OUR STORY
OUR STORY
LOOMIS ESTATE VINEYARDS
GENESIS
In the famous French provincial city of Avignon, Loomis Estate Vineyards was born in the heart of a young university student.
On a particularly sunny day, Jeff Loomis skipped class for a random bike ride. He found his way to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a legendary French commune, home to a ruined Papal medieval castle presiding over 8,000 acres of grapevines. He sampled the local wine from a small jug and was forever changed and inspired. The first tastes were a revelation, and offered insight into wine and of what it could be in his life. This was not his college swill go-tos like Blue Nun, Mateus and the inevitable Asti Spumante for date nights. Wine was not just a beverage, but an enlightening experience. He learned how wine was shaped by passion, creativity, history, tradition, community, nature...and of course a little luck! For Jeff, it’s a creation that encompasses what it means to be human. He was hooked and his adventures with wine had begun!
Jeff set off on a mission to be the first to grow exclusively Rhône Varietals in Napa Valley - widely considered the heart of world class Cab Country.
LOOMIS ESTATE VINEYARDS
“Sometimes the best ideas are a little crazy!”
Established in 2000, Loomis Estate Vineyards is dedicated to estate grown Rhône Style Napa Valley wines. Jeff’s mission was to be the first to grow exclusively Rhône Varietals in Napa Valley. When Jeff purchased the majestic 60 acre mountain property, he was advised that Rhône varietals would not flourish. But he moved forward and told the naysayers, "Great wine or great salad dressing - we will find out which one". He naturally weathered the sites for each block, then planted carefully selected high end clones - most originating from Chateau Beaucastel. Into the ground went 6 clones of Syrah, 3 Grenache Noir, Mourvedre, Counoise, Grenache Blanc and Viognier. The grapes are grown on carefully selected sites, each of which was chosen for its unique terroir, offering maximum sun exposure, ideal microclimate and varietal-specific soil conditions.
THE WINE
Loomis Estate Vineyards is the only Napa Valley producer that grows and makes wine from 100% Rhône varietals. Blocks of Rhône varietals at 2000ft elevation have come to life on selected hillsides overlooking forests of native oaks. The vineyards include 6 clones of Syrah, 3 Grenache Noir, Mourvedre, Counoise, Grenache Blanc and Viognier. Loomis Estate’s first harvest yielded young promising fruit, but not mature enough for a great red wine. Jeff recalled his time on a Cassis cliff overlooking the Mediterranean while sipping a Bandol Rosé, and decided to make a true provincial-style Rosé. The harvest was picked specifically for acidity, pressed for the gorgeous color reminiscent of Provence, and aged for 6 months in neutral French Oak. Despite ‘Air’ being Jeff’s first wine, he was persuaded by a friend to enter it in the SF Chronicle Rosé contest only 2 weeks after bottling. The panel tasted 174 wines, reviewed and picked their favorites. Air was among their Top 20.
Our wines are named after the natural experiential elements - the crisp acidity of our Grenache Blanc in Snow, the many dimensions of our little fire in Ember. Alimony was inspired by focusing on the bright side in turbulent times. In 2019, Loomis Estate produced the wine of Jeff ’s initial dreams, passion and visions - Fire. Ironically, Loomis Estate was severely impacted by the Napa fires of 2020. Harvest was compromised but Jeff wanted to see some good come from all the destruction. He produced Smoke - a wine with charitable ambitions and a core part of Jeff’s 1000 Bottle Act of Kindness campaign. Charities, health care workers, restaurants, baristas and random Uber drivers found some smiles from his wine donations during the pandemic.
His wines have received praise including Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals in American Fine Wine Competition, Top 20 of 184 in San Francisco Chronicle's Rosé Tasting, Cellar Angels' Cellar Selection/Top Pick, rated Excellent on Wine of the Day, "Bigger than your Head" Wine Review and many more. He has never won a medal for salad dressing.
