Rock 'N' Roll Roots

Founded in 1984 by Bruce Cohn, manager of the Grammy award-winning band The Doobie Brothers, B.R. Cohn is rooted in California rock ‘n roll. Our winery venue has hosted countless concerts over the decades and always blends exceptional wine with stellar music.

Olive Hill Estate Vineyard

Comprised of 20 blocks and 55 acres, the Olive Hill Estate Vineyard is planted mostly with Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts dedicated to Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The unique location benefits from a distinct microclimate created by the Sonoma Mountain to our west and Mayacamas Mountain Range to the north, resulting in fruit with full tannins and flavor profiles every vintage.

Historic Olive Grove

Our Olive Hill Estate Vineyard is named after the historic grove of over 450 Picholine olive trees spread throughout our property. Dating back to the mid-1800s, these trees continue to produce the olives that make up our Picholine olive oil.

The B.R. Cohn Story

Early Music Influences

Winery founder Bruce Cohn was introduced to the music industry at an early age. Prior to moving west from Chicago, Illinois, his father sang Italian arias and his mother was known to have sung with Frank Sinatra in the Chicago nightclub scene. In 1956, the family relocated to the Bay Area and settled in Sonoma County.

While at college, studying broadcasting and communications, Bruce became intimately involved with the San Francisco music scene, running a music rehearsal studio by day and serving as a television engineer at night. It was around this time, in 1970, that Bruce met and became the manager of the Doobie Brothers, which he managed for 45 years as they climbed the charts into rock ‘n’ roll stardom.

Agricultural Retreat

In 1974, to keep some sanity and preserve his family’s quality of life, Bruce purchased an old dairy in Glen Ellen. With a drive to cultivate the existing vineyard, Bruce soon became intensely involved with all aspects of growing grapes, mentored by Charlie Wagner of Caymus. A decade after taking ownership of the land and having great success selling grapes to other wineries, Bruce founded B.R. Cohn Winery in 1984.

Award-Winning Wines & Olive Oils

After selling the grapes from his Olive Hill Estate for many years and seeing the numerous awards the wines made with his fruit were receiving, Bruce began producing his own wines in 1984. Charlie Wagner then bestowed the greatest honor upon the winery, permitting the use of Caymus’ trademarked “Special Selection” on the best lots from the estate. B.R. Cohn Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as the entire portfolio, continues to receive strong reviews and accolades.

In the 1990s, Bruce embarked on the journey of processing the olives at the Olive Hill Estate, creating California’s first single-estate olive oil in over a century, and founding the B.R. Cohn Olive Oil Company.

B.R. Cohn today

Bruce has retired from the music, olive oil and winemaking businesses, but his legacy lives on under the stewardship of the Adair family. You’ll find it in the soulful wines, the lovingly tended vines and the lively music that still rings out over the vineyards.

Timeline