Region: Oregon - Willamette Valley - Eola-Amity Hillts
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Alcohol: 12.4%
Notes on the Wine
A great example of Eola-Amity Hills from the Zenith Vineyard. This wine is showing great complexity and maturity.
Notes on the Producer
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.
