions, and sometimes lack of action that unlock a vineyard’s highest potential. The quest to reveal each vineyard’s unique personality, while dealing with the challenges inherent in farming, is what makes winemaking challenging, interesting, and highly rewarding. My goal is always the same, to deliver each vineyard’s best expression in each vintage and to make a wine where the last glass is better than the first.”
About CHEV
CHEV is sparked by Michael’s love and appreciation for old-school craftsmanship. From classic cars to vintage clocks, CHEV pays tribute to bygone days when artisans crafted in their forge and the raw was hand-wrought to expert precision. The same approach as our grapes—exquisitely grown by master farmers, curated from renowned sites, and refined to delicious detail in our family shop. Crafted in its own style, CHEV is unbounded by region and born from exceptional vineyards near and far. To learn more, please visit: www.chevwines.com
About CIRQ
CIRQ launched in 2009, with Michael’s passion for making delicious wines from Russian River Valley’s most exceptional sites. Inspired by his childhood circus-performing days, our winery ringmaster brings the same intense study, balance, and finesse to CIRQ – superbly blending the highest quality fruit from the Valley’s prime vineyards. The result is the best Pinot Noir possible through his lens, where uncommon breeding meets unprecedented flavors for the ultimate expression of this magical region. To learn more, please visit: www.cirq.com
Wines:
| CHEV Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2021 | $80 |
| CHEV Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2021 | $80 |
| CHEV Oregon Pinot Noir 2021 | $80 |
| CHEV Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2021 | $80 |
| CHEV Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2021 | $80 |
| CIRQ Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2021 | $175 |
