Franchere Wine Company
- Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
I tasted three wines from Mike, two pinot noirs and one syrah, and was very impressed with what I tasted, particularly given that these are only from the second vintage that he has produced. The syrah is already top flight, and the pinot noirs, while not the most transparent examples one will find these days, are deep, complex and nicely built for the cellar. Mike Hinds at Franchere Wines is off to an excellent start and is a name to watch in the coming years."
—John Gilman, View From the Cellar
Franchere Wine Company is an exciting project helmed by Mike Hinds. An Oregon native, Mike got his start working in wine shops in Chicago. After catching the wine bug from a bottle of Vouvray, he returned to his home state where he started taking viticulture classes, working in the cellar at Illahe Vineyards, farming grapes, and finally producing his own wines.
Launched with the 2013 vintage, Mike named his project Franchere after his great great grandfather, Gabriel Franchère, who arrived in Oregon in 1811 aboard the ill-fated ship, Tonquin. In Gabriel’s memoir he gave his impression of what would later become Portland, describing the incredible landscape as having presented “…a smiling and enchanting prospect to the observer who loved the beauties of simple nature”. This regard for history, nature, and place runs through the wines of Franchere. Mike works with small, family owned, responsibly worked, and dry-farmed vineyards. In the cellar he utilizes native fermentations, neutral aging vessels, and no adjustments, allowing the wines to speak for themselves. And along with his name, the label depicts his great great grandfather’s ship.
Again and again Oregon has shown its ability to challenge our expectations with surprising and impressive new talents, and we’re very excited to welcome this new voice to Bowler.