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, Sauvignon blanc (Fume Blanc), Merlot, Pinot gris, Viognier, and Sangiovese, along with late harvest 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 of 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, now Sonoma County Vintners the Sonoma County Vintners Coop, and the Russian River Wine Road, now simply 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, now Purple Wine + Spirits, for $6.2 million. In May 2005, Joe Anderson and Mary Dewane