Cecil O. De Loach, Jr.
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Cecil O. De Loach Jr. (born September 14, 1938,
Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
) is a
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
grape-grower and winemaker in the Russian River Valley AVA who has contributed to the reputation and notoriety of Sonoma County
viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
.


Personal history

Prior to his name-making career in viniculture, De Loach was a
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
sharpshooter, a race-track photographer at Golden Gate Fields, a
private pilot A private pilot licence (PPL) or, in the United States, a private pilot certificate, is a type of pilot licence that allows the holder to act as pilot in command of an aircraft privately (not for remuneration). The licence requirements are dete ...
, and received a degree in
Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
from
San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...
. During his childhood he was raised in
Macon, GA Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...
where he attended Lanier High School, an all-boys military school. His family subsequently moved to
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
in 1945. He graduated from Lincoln High School in San Francisco's
Sunset District The Sunset District is a neighborhood located in the southwest quadrant of San Francisco, California, United States. Location The Sunset District is the largest neighborhood within the city and county of San Francisco. Golden Gate Park forms the ...
in 1956.


Wine career

De Loach began growing grapes in 1970 when he purchased the 24-acre Barbieri Ranch at 2150 Olivet Road in Santa Rosa, CA for approximately $60,000. The Barbieri Ranch had been planted by Itilo Barbieri in 1905. De Loach purchased the old
Zinfandel Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštel ...
vineyard from Itilo's son Louis. In 1973 he purchased his second vineyard property, 17 acres located at 1791 Olivet Road, to which he planted
Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...
,
Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
, Zinfandel and Gewurztraminer. The site also comprised approximately five acres of 1940s-era mixed-grape vineyards (mostly
Palomino Palomino is a genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called t ...
and
Golden Chasselas Chasselas or Chasselas blanc is a wine grape variety grown mainly in Switzerland, France, Germany, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, New Zealand, Croatia and Chile. Chasselas is mostly vinified to be a full, dry and fruity white wine. It is also ...
), an orchard of approximately 5 acres ( Gravenstein apples, figs, Santa Rosa plums, peaches, French prunes, pears, walnuts), and a small sheep-shearing barn. This site became what is now
De Loach Vineyards DeLoach Vineyards was started in 1975 by Cecil DeLoach, Christine DeLoach, Berle Beliz and Jack Fleming, and was one of the first wineries established in the Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California after Prohibition. The winery ran into f ...
. These early De Loach plantings combined modern ecologically sound techniques with existing local farming methods including the planting of tilth- and nutrient-producing native cover crops, rotating-row tillage, drip irrigation, micro-frost protection, permanent cover farming, and the integration of beneficial birds, animals and biological components which eventually became known as
sustainable farming Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem se ...
. De Loach's wife Christine helped draft the first California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing in 1999. De Loach Vineyards was the first farming operation in Sonoma County to be certified b
Fish Friendly Farming
in 2000. In 1975 De Loach made his first commercial wine, approximately 1000 cases of Zinfandel from the Barbieri Ranch, in a rented industrial space on the west side of Santa Rosa. While selling this wine he sought permits for a permanent winery to be built at his new vineyard on Olivet Road. The first phase of the three-phase construction was completed in 1979. In addition to Zinfandel, that year the winery produced its first Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Gewurztraminer, White-Zinfandel and Pinot noir-blanc. De Loach had been serving as a firefighter and tillerman in the San Francisco Fire Department, which he joined in 1966. He retired from the hook & ladder company Station 10 in 1982 in order to tend to the fledgling De Loach Vineyards brand full-time. The winery grew to produce other varietals including
Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...
,
Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...
(Fume Blanc),
Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...
, Pinot gris,
Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 754 Oxford University Press 2006 Outside of the Rhôn ...
, and
Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape i ...
, along with
late harvest Late harvest wine is wine made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. ''Late harvest'' is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling. Late harvest grapes are often more similar to raisins, but have been ...
and reserve wines. In 1996 De Loach added a 250,000 case capacity crush facility at 2120 Olivet Road which was capable of processing in excess of 100 tons of grapes per day. Notable De Loach alumni winemakers include Bob Cabral o
Three Sticks
and Randy Ullom of Kendall-Jackson Winery. During his tenure as Founder, President and Winemaster at De Loach Vineyards, De Loach served as president of the Sonoma County Wineries Association, no
Sonoma County Vintners
th
Sonoma County Vintners Coop
and the Russian River Wine Road, now simpl
Wine Road
He created his eponymous De Loach Vineyards brand along with several other labels still in production including Hartman Lane Vineyards and Winery, Sonoma Cuvee, and Hook & Ladder, which was originally a port offering under De Loach's "OFS" (Our Finest Selection) reserve banner in the 1990s. At its peak De Loach Vineyards produced 250,000 cases, and owned or leased over 1000 planted vineyard acres in the Russian River Valley. Notable single vineyards included Papera Ranch, Pelletti Ranch, Gambogi Ranch, Saitone Ranch and Barbieri Ranch, which were all zinfandel plantings from the late 1800s and early 1900s.


