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Aaron and Cara Mockrish live, farm, and grow wines in Oregon House, California, nestled in the North Yuba AVA of the Sierra Foothills. Both originally from the east coast, various life turns found them farming vegetables, sheep, and other things in Northern California where they met Gideon and Saron of Clos Saron. They fell in love with winegrowing and the Sarons took them under their wing, helping them produce their first small vintage in 2015 and teaching them how to work in the vineyard and stomp grapes.  Shortly after, they were able to secure access to a large portion of the Renaissance Vineyards, where they have been making natural wines since 2016.

Grapes are always whole cluster, foot-stomped, spontaneously fermented with no additions, subtractions or corrections. They use only old french oak and other neutral vessels. They use no sulfur during the life of the wines until bottling day, when they add a minimal amount of sulfur. The only chemical they use in the vineyard is an organic, elemental form of sulfur during the middle of the growing season.

Frenchtown Farms makes wines that are alive, slightly wild in the glass, and full of character.

The Vajra family has farmed Bricco delle Viole, the highest cru in Comune di Barolo, since the 1880s. At the young age of fifteen, Aldo Vajra embraced the dream to revive his family legacy. Displaying a vision and commitment belying his young age he took over the estate in 1968, turning a new page. Aldo soon acquired the first organic certification of the region (1971), created private biotype selections (selezioni massali) of Nebbiolo and Dolcetto, pioneered the renaissance of Freisa, a noble yet forgotten local grape (1980) and the cultivation of Rhine Riesling in Piemonte (1985). ­

Today, the family has 40 hectares under vine. The estate is steeped in tradition. Barolos are macerated for 20 to 30 days depending on the vintage. Wines are typically matured in large neutral Slavonian casks. The holdings in Bricco delle Viole are the prized vineyards of the estate, planted in 1949 by Aldo’s grandfather. It’s a very fresh terroir with open exposure and breezy conditions. Holdings in Barolo commune are: Fossati, Coste de Vergne and La Volta. Recently acquired vineyards in the commune of Sino (just outside Barolo DOCG, next to Serralunga) make a gorgeous Langhe Nebbiolo. 

High elevation vineyards are a unique factor to Vajra wines, allowing them to express finesse and remarkable complexity over simple power. Attention to detail and humility toward nature, uncompromised efforts and humanity, these are the ideals of the Vajra family: Aldo and Milena, now joined by their children Giuseppe, Francesca and Isidoro, and by an amazing team of young professionals. G.D. Vajra is an independent winery that is entirely family-owned.