FOOD & DRINK SONOMA, CALIFORNIA

• FOO D & DRI NK SONOMA, CA L IFORNIA FOOD & DR I NK SONO MA, CALI FORN IA

SIDE • I

ALL IN A DAY'S\VOHK '' o get 'en1, Bruno!" winemaker Bruce Cohncalls (Clocl.,uise from to his old black lab as thedogchases a rubber above)Bruceinhis bung(astopper for a wine barrel) across the officesun·oundedby olive tree-shaded courtyard at the B.R Cohn memombiliafrom his wine1y in Glen Ellen. "He's 14 and he thinks he's 3!" Cohn earlier days in themusic exclaims. "He drank red wine all his life, that's why.'' Bruno industrtJ; The Doobie barks excitedly when he hears theword "wine'' as Cohn notes Brothers'p/atinum record that thedog has his own wine, called Bruno's Blend. The Captain And Me; These are good days for Cohn, 69, a Chicago native who has When he acquired the property, son1e ofthe landwas planted B.R CohnOliveOi~ Cohn's had two successful careers, the first as the manager ofthe with grapes thatwere sold to Sebastiani, a nearby family CabernetSa.twignon. rock band The Doobie Brothersandlater Night Ranger, the winery. The patriarch, August Sebastiani, sagely told Cohn secondas a winery owner inSonoma County. he wouldn'tn1ake much moneyon the grapes, but that he'd do Cohn's family relocated to San Francisco when he was 10 well with the land. "When I gotmy firstcheckfor the grapes:' and a year later moved an hour north to rural Forestville Cohnsays, "I understood what he n1eant.'' where his father, who had been in the shoe business in In the early 1970s, Cohn read thick books aboutviticulttu-e on Chicago, started a goat dairy. Thefanlily lived inanold farm­ flights withtheDoobies. Not long afterward, hewas introduced house, and Bruce had to get up at 4:30every morning to milk to Charlie Wagner ofCaymus Vineyards, and asked the the goats- he also pickedgrapes on a neighbor's vineyard. veteran winemaker to mentor hin1, butWagner wastaken aback But he never imagined thatoneday he'd be a winemaker. It by Cohn's appearance. "I sure didn't look like a farmer;' Cohn happened aln1ost by accident.He'd become the manager of says '1 had an afro upto here, leather pants, high-heeled boots.'' The Doobie Brothers in1970when he wasjust22. "We had Cohn soonwon him over, and Wagner, who died in 2002, 38 guys onthe road, two planes and fotu·senlis, it was a lotof tutored Cohn for fotu- years. "In 1978, I'd brought hin1 three responsibility for son1ebody that young." The Doobie Brothers tons ofpinotand three tons ofcab grapes," Cohn says. "I drove "were pretty crazy, wildguys at that time. Now they're just a '48 Dodge over the mountain" to Caymus in Rutherford, crazy," he says with a laugh, "boring and crazy." in the heartofNapa's wine country. "I burned the brakes up Cohn also worked as the sound mixer at the Doobies' shows. goingdown the Oakville Grade." After four years ofincessant touring he decided to buy some Six n1onths later Wagner called Cohn and said: "Get over land in the Valley ofthe Moon, a crescent ofparadise in east­ here, you gotta try this wine." So Cohndrove back over the ern SonomaCotmty. Theidea was to have a place to decom­ Mayacamas Mountains, and Wagner poured him some pinot. press. "I was on the roadwith the band about 250 days a year," "I didn't know anything about red wine. I was drinking tequila he says, "and I justwanted a place where I could raise my kids and Dos Equis with the band," Cohn says. like I was raised." "So, I tried the pinot and said, 'oh that's good.' He said 'yeah, "I call this the center ofthe earth," Cohnsays. "This is like it's pretty good. Now try this cab ofyoLu-s.' He poured me a Tuscany. I tell people, don't go to Italy,justcon1e to B.R. Cohn. glass ofthe cab. I said, 'Oh, that's real good.' He said, 'No, that's We have better wines; we have great olive oils." Thatsotmds notreal good. That's the bestcab I've ever had from Sonoma boastful, but Cohn seems like a down-to-earth guy who can't County."' Wagner advised Cohn to have Sebastiani make the quite believe his luck and is grateful for how well his life wine under Cohn's Olive Hill name, "but August laughed and tu1ned out. said, 'Bruce, I don'teven have a tank sn1all enough to put your

