Ryan Cochrane Cellars

"I make hand-crafted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in extremely small quantities" 

Meet Winemaker Ryan Cochrane

With grapes sourced from the best vineyards I can get my hands on, I produce food-friendly, structured wines that reflect the sites from which they originated. More importantly, I just want to create wines that make people smile.

Back in 2009, I wasn’t smiling a lot. The advertising agency I was working at had just imploded. I started freelancing, but it was a bad time for work in San Francisco. I had always dreamed about making wine, so one foggy morning in July, I decided to stop dreaming about it and do it for reals.

I contacted Roger Nicolas at RN Estate in Paso Robles and asked if I could intern with him. Roger makes beautiful wines, but I was equally enamored of his DEY (do everything yourself) approach to his business. For some reason, he bought my BS and took me on. That year, I helped in all phases of harvest, from vineyard work in the spring to pressing and barreling in the fall.

I came back to RNE in 2010, and made 24.5 cases of my inaugural Pinot Noir on the side. In 2011, I tripled my production and was promoted to Roger’s assistant winemaker. I made two different Pinots in 2012 and my very first Chardonnay in 2013. All from two of the most extraordinary vineyards in Santa Barbara County.

I can’t wait to share my wines with you.