Greg La Follette: Consulting Winemaker

Greg La Follette was born in Europe, growing up with an old-world view that wine is raised rather than "made”. After studying ancient Burgundian techniques at UC Davis, he continued on-the-job studies at Beaulieu Vineyard as research viticulturist/enologist with winemaster André Tchelistcheff.

From BV, Greg went to work at Kendall-Jackson where he was responsible for gathering and disseminating the best and latest thoughts on vine/wine quality as in-house troubleshooter/consultant.

La Follette then turned his talents to Flowers Vineyard & Winery, where he was the winemaker and general manager, launching one of the most successful small Pinot labels to date. The winery he built at Flowers is still considered one of the very best gravity-flow, gas-assist green wineries in the world.

Greg's accolades include:

“Artisan/Winery of the Year” by Wine & Spirits in 1995 at Hartford Court and again an unprecedented two times in a row in 1999 and 2000 at Flowers Vineyard & Winery

Top-rated Chardonnay in the World 3 times by Wine & Spirits for his ’97 & ‘98 Porter-Bass Chardonnay and ’98 CMR Chardonnay

“The Best of the Best” for both Chardonnay and Pinot noir by The Wine Spectator for Flowers and #1 and #2 scores of the year for 1998-99 Pinot releases by the Wine Spectator for the 1996 Flowers

One of the 5 finest producers (Flowers) of Pinot noir by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

#1-rated Pinot noir (Tandem) in the 2004 Pinot noir Shootout and Summit, an independently-judged Pinot competition involving hundreds of Pinots from around the world

La Follette’s wines have been served at the White House at several state events, including to 44 heads-of-state at the NATO 50th Anniversary, and he has been asked by the State Department to represent the US in goodwill efforts abroad to improve winemaking practices in other countries.

Greg turned his attention to vineyard & winery consulting internationally. He designed/redesigned 14 wineries worldwide (with an emphasis on “green” design); is the consulting/designing winemaker for the new UC Davis teaching winery; and is involved in projects on 5 continents. These efforts have resulted in the “Wine of the Year” in Chile (Decanter), and the #1 white wine and the #1 Pinot Noir (two years in a row) in South Africa, as voted by each of those countries’ own vintners associations.

With all of this under his belt, La Follette has united with Boisset America and DeLoach Vineyards to ply their trade and passion together, crafting terroir-driven wines from the Russian River Valley, which was cited by The Wine Spectator as a region producing some of the finest Pinot Noir grapes in the world.

Julia Vazquez: Winemaker
 
Associate Winemaker Julia Vazquez is one of many employees who has been with DeLoach Vineyards for more than  10 years.

Julia received a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, and she worked for the California Fish & Game Department following graduation. A San Francisco native, Julia eventually longed to move back to the Bay Area, and her experiences in agriculture offered an easy segue into the wine industry.  Her first post was with Kendall Jackson, sampling grapes and working in the lab.  She joined DeLoach Vineyards as our  Lab Coordinator in 1996, became the Assistant Winemaker in 2000, and took the title of Associate Winemaker in 2003. In 2008, she was promoted to Winemaker.

Taking every opportunity to further her knowledge of the wine business, Julia used her down-time in the lab to work closely with her co-workers in the vineyards and cellar, further developing her understanding of winemaking.  As she took on more responsibility and  learned more from the winemaking team, Julia’s transition to Assistant Winemaker and then later to Winemaker was a natural one.

Julia met her husband Javier Vazquez in 1996 when he was working in the cellar at DeLoach Vineyards. They had their first child in 2006.

Brian Maloney: Winemaker

When DeLoach Vineyards’ Assistant Winemaker Brian Maloney says that he “lives the wines,” he isn’t kidding. Winemaking has been a family tradition ever since his great grandfather planted vineyards and founded a Napa Valley winery at the turn of the century.  This side of the family, his mother’s, has been growing grapes and making wine in California for four generations, and is still involved in the wine industry today.  Brian also learned the importance of the land from his father, whose family has been involved in agriculture in rural Sonoma County for the past 150 years. 

Brian spent his youth on a sheep and cattle ranch in the west of Petaluma, California, learning the intricacies of agriculture and the importance of hard work. Inspired by the story of his great grandfather, Brian left the family farm to study Enology at University of California at Davis and graduated in 2003. He worked his first crush at one of DeLoach’s neighbors in the Russian River Valley, Balletto Vineyards. At Balletto, Brian was able to learn the workings of Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, falling in love with the tasty potential of Sonoma’s famed grapes. His winemaking talents and natural way with the land were quickly noticed by DeLoach’s former winemaker, who recruited Brian to join the DeLoach team in 2004.

When not working in the fields and cellars of DeLoach, Brian spends his free time at home, taking care of the 100 sheep and 30 cows at the Sonoma Coast farm his family continues to run.

Eric Pooler: Winegrower

A Northern California native, Eric Pooler grew up just south of Chico in the small town of Gridley, spending much of his time as a proud member of Future Farmers of America and his local 4-H club. Having a father that was the agricultural commissioner in Yuba County, Eric’s foundation in agriculture was set at a young age. 

Eric remained close to his roots following high school, graduating from Chico State with a degree in agricultural business and a minor in plant science. This technical education, coupled with his cultural and familial roots in the agricultural industry, made his transition to the fields an easy one.

