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20 WINES&VINES August 2018 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS RIPE FOR THE PICKING BE PREPARED FOR HARVEST. PROTECT YOUR FEET. 1 5 % O F F C O D E : W V 0 8 @ R E D B A C K B O O T S .C O M PAT JOHNSON B ruce Cohn is no stranger to the wine country scene and his name is known to both wine and music lov- ers across the country. The founder of B.R. Cohn Winery in Sonoma Valley dou- bled as the manager for the Doobie Brothers rock group, and his winery was known as much for its classic rock festivals as it was for its estate wines. That is until July of 2015, when, according to Cohn, he was essentially forced by his bank, Bank of the West, to sell his estate — and name — to Vintage Wine Estates group to pay off $24 million debt. When contacted by Wines & Vines, a spokes- man for Bank of the West declined the oppor- tunity to comment on this story, citing company policy. Cohn explained that over the course of his 40-plus years he'd had to refinance five or six times, and it was never a problem until the economic downturn in 2008, when he simply couldn't find any willing lenders. "So the bank said, 'If you can't find a lender, find a buyer," Cohn said. For the next three years, Cohn met with several potential buyers, many of whom were turned down by the bank. When it came to Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Vintage Wine Estates (VWE), a company that could feasibly meet the demands of the bank, it was Cohn who refused the offer, because they didn't plan to keep his family involved. His family, said Cohn, was one of the main motivators of starting a brand with his family's name. In 2013, the bank cut Cohn a deal, request- ing him to step away from the winery for 18 months and put his son, Dan Cohn, in charge. "I think they thought they could manipulate him," he said. At the height of B.R. Cohn's success, the winery was pumping out more than 80,000 cases of wine a year, mostly due to the winery's Silver Label Cabernet, which sold by the glass in many major steak houses throughout the country, and in bottle at retailers such as Trader Joe's. With Dan Cohn in charge, production was reduced by about half, and the focus shifted to higher priced wines. The decrease in wine and the increase in prices was not enough to get the winery out of debt. Bruce Cohn rocks on with new wine brand Trestle Glen Vineyards. Bruce Cohn's Second Wine Act