Aaron & Cara Mockrish ended up in North Yuba County with the intention of establishing a farm, but a bottle of Clos Saron Black Pearl 2008 sent them off on an unexpected path to winemaking. Having tasted the wine, they found that the man who made it lived near to their farm, and so they made it their mission to meet him. It was there, in Oregon House, California, that they found Gideon Beinstock, his tiny home vineyard, and their future.

They began learning from Gideon, everything from working in the vineyards to the winery and everything in between, and it was clear that not only was this the life for them, that 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.

This had three immediate effects. One: Frenchtown Farms was born. Two: Clos Saron regained access to this incredible vineyard. Three: Dani Rozman from La Onda has been able to work with this site and make wonderful wines. These three wineries represent something very special: the history and the future of this incredible terroir. Now only a few vintages in, we are observing the thrilling next phase of this long overlooked region.