Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1011938
34 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018 { what we're drinking } AS A SECOND-GENERATION owner of the winery his family established in Burgundy in 1961, French vintner Jean- Charles Boisset of Boisset Collection has always possessed a rare ability to push the envelope when it comes to increasing quality, innovation, and style. Boisset first brought his skills to America 15 years ago with the purchase of Sonoma County's DeLoach Vineyards in 2003. With the implementation of Biody - namic and organic farming practices similar to those used at his family's extensive properties in Burgundy, he transformed the fading vineyards at the estate into some of the top Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sites in the Russian River Valley within a five-year period. Before the first bottlings of the 2010 DeLoach Estate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were released, Boisset launched a new series of vineyard-designate wines made with pristine fruit from Hawk Hill Vineyard, Maboroshi Vineyard, Ritchie Vine - yard, and other esteemed sites in Sonoma County. Once these programs were es- tablished, Boisset expanded his interest in California with new acquisitions: Raymond Vineyards in Napa Valley in 2009 and the historic Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma Valley in 2011. On the side, he also began developing a monogrammed series of JCB luxury wines made with grapes grown in both California and Burgundy. Today, the Franco-American spirit of the Boisset Collection unites the old and new worlds of wine via 25 independent wineries on two continents, an international presence on store shelves, and inclusion on wine lists in 80 countries around the globe. From India with Love GLOBAL TASTES UNITE THROUGH J'NOON WINES, THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE BOISSET COLLECTION by Christopher Sawyer Kindred souls: Kapil Sekhri of Fratelli Vineyards and Jean-Charles Boisset of Boisset Collection, the creators of J'NOON luxury Indian wines, attend the brand's U.S. launch at Raymond Vineyards in St. Helena, CA. PHOTO: KEITH ROSENTHAL PHOTO: KEITH ROSENTHAL