Here in Frenchtown we grow and produce wines from the steep, rocky slopes of North Yuba in the Sierra Foothills of California. The farming is passionate and the winemaking is simple, favoring the expression of our terroir.
We are Aaron and Cara Mockrish
Since 2015, we have been farming grapes and raising wines in the North Yuba AVA, which includes the tiny Gold Rush village of Frenchtown we call home.
We have created a life around a connection to nature through farming, working with our hands to grow and bottle wines that reflect our stunning terroir.
We are fortunate to tend both old, own-rooted and dry farmed vines nearby, as well as to be establishing our own new vines on the steep, rocky slopes of our home vineyard.
Growing is our passion
Our annual rhythm is driven by seasonal agricultural cycles. Throughout each year as we carefully prune, tie, tuck, tend and hand-harvest each vine, we constantly ask ourselves how best to express the special place we live and how best to bottle all of the vibrations we feel in a way that is alive and true. To try and achieve this we farm without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or systemic fungicides, spraying only organic elemental sulfur at key times during the growing season, always looking to replace machines with people and efficiency with attention. We pay the vines with attention, pouring all of our energy into the vineyards so that we are able keep our efforts in the cellar relatively simple, letting the wines make themselves.
The Wines
You can look through the archives of our current and past releases to read detailed tech sheets on each cuvée for those who want all the details.
Make an appointment to visit our farm, tour the vineyards, and taste with us
Signing up for our subtack will keep you informed on new releases and special offers from the cellar.
North Yuba
North Yuba is a unique AVA nestled in the northern part of the Sierra Foothills. We farm over 30 acres of own-rooted vines, ranging in age from 40 - 50 years. Unlike the majority of the soils throughout the rest of the foothills, our soil and geology are not primarily comprised of decomposed granite. Instead we are growing on the results of isolated volcanic activity and have soils with a higher mineral content, including gold and quartz, and a predominance of rhyolite rather than granite.
