DeLoach Vineyards began as a small family-owned winery in California's Russian River appellation, an area famed for wine and craft beer. The vineyard began in 1973, and made a name for Pinot Noir before Sideways was even a glimmer in the cinematographer's lens. In 2003, DeLoch was purchased by the Boissets, an experienced French winemaking family with a history of winemaking in Burgundy. They've made ecological improvements to the vineyard, and are revitalizing the winery with modern biodynamic techniques, and seem extremely dedicated and enthusiastic about biodynamic wine-making.

This 2002 Russian River Sauvignon Blanc is a light golden yellow in the glass. At first, the aroma is tightly closed, with a hint of limestone and something astringent and almost citrusy. The taste is dry, and crisp. Grapefruit, and something slightly astringently herbal. The wine does have good mouthfeel and looks lovely in the glass. I'm not sure what to say about this wine, honestly—more accurately, I'm not quite sure how to say it. This is recognizably Sauvignon Blanc, but it's a bit like having the extra violin and viola in chamber music ensembles; everything is more. The standard descriptive phrase associated with Sauvignon Blanc for the last forty years or so seems to be "elegant and crisp." DeLoach Sauvignon Blanc is definitely "elegant and crisp," but it's also more mineral in flavor than any of the others I've tried—including the "dry style" fumé blancs like Barnard Griffin's Fumé Blanc.

DeLoach notes on the bottle label that the wine was "estate bottled," and aged in French Oak. The oak is apparent in the taste though it's not an over-powering assault. But the citrus and mineral top notes are followed by a definite oak presence. It's a bit difficult for me to compare this to other Sauvignon Blancs. I suspect it's partially a matter of the age of the wine—it is a nine year old wine. I also suspect that that's why it was available for $3.99 at the Bargain Grocery Store.