Sale of the De Loach Vineyards brand

In November 2003 De Loach sold the De Loach Vineyards brand and the original winery site to Boisset Family Estates for $17.5 million just prior to emerging from an 8-month Chapter 11 (protection from creditors) bankruptcy proceeding pending reorganization. Cecil De Loach and his farming company, Sweetwater Land & Cattle Company, retained ownership of the majority of his vineyard holdings.


Latest projects

In December 2004 De Loach started C & C Wine Company, a custom-crush winery with offices at The Saitone Ranch at 2027 Olivet Road, a zinfandel vineyard which was planted in 1895. In the same month De Loach sold the 250,000 case capacity crush facility at 2120 Olivet Road to Derek Benham of Sonoma Wine Company, no
Purple Wine + Spirits
for $6.2 million. In May 2005, Joe Anderson and Mary Dewane purchased Hartman Lane Vineyards and Winery from Cecil De Loach for $3.6 million. Hartman Lane was De Loach's 18-acre Pinot noir vineyard and winery facility, which the new owners renamed
Benovia Winery Benovia Winery is a family-owned producer of Pinot noir, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel wines in Santa Rosa, California. Founded in 2005 by Joe Anderson and Mary Dewane, Benovia Winery farms three estate vineyards which total and are located in the ...
. Prior to De Loach's ownership the site was originally home to celebrated Pinot noir winemaker Merry Edwards' winery The Merry Vintners. Hook & Ladder Winery continues to produce the Hartman Lane Pinot noir label.


Hook & Ladder Winery

Hook & Ladder Winery is a family-owned and operated wine producer located at 2134 Olivet Road ( Santa Rosa, CA) in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, CA, founded by Cecil De Loach and his wife Christine, in 2005. The winemaker is Cecil De Loach's grandson Jason De Loach, formerly cellar master a
Dutton-Goldfield Winery
an
Balletto Vineyards
Michael De Loach served as president until October, 2016; prior to Hook & Ladder he was president of De Loach Vineyards. As an estate producer, Hook & Ladder sustainably grows all of its own grapes, makes all of its own wines, and bottles the wine on its premises. The winery sources its grapes from Sweetwater Land & Cattle Co., a grape farming operation owned by Cecil De Loach, which comprises 375 acres of vineyard in Russian River Valley. The winery produces blends from a variety of grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...
, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet and Carignane. The winery also produces a full range of varietal wines including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc, Zinfandel and Gewurztraminer. The total annual case production is approximately 25,000 cases. In addition Hook & Ladder produces an extra virgin olive oil from their Los Amigos Ranch in Healdsburg, CA. Hook & Ladder owns four other wine brands: Hartman Lane Vineyards & Winery, Tuscan Ridge, Sweetwater, and Four Rows.


References


External links


Hook & Ladder Winery Official Website

Sweetwater Sustainable Land Co. Official Website

De Loach Vineyards Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Loach, Cecil O. 1938 births Living people California winemakers American viticulturists