Franchere

Cascadia Pinot Noir 2019

Price: $27.95
Tasting notes

The split between whole-cluster and destemmed Pinot Noir gives Cascadia an unusual textural range for a wine this light: lifted and aromatic up front, with a savory, peppery grip on the finish. The Grüner Veltliner addition is a small but real contributor to the wine's spice profile and acidity, something you rarely see in an Oregon red blend.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Taste profile
Wild StrawberryBlack PepperBaking SpicesMinerality
  • Style: Light-bodied, unoaked red blend; 12.8% ABV; tangy red fruit, black pepper, dusty minerality; serve slightly chilled
  • Grapes & Terroir: 90% Pinot Noir (whole cluster and destemmed), 5% Gamay, 4% Grüner Veltliner, 1% Syrah; Willamette Valley; organically, biodynamically, and sustainably farmed sites; Jory volcanic and Missoula flood deposit soils
  • Winemaking: Cofermented at low temperatures; native yeast fermentation; neutral aging vessels; no filtration, no fining, no new oak, no additions
  • Serving: Serve at 55F; no decant needed; drink now through 2025
  • Pairing: Grilled salmon, herb-roasted chicken, charcuterie, mushroom dishes, lighter duck preparations
  • Similar To: For fans of Beaujolais crus, Sancerre Rouge, or lighter-style Oregon Pinot Noir who want something unconventional

Cascadia is a cofermented red blend from Mike Hinds of Franchere Wine Company, based in Woodburn, Oregon. The 2019 is 90% Pinot Noir (split between 50% whole cluster and 40% destemmed), 5% whole-cluster Gamay, 4% destemmed Grüner Veltliner, and 1% destemmed Syrah, all sourced from Willamette Valley vineyards farmed organically, biodynamically, or sustainably without irrigation or systemic herbicides.

Fermented with native yeasts and aged in neutral vessels with no new oak, no filtration, and no additions. At 12.8% ABV, this is a light, energetic red built for texture and freshness rather than weight. The whole-cluster Pinot Noir and Gamay components drive the wine's lifted aromatic character, while the small additions of Grüner Veltliner and Syrah add spice and depth to the mid-palate.

The name references the Cascadia Volcanic Arc, the chain of volcanoes stretching from British Columbia through Washington and Oregon into Northern California, formed by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate beneath North America. The Willamette Valley sits within this broader volcanic geography, with many vineyard sites on basalt-derived Jory soils and Missoula flood deposits. Mike Hinds hand-farms a portion of the estate fruit that goes into Cascadia, with the remainder sourced from trusted growers.

Expect tangy red fruit, cracked black pepper, dusty minerality, and baking spice on a lightly tannic, refreshing finish. Best served slightly chilled around 55 degrees F.

The low tannin and bright acidity make this a natural with salmon, especially grilled or roasted with herbs. It also works well with charcuterie, mushroom dishes, or lighter preparations of duck. Serve with a light chill to keep the freshness front and center.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Grüner Veltliner, Syrah
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2019
Alcohol:, 12.8%
Country:, USA
Region:, Willamette Valley
Appellation:, Willamette Valley AVA
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

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If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


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Placed an order. What next?

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2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

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Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Cascadia Pinot Noir 2019
$27.95

Producer profile

Franchere

Franchere Wine Company is an Oregon project run by Mike Hinds, who grew up in the state, developed his interest in wine while working in Chicago wine shops, then returned to Oregon to study viticulture and work cellars at Illahe Vineyards before launching his own label with the 2013 vintage. The name honors his great-great-great-grandfather Gabriel Franchère, a Montreal-born fur trade clerk who arrived in Oregon in 1811 aboard the ship Tonquin and helped establish Fort Astoria.

Hinds hand-farms approximately 15% of his production from estate sites, with the remaining fruit sourced from Willamette Valley growers whose vineyards are farmed organically, biodynamically, or sustainably, in all cases without irrigation or systemic herbicides. His estate fruit includes blocks with Pommard clone Pinot Noir on Woodburn silt loam and alluvial soils near Woodburn, and parcels on Missoula flood deposits managed with cover crops to control vigor.

In the cellar, Hinds ferments exclusively with native yeasts, without temperature-controlled tanks, filtration, fining agents, or new oak. Neutral vessels are used for aging. The Cascadia blend is cofermented at low temperatures to preserve fruit freshness and aromatic lift. No additions are made.

Wine region

Willamette Valley, USA

The Willamette Valley AVA stretches roughly 150 miles from the Portland area south toward Eugene, flanked by the Coast Range to the west and the Cascade Mountains to the east. This sheltered corridor produces a long, temperate growing season with warm days and cool evenings. The Van Duzer Corridor, a gap in the Coast Range, funnels cool Pacific air into the valley and is a key driver of the diurnal temperature swings that preserve acidity in the grapes. The valley holds 11 nested sub-AVAs and more than 700 wineries, making it Oregon's largest and most significant wine region.

Soils vary considerably across the valley's sub-appellations. The Dundee Hills are dominated by red Jory clay loam, a basalt-derived volcanic soil roughly 15 million years old. Yamhill-Carlton and Ribbon Ridge sit on ancient marine sedimentary Willakenzie soils. Other sites, including some farmed by Franchere, contain Missoula flood deposits and deep Woodburn silt loam. Pinot Noir accounts for the majority of plantings, but the valley also supports Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gamay, and small amounts of Grüner Veltliner and other cool-climate varieties.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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