Description

Taste

This luscious wine has a silky mouthfeel with rich dark cherry and pomegranate fruit enhanced by subtle hints of vanilla oak. Would be great with a posh burger (Wagyu if you must!), peppered venison steak or steak tartare.

Grape

Indigenous to northern France, but now grown all over the world in cooler zones, Pinot Noir is one of the greatest red varieties producing wines with a wonderfully aromatic nose and silky texture. Thins skins give Pinots a lightish colour, but levels of tannins are nonetheless high. Typically wines have medium acidity, medium body with red cherry and berry aromas in youth and develop more funky farmyard notes with age.

Producer

Established in 1973 by Cecil De Loach, a firefighter from San Francisco, De Loach was purchased by Burgundian Jean-Claude Boisset in 2003. His son Jean-Charles Boisset saw the similarities of the Russian River Valley with his native Burgundy and the potential that the region held for producing fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. One of his first decisions having acquired the estate was to convert the seven hectares of vineyard surrounding the winery to biodynamic farming. Head winemaker Brian Maloney has worked at De Loach since 2003 and has proved instrumental in evolving De Loach by continuing to explore different soils across the Russian River Valley and focusing on high-quality, small-lot winemaking.

Region

This low-lying valley in Sonoma County was virtually unknown before 1983, when it was granted official appellation status (Russian River Valley AVA). It has since established a formidable reputation as a prime spot for Pinot Noir which thrives in this cool-climate region. Chardonnay is also very successful here, showing a signature lean and restrained profile. The Russian River Valley climate is influenced by cooling fogs, drawn inland from the Pacific. This natural air-conditioning allows the grapes to develop full flavor maturity over an extended growing season, while retaining their life-giving natural acidity.

Food Pairing

With good acidity and medium weight Pinot Noir is a very food friendly style that works well with red meats and hard cheese. With a bit of age the wines are excellent with game birds, venison, wild mushrooms and truffles. New World Pinot Noirs are more fruit driven and can work well with spicy Asian dishes particularly duck or with grilled steak or tuna.