Aaron & Cara Mockrish ended up in North Yuba County in the Sierra Foothills with big plans to start their own farm. Fortunately for us, their plans unexpectedly diverged when they had a bottle of... Read More

Aaron & Cara Mockrish ended up in North Yuba County in the Sierra Foothills with big plans to start their own farm. Fortunately for us, their plans unexpectedly diverged when they had a bottle of Clos Saron's Black Pearl 2008. Blown away by what they had just tasted, they made it their mission to seek out the man that was responsible for it. They soon discovered that that the man they were seeking lived down the road from them. This man was none other than Gideon Bienstock.

They began to learn from Gideon, of working in the vineyards to the winery and everything in between. Soon it was clear that not only was this the life for them, but also this place was a singular place and the wines were unlike anything else. They managed to make a connection with Renaissance Winery (where Gideon had made his earliest, incredible wines, as well as many of the first vintages of Clos Saron), which was no longer producing their own wine, and leased their oldest producing vines.

The immediate effects were three fold: Frenchtown Farms was born, Clos Saron regained access to this incredible vineyard that had been responsible for some of their most legendary wines, and La Onda and Thee and Thou (the other Yuba Wineries) gained access to this fabulous site. Along with these wineries, Frenchtown is helping gain recognition for the exceptional terroir and uniquely delicious wines from this small corner in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

All wines are made whole-cluster, foot-stomped, native fermentation in open-top tanks. No manipulation, additions, subtractions, or monkey business of any kind. No racking, fining, or filtering. A small SO2 addition at bottling only.