DeLoach Vineyards Reviews

pretty and attractively restrained, even cool nose fuses together notes of plum, violets, blue pinot fruit and red currant aromas. The round and very generous flavors retain a reasonably good sense of detail and fine mid-palate concentration, all wrapped in a finish that offers solid if not perfect balance as well as good depth and length. There is a hint of acid tang but I suspect that this will become less obvious with a year or two of bottle age.

A sleek, focused red, with cherry and caramel aromas that follow through to balanced flavors of crisp raspberry, cola and spice. Drink now through 2017.

The core flavors of anise, raspberry and savory herb run deep and persistent. Offers a stronger perky, spicy woodiness than the other De Loach Pinots from 2009, and as such may benefit from cellar time.

Offers firm, ripe, vivid wild raspberry, cranberry and tar scents that are tight and earthy in a pleasant way. Leaner and more structured than some of the new De Loach single-vineyard Pinots, yet very complete.

Cellar Selection. An interesting Pinot Noir, showing a bit of heat, but whose flavors are taut and complex. The usual cherries and cola you find in almost all California Pinot Noirs are grounded with meaty notes, like grilled hamburger, finished with a splash of tamari. Such are the tannins and acids that the wine should age gracefully for a good eight years, but you can drink it now.

This wine's dark fruit tastes like pomegranate, a lean, clean zinfandel that plumps up in the finish. It's taut mineral-black in the middle, then becomes brighter in the end. Decant it for braised lamb shank.

A somber nose only grudgingly gives up notes of plum, spice and violets that are followed by delicious and solidly complex flavors that are shaped by fine-grained tannins that impart a sophisticated mouth feel to the attractively persistent finish. I like the delivery as well as the overall sense of focus and balance. Worth considering.

A perfumed, spicy and attractively elegant nose offers up a ripe combination of red and black cherries along with a hint of violets. The delicious, fresh and energetic middle weight flavors possess a beguiling mouth feel along with an agreeably dry and clean finish of impeccable balance. This offers excellent value.

With notes of buttered toast, honey and vanilla cream, this Chardonnay is overpowered by new oak barrel influence. Beneath that are delicious fruit flavors of pineapples, oranges, pears and apricots. Rich and flashy in the popular style, with good acidity, but the heavy hand of oak limits the score. -S.H.

This finest selection Chardonnay is a blend of the winery's various vineyards. It's pretty oaky, with vanilla, buttered toast and honey dominating, yet there are enough tropical fruit, orange, pear, and apricot flavors, and brisk acidity, to counterbalance the wood. -S.H.

Brisk acidity is the best feature of this wine. it reflects the long hangtime of the cool vintage. Lots of new French oak brings vanilla and buttered toast to the equation, but it's in keeping with the power of the underlying pineapple and lemon jam, pear and honey flavors. A decadent, flashy Chardonnay for drinking now with rich dishes, such as lobster and scallops -S.H.

DeLoach Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California ($13) Vibrant mouthfeel and a floral undercurrent are preceded by a nose of crushed rose petals and apples. Its Asian-pear notes are not overly acidic, and there's a touch of effervesence throughout before a finish that's elegant and laced with tropical-fruit notes. http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/06/sonoma-chardonnay-wine-of-the-week/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

From the first whiff you are drawn into a ripe orchard of vanilla, apples and pears laden lightly with cinnamon and nutmeg spices. A full mouth feel that would be a perfecting pairing with a Thanksgiving feast or alone with a slivered almonds and a strong Camembert.