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE I SUMMER FAIL 2rJ6 INSPIRATO.COM FOOD & DR I NK SONO MA, CALI FORN IA

grapes in."' So Cohn had other local wineries do it and started off his eight acres of140-year-old French Picholine trees. DREAM BIG winninggold medals. "The kids were staining the carpet with black olives in the Cohn among Picholine In1982The Doobie Brothers broke up; the next year Cohn house over there:• he says pointing to what is now the tasting olive trees at the vineyard. began managing the band Night Ranger. In 1984, he decided room. "Itwas pick up the olives or buy new carpet. So I picked Ile began harvesting the to launch his own winery and named it B.R. Cohn. "It was my up the olives and shipped them to Modesto to the only guy olivesin1990 and later second chance with enough money to do it," he says. "But it makingextra-virgin olive oil in California." founded the Sonoma takesa lot more n1oney than I thought:• He didn'thave enough olives on his property to disttibute Valley Olive Festival. now His first year, Cohn made 900cases ofcabernetand 2,000 nationally sohe began buying from throughout California going into its16th year. cases ofchardonnay. "The chard you could take the paintoff to make a blend ofoil, vinegar and spices for dipping. He your car with, literally. I couldn't sell it," he says. "And the cab launched anolive oil festival in hisgrove that initially got a 94rating from Wine Spectator. Nobody inSonoma had attracted about 10producers butsoon grew so large that it's gotten a ratingthat high for cab." now held indowntown Sonoma. The 15th annual Sonoma Cohnsays he's fortunate to have purchased land inan area Valley Olive Festival was held last January. that's pe1fect for cabernet, not thejustwarm daysand cool Cohn's success is "no freaking accident," says Herbie nights but where frost is rare. He has hired talented wine­ Herbert, who managed Steve Miller and Journey in the1970s makers but says, "The vineyards make the wine. Ifyou don't and'80s. "It's a marriage ofdetermination, talent, organiza­ have great grapes, you're not going to have a great wine:• tional skills and managementskills. There are a lot ofpeople Dan Weiner, a booking agent for the Doobies, Foreigner and who may not realize it, but Bruce Cohn is the most important other bands, has known Cohn since 1972 and says "he has person they've ever met in their life. Theguy is a seriously laservision. He looks out at the horizon and sees a future that giftedentrepreneur." no one else caneven imagine. He bought a farm, but in his eyes Startingin the 1970s when Cohn was still in his 20s, he he could see thegrapes, the vines; he was seeing it all. That's wanted tosharehis good fortune. He held a golf tournament just the way he is." to benefit the United Way and had n1embers ofThe Doobie Cohn inspiresintense loyalty in people with whon1 he works. Brothers sing Christmas carols for gravely ill kids atStanford "I love theman. I'd take a bullet for him," says Ton1 Montgom­ Children's Hospital. ery, B.R Cohn's chiefwinemaker from 2003 until lastyear. In 1987, Doobies dn1n1mer Keith Knudsen wanted to help "He does practice what he preaches. He believes inrock 'n' roll Vietnam veterans so Cohn suggested he try to reunite the music, truth, justice and the American way. I don'tknow ofany­ band, which hadsplit up five years before. Cohn says the body who better describes the lifestyle I'd call the good life!' Doobies felt their time had passed, but they agreed to do one In1990, Cohn decided to use the olives thatwere dropping show at the Hollywood Bowl.

