Welcome to Blue Collar Vineyard, LLC dba BLACK MESA CELLARS and DHBrown Studio We have retired our winemaking activities so have closed our online wine shopping page. We will continue to make adjustments on this site to keep Doug's sculpture up to date.
DHBrown Studio
Chasing foundry welds on Title Bout
After making a reusable mold from the clay, wax can then be poured to make the model that goes to the foundry..
First stage is a clay model on an armature..
About
Doug's portfolio
Most of Doug's pieces reflect his past experiences and desire to honor and respect the natural world
Title Bout
September Song
Bathing Beauties, a bufflehead pair mounted on marble
The Messenger
Speed Goat
On the Wind
Doug has more pieces that have not yet been professionally photographed..
A Yukon moose, Wyoming mule deer, a Bighorn sheep ram
An English setter on point over a pheasant in corn stubble
Contact us for pricing information on all of these works of art.
01.
The vineyard:
Situated at the base of the Big Black Mesa, an extension of the Mogollon Rim, with a view to Granite Peak, our vineyard benefits from volcanic ash and clay loam soils, higher altitude which results in cooler nighttime temperatures leading to longer hang time for the grapes, and a gentle southern slope which encourages even ripening of the fruit.
We began planting our vineyard in 2015.
We now have around 2500 vines, with slightly more than half being red varietals.
Good morning, Sunshine!
Autumn view of some of our vines with Granite Peak in the distance
2acres
2015 first planting
400 gallons of wine
10 varieties
"The best amendment for the soil is a farmer's bootprints:
Artistic rendering of some of our Scheurebe grapes. Scheurebe is a German grape, descending from Reisling.
02.
The vines
Due to our very small size, our staff is limited to just myself and my husband, Doug...We wear many hats and typical jobs run the gamut from vineyard layout and installation of trellising, irrigation, and bird net to winter pruning, summer suckering and harvest.
- Organic pesticides when needed
- Hand weeding with soil tillage
- Bird net and scare devices for predation
Varietals we have planted:
- Teroldego, Carmenere, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, Petite Pearl
- Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Scheurebe, Soreli (a friulano cross) Phoenix and Viognier
Trellis and water ready for a vineyard block, circa 2016
"Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance..."
Benjamin Franklin
03.
The wines
When we say handcrafted, small batch...we mean just that, most bottlings yield 25 cases or less. All of our wines are produced with an artisans attention to detail as each one is limited and unique. Being so small allows us to keep tight control on quality, but costs us dearly when purchasing supplies such as bottles, labels and cork.
Crush and destem of Scheurebe grapes, a white wine grape developed in Germany from Reisling
Doug pressing off teroldego wine with the bladder press.
Teroldego originated in the north of Italy and is related to Syrah.
Standing next to some of the Scheurebe vines that we planted from cuttings
2024 Harvest numbers:
5600 pounds
(40% increase from 2023)
375 gallons wine
(35% increase from 2023)
We have Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines from Shotgun Ridge fruit this year!
Taste the fruit of our labors...
Art and wine...uniting two of life's pleasures to reflect on how truly blessed we are by our loving creator. As they say, "Man makes beer, God makes wine." God also gives each of us talents to use for his glory.
JoAnn Brown
Owner, viticulturist, winemaker, cook, bottle washer
After retiring from a career in the medical laboratory, how would a lab geek find joy and purpose on a rural Arizona property? I know! Let's plant a vineyard and make wine! I put my chemistry and microbiology training to good use, I even have my own little laboratory in the winery, and growing up on farms and ranches gave me the desire to help things grow. There are plenty of challenges in the vineyard, especially spring frost and birds when the grapes get sweet, but there's nothing like enjoying a glass of wine produced by your own hands and heart!
Doug Brown
Sculptor, weed wacker, cellar rat (& trophy husband)
Art has been important to Doug since his boyhood. He dabbled in oils and acrylics but couldn't find his voice until he tried his hand at lost wax sculpture. He puts his artistic eye to everything he does, whether building fences (or trellising) to cleaning up after moving wines in the cellar. His wildlife sculpture reflects his realist philosophy and background as a cowboy and hunter. He strives only to bring authenticity and respect to nature in each piece.