Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California (8) De Loach Vineyards

Website: https://deloachvineyards.com/

Originally started in 1975 by Cecil De Loach, De Loach was one of the first post-prohibition wineries in what is now the Russian River Valley. Since 2003, they have been owned by Boisset, who as well as their considerable wine interests in France, have Raymond in Napa Valley. They source broadly from Sonoma vineyards, but also have a 17 acre estate vineyard that has been certified biodynamic since 2009.

I visited on a sunny July day, and as well as a taste through the portfolio and a look around the vineyards, I also tried the JCB wines by Jean-Charles Boisset, who was in town for an internal conference and joined us for lunch.

Brian Maloney

‘Russian River Valley is one of the most badly drawn AVAs,’ says De Loach winemaker Brian Maloney, who led the tasting. ‘It ranges from Chalk Hill which is Cabernet country to Green Valley. It should have been drawn differently, but it is what we have today and we should make the most of it.’

With Jean-Charles Boisset and Brian Delaney

THE WINES

De Loach Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2022 Sonoma County
Backbone of this is Estate and also BCD vineyard near this. 80% barrel fermented, 20% concrete, full malolactic. Lovely balance to this wine with ripe pear and citrus fruit. Finely spiced with lovely texture. 92/100

De Loach Hawk Hill Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 Green Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Fresh, bright and linear with nice precision. Gentle pear and peach fruit with a sense of harmony, but also high acidity. Oak is very much in the background and the core is pure fruit. Has a slight saltiness on the finish. Such crispness. 94/100

De Loach Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 Green Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Planted in the early 1990s on what some people call the Banana belt. This is really distinctive. Pear, almond, white peach and some lemon and mandarin brightness. Has a touch of pineapple, too. Good acidity, fine spices and lovely fruit presence. 94/100

De Loach Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 Middle Reach, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
On an old volcanic cinder cone. Compacted volcanic ash and fine sandy based soil. Brightly aromatic with a nice spicy quality with a slight saltiness to the pear and peach fruit. This is lively and spicy with nice intensity and focus. Pineapple and mandarin notes, too. 93/100

De Loach Estate Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 Olivet Bench, Sonoma
14.5% alcohol. Biodynamic farming. There’s a nice balance of richness and freshness here with some harmony to the ripe pear and peach fruit with some aniseed notes. Lovely weight in the mouth with some mealy detail, and the elevated alcohol adding some sweetness and body, with a sake like quality on the finish. 94/100

De Loach Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2022 Sonoma
14.5% alcohol. Ripe, sweet and dark with rich blackberry and raspberry notes with nice acidity. Generous, ripe, and accessible with good weight and focus. Nice depth here. 92/100

De Loach Swicegood Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 Sonoma
Single site on a ridge in the Green Valley. Slopes to south and west, and it’s quite cool. Ripe rich and brooding with sleek black fruits showing some tea notes, a touch of anise, and sleek rich blackberry jam hints. Such character and personality here. 95/100

De Loach Pennachio Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 Sebastopol Hills, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Fresh but rich at the same time with sweet, seamless berry and cherry fruits with fine-grained tannins showing a sweet core and some sleekness. Has a hint of saltiness with an ease and richness, but good definition. 93/100

De Loach Maboroshi Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 Sebastopol Hills, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Fresh, focused and well defined with ripe cherry and berry fruits, and a bit of structure under the fruit. Nice density with good acidity: this should age nicely. Polished. 94/100

De Loach Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 Olivet Bench, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
This is powerful, polished and well structured with sweet cherry and berry fruits. Very correct and quite imposing, this is tightwound despite being fully ripe with lovely berry and cherry fruit. Such an impactful wine with real potential for development. 95/100

De Loach Russian River Valley Zinfandel 2019 Sonoma
15.5% alcohol. Average vine age is around 50. Two sites. Ripe, sweet and lush with jammy strawberry and blackberry fruit. Has nice lushness with a slight saltiness on the finish. Rich. 92/100

De Loach Barricia Vineyard Zinfandel 2022 Sonoma Valley
Part of the historic Hooker Vineyard, most of which is from the early 1900s. 10% Petite Sirah, co planted. Nice depth of fruit: this shows bold blackberries and cherries with nice spiciness and a touch of saltiness on the finish. Nice berry fruits with some herbal detail and nice precision. Touch of mint, too. 93/100

De Loach Maffei Vineyard Zinfandel Olivet Bench 2021 Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Fresh, supple and fruity with a salty edge to the sweet raspberry and cherry fruit, with some strawberry too. Bold and pure with a liqueur-like edge to the fruit, showing lovely intensity and balance. 95/100

De Loach Forgotten Vines Zinfandel 2021 Sonoma County
A blend of older sites. Ripe and expressive with lovely sweet black fruits showing some nice structure and weight, with good complexity. There’s a purity to the fruit and some complex notes of black tea and dried herbs, with a nice grainy structure. Lovely stuff. 94/100

DeLoach Vineyards Fanucchi–Wood Road Vineyard Zinfandel 2021 Olivet Bench, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
16.5% alcohol. Centenarian dry-farmed head-trained vines. Bold, rich and textured with a core of sweet cherry and berry fruit, as well as some aniseed, a hint of mint, and some noticeable alcohol. Has freshness, focus and plenty of complexity. Dry dusty tannins on the finish temper the sweetness of the alcohol. 93/100

JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset Chardonnay No 81 2018 Sonoma Coast, California
1981 is the year Jean-Charles first came to California. This is rich, toasty and mealy with nice bold pear and peach fruit. Very refined with depth and also freshness, showing good spiciness. Refined. 94/100

JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset Chardonnay No 33 2022 Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
From Hawk Hill and Ritchie, this is a barrel selection. Supple with appealing almond and pear fruit as well as some lively citrus, as well as a twist of cedar and clove savouriness. Lovely concentration of fruit with spicy notes on the finish. 96/100

JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset Pinot Noir 7 2022 Sonoma Coast, California
This is numbered 7 because it was the age when Jean-Charles remembers tasting the first wines that wowed him: a Clos de Vougeout 1957 and a Charmes Chambertin 1945, back in 1976. Supple, fine and textural with fine spices. Has ripeness but also lovely balance with such elegance. So fine with nice texture. A lovely wine. 96/100

JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset Pinot Noir No 22 2022 Sonoma Coast, California
This is fine, elegant and pure with sweet cherries and raspberries, and great definition, showing supple fruit and fine-grained tannins. Good complexity, with notes of blood, spice and dried herbs. 96/100

JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset Pinot Noir No 3 2022 (California and Burgundy)
Blending together wines from Burgundy and Sonoma, with the Burgundian wine air-freighted in a plastic tank after taking it from barrel, and the wine assembled at De Loach. Fresh, lively and finely spiced with black cherry and raspberry fruit. Some spicy/earthy detail in the background and a hint of mint. There’s ripeness but also grippy structure. This has finesse and also ageing potential. 95/100

EXPLORING THE RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY, SONOMA, CALIFORNIA