INSPIRATO.COM INSPIRATO MAGAZINE I SUMMER/FALL 2016 FOOD & DR I NK SONOMA, CALI FORNIA

"It sold out in two hours," Cohn says. owns it. He sold 70 acres of vine­ "So they said maybe weshould do one yards and the rights to his nam e last for Stanford Children's Hospital So I year to Vintage Wine Estates, but bookedShoreline (in nearby Moun­ he retained 21 acres and still lives tainView, California), and itsold out, ina home on the property. "I gre w 19,000 seats:• T hey ended up doing 10 the winery from 500 cases a year shows, all benefits, raising millions to aln1ost85,000. That took a lot of ofdollars. The band played on, going n1oney that I didn't have so you take back into the studio to record and on a lot ofdebt," he says. "Pretty continuing to tour; they now play soon you got a great lifestyle, but about 85 shows a year. you're working for the bank. T here Cohn next wanted to do son1ething isn'tthat muc h profit in wine:• closer to home. He rented the field Costs were "going through the roof:' atSonon1a High School and held a he says. "Dollar-wise, it wasjusttoo benefit with Grahan1 Nash and Little n1uch pressure. I was like the ham­ Feat. But there was "no ambiance," ster on the wheel and never knew soCohn built an amphitheater on a from one year to the next if I was go­ gently sloping hill athiswinery and ing to be able to make it. Fan1ily win­ gotpermits for 3,000 people to come eries are selling out. Corporations onto hisland one weekend a year. The are coming in and buying market B.R. Cohn CharitySonoma Music share. It makes it hardon the little PfCNICKJ~G Festival has attractedsuch legends as family guys; we couldn'tcompete." EXCOURAGED Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Chicago So now Cohn is a consultantpaid (Above) The winery's and Gregg Allman, and naturally The by Vintage. "I am the spokesn1an, the Gourmet Shop offers Doobie Brothers. Lastyear Ringo figurehead.I'm on the payrolL but I samples ofits olive oils and Starrpe1formed. "We had a Beatie in have aln1ostno responsibilities," he sells wine andcharcuterie; Sonon1a!" Cohn says. says, surveying the land he owned for (Right) Cohn tastes a In 2015, theSonoma Music Fes­ 41 years. "It's kind of wonderful," he newwine. tival n1oved to downtown Sonoma. says with a laugh, "kind ofgreat!' ❖ Toby Keith will play at this year's festival, which is celebrating its 30 th anniversary. Over the years, MichaelShapiroisa travel the festival has raised aln1ost $7 andentettainment journalist million fo r veterans, food banks and based inSonoma County. He's otherworthy causes. author ofA Sense of Place: Great Today, though tile winery still Travel Writers Talk About Their bears his name, Cohn no longer Craft, Lives, and Inspiration.

INSPIRATO RECOMMENDS

resort within walking d.istance of EAT & DRINK: Michelin­ specifically its Pliny the downtown Healdsburg. Men1bers starred Solbar at Solage Elder double IPA. can even book a roomon the Pacific Calistoga puts a California Coast atBodega Bay. twist on soul food. TIYough Dec. 4, 2016 Those looking to visit Napa Valley, Farm-to- table doesn't CHARLES M, SCHULZ get any more real than MUSEUM can check in to the Solage Resort at Farmstead at Long This year's exhibit inCalistoga, where they cantake Meadow Ranch where showcases the combination advantage ofthe reso1t's acclain1ed A nnetle Etv,y~~ guests dine on the estate's of poLitics and Peanuts in spa and walk or borrow a bike to /Jirks wines, organic produce. pop culture. visitthe town's famed hotsprings grass-fed beef and lamb, Vacation Specialist Wine Country and its charming shopping and olive oil, honey and more. July/6,2016 lnspirato offers inembers a wide dining district. Sonoma and Napa may SONOMA COUNTY be world-famous for their COMEDY FESTIVAL range ofaccommodations in TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INSPIRATO'S wines, but Russian River Enjoy wine and craft beer California's Wine Country. Choose ACCOMMODATIONS IN SONOMA, PLEASE Brewing in Sonoma is tastings and food followed froin a grand estate in Sono1na TURN TO PAGE 137. FOR NAPA, GO TO better known for its beer, by a night of laughs. or a luxury suite in a five-star INSPIRATO.COM/ DESTINATIONS.

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE I SUMMER FAIL 2rJ6 INSPIRATO.COM