Following graduation Eric headed south to Sonoma County to join the Kendall Jackson Wine Estates team as pest control advisor. Just one and a half years later, he was promoted to assistant vineyard manager for Kendall Jackson Vineyards of Monterey properties, where he was able to hone his skills working with the finicky Pinot Noir grape.

Successful in the vineyards of the Central Coast, Eric returned north in 2005 as viticulturist for Hall Wines in the Napa Valley, where he remained until joining DeLoach Vineyards in early 2008.

Today, his experience throughout the vineyards of Northern California and his dedication to environmentally sound farming practices, make him the ideal match for the DeLoach Vineyards commitment to biodynamic and organic viticulture.

Eric is involved in a number of community agricultural organizations, allowing him the opportunity to continuously learn new farming practices, while being a leader in the local community. He is currently a Director with the Napa County Farm Bureau, Co-Chairman of the Ag in the Classroom Committee, and Co-Chairman of Napa County Young Farmers and Ranchers, with plans to become involved with Sonoma County’s farming organizations as well. An outdoor enthusiast, Eric spends his time outside of the vineyards fishing and surfing in the Pacific Ocean.

Winery Chef Cyndicy Coudray

Born in the hills of San Francisco , Cyndicy Coudray became familiar with the logistics of entertaining large groups as a young child by helping her mother and two sisters prepare lavish dinner parties at their home. She enjoyed cooking so much that during high school, she worked for a neighborhood bakery in Sonoma County . Cyndicy took a four-year hiatus from the culinary industry while attending the University of California , Berkeley , where she earned a Bachelors degree in English. However, once she graduated, her enthusiasm for all things edible and beautiful motivated her to move to Sonoma , where she worked in a winery cellar and was introduced to viticulture and wine. After one season working in the cellars, she fell in love with the agriculture of winemaking and the science of food and wine pairing. Her passions led her to managing several Sonoma restaurants at night and working in a florist's shop during the day in an effort to surround herself with the things she loved most: fantastic foods, glorious wines and beautiful plants.

In 1982, Cyndicy began working with the father of “wine country cuisine,” John Ash. While conducting wine training for the wait staff, she also gained an appreciation for the simplistic, holistic approach that John has for cooking. It was here that Cyndicy first found an appreciation for organic produce and sustainable farming. Under John's tutelage, Cyndicy also began studying food and wine pairing by experimenting with local produce and wine varietals, forming a library of delicious matches.

After three years working for the John Ash & Co. Restaurant in the early eighties, Cyndicy was hired by Chappellet Winery, a small family operation near Rutherford . There, she was a jack-of-all-trades, acting as the public relations manager, marketing assistant, designer and hospitality director. Her ability to juggle many responsibilities attracted her to event planning and winery promotion.

In September 1993, Cyndicy was hired by DeLoach Vineyards as a Special Events Coordinator. However, it was not long before the owners realized that Cyndicy had greater talents as a chef, gardener and hostess. As a result, she created her own job description: Hospitality and Culinary Director. In this role, Cyndicy has become the “den mother” of the winery: she keeps the employees fed during the long days and nights of harvest, cares for the extensive organic garden she planted, and keeps a watchful eye over the winery pets.

Realizing that Cyndicy's passion for organic gardening was a perfect extension of DeLoach's organic winemaking philosophy, the winery invited Cyndicy to design her dream garden in 1995. Cyndicy planted an 18,000 square foot organic garden atop the rich soils of the former horse pasture. Adjacent to the winery, the garden provides produce, herbs and flowers for the tasting room and events at the hospitality center. Many of Cyndicy's creations in the large, inviting winery kitchen come directly from the garden: “We want to have the ability to cook regionally and have a continual harvest changing with the seasons,” she says. “This gives us the opportunity to show off the wealth of ingredients produced in Sonoma County . Restaurant chefs bring in produce by the box and often never see how individual vegetables grow. It's a great treat for them to dig up a purple potato or snap off a fresh asparagus spear or artichoke.” The garden is made up of 61 irrigated raised beds ranging in size from 6' x 8' to 30' x 32', each planted with one vegetable cultivar. The exterior is surrounded with barrels of herbs, flowers, berries, bulbs and a myriad of roses. Cyndicy is passionate about organic and sustainable farming, and strives to promote other organic producers in the area through her cooking.

Her passion for gardening is apparent in her cooking style. She favors simple, clean recipes that highlight the freshest of ingredients from the DeLoach garden or local Sonoma County vendors. Her training as a florist inspires her gorgeous food presentations that emphasize the vibrant colors and flavors in the food. Naturally, her menus shift throughout the year as her garden harvests vary from spring to fall. However, no matter what time it is, she always finds a creative and easy way to use foods that are in season.

Also, due to her extensive wine background, Cyndicy has an uncanny ability to pair wine and foods together. She often makes recipes that pair specifically with DeLoach Vineyards wines—creating what she calls “Regional Sonoma County Cuisine” because it features fresh, locally grown produce, cheeses and meats. A perfect example of this is her recipe for Salmon with Corn Relish, Baby Greens and Basil-Chile Vinaigrette. She uses greens, basil, peppers, herbs and peas from the garden and loves the ease of the recipe because the same vinaigrette is used to both marinate the salmon and dress the salad. And, as always, she offers her spot-on suggestion for DeLoach Vineyards wine pairings.

Our Selection of the Month

Zinfandel Russian River Valley 2006

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