Ultimate California Wine Blog

B.R. Cohn is a bit of anomoly in that it is a winery that also produces and sells olive oil. But B.R. Cohn is also a pioneer in the practice of producing olive oil and more and more wineries are growing grapes and producing oils. It seems that Bruce Cohn owned the olive orchard back into the 1970s and didn’t start his winery until 1984. From my short stint in the olive oil industry, I did learn that there are agricultural areas in Northern California which mirror that area of the Mediterranean which produces supreme olive oils. In the case of Cohn, the vineyards are surrounded by 90 acres olives known as Olive Hill Estate. I appreciate that the Cohn winery has utilized the olive branch motif on their label as I appreciate their non-wine products. But wine is what I was there to taste…

A brief note on their tasting room before I get to the wines. It is a pretty standard room as far as tasting rooms are concerned — a large bar area surrounded by various retail offerings; t-shirts, glasses, decanters, etc. However they also supplement their offerings with the aforementioned oils as well as hand-painted, decorate olive-bedecked trays and serving dishes. I was surprised, however, at the refrigeration unit in the corner where Coca-Cola was being sold along side bottled water. I can expound upon suggested reasons, but suffice to say that I just found it surprising.

Our pourer for the day was graciously offered a vertical tasting of several estate Cohn Cabernets. It was great to be able to taste some history:

1995 Olive Hill Estate Cabernet – Bouquet of cedar and roasted berries. Slightly bricky color on the edge. Supple tones of oak and cedar alongside the dark cassis in the mouth. Great aromas continued to waft through. This is a wine that is drinking very well right now.

1999 Olive Hill Estate Cabernet – Complex and layered aromas of cherry and tobacco. Paled a bit on the finish with acidic tannins.

2000 Olive Hill Estate Cabernet – Green, fruity nose. The mid-palate was showing blueberry but there was very little finish.

2001 Olive Hill Estate Cabernet – Oak and blackberry aromas. Fabulous entry with a grassy mouthfeel. Very lovely, spicy finish. I think this is a wine that will age well.

1999 Special Selection - This wine comes from the oldest vines on the estate. It had a great, full black currant nose. Black raspberry and currant was not as dark as expected from the aromas. Creamy on entry with a tight finish that thinned a bit.

2002 Sonoma Valley Syrah/Cabernet – 60% Cabernet and 40% Syrah. This was a wine I ended up buying. Very huge, jammy nose with opulent, spicy notes. Great drinker now with deep, elegant fruit bomb with a tremendously long finish.

B.R. Cohn ~ 15000 Sonoma Highway ~ Glen Ellen ~ CA ~ 95442 ~ 707-938-4585

Hidden just off Highway 12 between downtown Sonoma and Santa Rosa are a handful of small communities. Glen Ellen (considered to be within the Sonoma Valley appellation) houses a number of small wineries. They are often difficult to find and in the case of Loxton Cellars, well worth the effort.

My friend Eric White recommended Loxton because he knows of my love of big reds. Besides a single Chardonnay, all Christ Loxton produces are Zinfandels and Syrahs. He is definitely my kind of guy. The tasting room is wholly and entirely unpretentious, just a few barrels holding up some planks in the buildings where the barrels are housed. No pretense and no fuss – just really great wine from a incredibly fascinating Australian.

2003 Hawk Hill Chardonnay – At almost 100% ML, this was not a style I truly appreciate, but I could detect the quality of the intense aromas of tropical fruit on the nose and a long, creamy finish.

2002 Stonetree Zinfandel, Sonoma County – This was an amazingly luscious wine. I perceived a very elegant aroma of sweet anise on the nose. Christ got excited at that perception and immediately began telling me about the wild fennel which is grown nearby. A layered mid-palate showed strong dark raspberry and an even tannin. As I don’t often do, this wine was purchased.

2000 Sonoma Shiraz, Sonoma County – A tad pale for Shiraz/Syrah (I forgot to ask why he had both a Shiraz and a Syrah…) While not one to lay down, the accessibility of this wine made the lighter mid-palate easy to drink immediately. Cherry finish with a tad of black pepper.

2001 Hillside Vineyards Syrah, Sonoma County – From Christs’ notes, this wine is actually 48% Russian River Valley, 42% Sonoma Mountain, and 10% Sonoma Valley. Merlot-like aromas of blackberry. Full mouthfeel and a peppery, spicy finish. Not at all over acidic.

2003 Stonetree Late Harvest Zinfandel, Sonoma County – This wine was a shocker. I am so over tasting late-harvest this or late-harvest that which doesn’t actually taste like the wine it should be. So many late-harvest wines taste more like syrup and this wine actually TASTED like a Zinfandel! Dark, concentrated fruit with a hint of chocolate and dark raspberry. Complex and lovely.

2003 Rubaiyat Syrah Port, Sonoma Mountain – Incredibly dark, inky wine. Very complex and layered aromas. Intense rich wine which I would like to try with Roquefort. Christs WAS handing out chocolates which did go very nicely.

Loxton Wines ~ 11466 Dunbar Road ~ Glenn Ellen ~ CA ~ 95442 ~ 707-935-7221