Frenchtown Farms "Poisson Pilote" 2023
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The Land
Poisson pilote is French for pilot fish — the small striped fish that swims ahead of sharks — and this wine swims a little ahead of its region too. The fruit comes from Naggiar Vineyard in Grass Valley, in the Sierra Foothills of Nevada County, where Rhône and Bordeaux varieties were planted in the late 1990s on decomposed granite. Granitic soils drain fast and hold little, forcing roots deep and keeping yields low; foothill elevation brings the cool nights that let Roussanne and Viognier ripen aromatically without ballooning in alcohol. Aaron and Cara Mockrish farm 12 acres here organically, an outpost from their home base among the old vines of the North Yuba AVA.
The Wine
A white Rhône blend of 42 percent Roussanne, 24 percent Marsanne, and 34 percent Viognier. The fruit was crushed by foot and macerated on its skins for roughly six hours — enough to borrow a faint phenolic grip without tipping into orange-wine territory — then pressed to stainless steel for fermentation. It matured eight months on the lees in barrel, which fills out the mid-palate, and was bottled with just 25 ppm of sulfur. Lemon zest, green apple, and white flowers lead into pear and a light mineral undertone, with that skin-contact texture tightening the finish. The cool, drawn-out 2023 California season, following a winter of drought-breaking storms, pushed harvest late and kept acids high — this finished at just 11.7 percent alcohol.
The People
Aaron and Cara Mockrish moved to North Yuba County to farm, not to make wine. Then a bottle of Clos Saron Black Pearl 2008 changed the plan: its maker, Gideon Beinstock, turned out to live nearby in Oregon House, and the couple apprenticed with him from vineyard to cellar. They made their first vintage in 2015 and soon secured blocks of the Renaissance Vineyard — old, own-rooted, dry-farmed vines that rank among the most storied plantings in the Sierra Foothills. They live in Frenchtown, the tiny Gold Rush village that names the label, farm organically, and crush whole clusters by foot.
Food Pairing
Roasted chicken thighs with fennel, lemon, and olives — the blend's weight matches dark meat while the acidity handles the pan drippings. Trout amandine, where lees-derived breadth meets browned butter and almonds. A chickpea and vegetable tagine with preserved lemon, since Viognier's stone-fruit side flatters warm spice and the slight grip stands in for tannin. Triple-cream cheese on a weeknight board, cut clean by 11.7 percent alcohol and fresh acid. A foot-crushed, organically farmed Sierra Foothills white at twenty dollars: this is the Tuesday bottle that outperforms your Saturday ones.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
New York's top wine growing area, the Finger Lakes AVA sits on the shore of eleven deep, glacial lakes with Seneca and Cayuga being to two most famous. While the region has grown wine for nearly two centuries, it's most successful grape, Riesling, has only been commercially farmed since the 1970s. The cool climate with moderation from the lakes creates one of the best and most distinctive growing areas in North America with dry, minerally Rieslings and light, expressive reds.
