In 2011 I came up with an idea.

I had a vision for an Oregon wine beyond the state’s love affair with Pinot Noir.

There’s no place in America quite like Southern Oregon for growing the best Cabernet Franc in the same echelon as the home of arguably the best Cabernet Franc in the world, Clos Rougeard, located in Saumur-Champigny in France’s Loire Valley.

All you have to do is step into a couple vineyards in the Rogue Valley to see what I’m talking about: ancient marine material from a subduction that occurred off the coast some 250 million years ago. That calciferous material includes shell imprints, mollusk shells, chalky matter, blue schist rock, and spiny oceanic fossils. This discovery was made in 2015 and state geologist Scott Burns confirmed the matter and its origination from that subduction that violently forced ocean bottom material upwards in a fan-like spread through the Rogue Valley as far east as the Cascade Range.

This is a unique story about terroir that is similar to that of the Loire Valley, which used to be underwater 150 million years ago as part of a tidal basin that surrounded Paris. I have share comparative photos of the shell material in the Loire Valley soils to that in the Rogue Valley findings.

That discovery did not change the wine world.

But, for me, it was a pure point of validation for why we should grow more Cabernet Franc in certain parts of Southern Oregon. Proselytizing Southern Oregon Cabernet Franc became my mission. I set out to do for Cabernet Franc what no one else was really doing in America. Sure, there were places dedicated to growing the grape – I grew up in Virginia. It became one of the most widely grown grapes on the east coast in spite of the heavy humidity and danger from early spring frosts. That said, there are some excellent versions coming out of New York and Virginia.

California has more Cabernet Franc planted but the majority of it was planted as a blending grape.

Back home in Oregon the dominant Willamette Valley held a world class stage for Pinot Noir and I didn’t see why Southern Oregon shouldn’t hold a world class stage for Cabernet Franc – and get recognized for it!

Oregon Cabernet Franc hadn’t really been put to the test.

I did not choose an expected path. Instead of launching with a stunning and classic Loire inspired Cabernet Franc, I took to the cellar like a wild and free trapeze artist free styling without a net. But what emerged was far from a circus act.

I decided I would make one barrel’s worth of a white Cabernet Franc. The only legit white Cabernet Franc in the states prior to mine was made for a sparkling wine. I had tried a still Cabernet Franc Blanc from the Loire Valley and was impressed by the exceptional acidity and structure. The flavors and aromas were mindblowing with exotic juicy fruits like pineapple, yellow apricots, pomelo, waxy starfruit and stemmy herbaceousness of tarragon but also fresh pea shoots. I saw its potential as one of the most interesting white wines in the world.

That first bottling of a mere twenty-three cases of Blanc de Cabernet Franc became my signature wine and my calling card. I was in a unique position because once the word got out about this wine, I was getting requests for cases of it from master sommeliers in various wine circles.

I have been in this business for a long time. I networked across the country well before I launched my wine. I was an expert in sales, marketing and communication. I had worked for important and pioneering wineries in the Pacific Northwest: Erath Vineyards while Dick Erath was still owner; I helped transition Erath to Ste. Michelle Wine Estate’s luxury portfolio, while also working with iconic Spring Valley Vineyard and Col Solare, while working with the latter, I got to work with the Antinori family; and then I came back to Oregon for one last year in a sales/marketing role at Adelsheim Vineyard.

I had many adventures while working for those wineries, including taking a post as a founding Board Member for the Dundee Hills Winegrowers Association. I served on the marketing committee for the Chehalem Winegrowers Association. I was three times a Pinot Camp camp counselor (Blue Bus!). It had been an exciting career. But in 2008, I felt called to follow my heart and wander into the cellar. For years, I had wanted to work a harvest, but I never mustered the courage to do it. I guess I just didn’t think I had what it took.

And yet, I left my stable job in the sales/marketing office to go work my first harvest at Anne Amie Vineyards in Yamhill-Carlton, working for a wonderfully talented and creative winemaker, Thomas Houseman. It was an important time in my life because while I was nursing wounds from a profound heartbreak, I was up before the sunrise checking the Brix and temperatures of a chilled reefer truck filled with puncheon barrels of white Pinot Noir. I cherished watching the sunrise in the cold mornings with a warm coffee in my hand, smelling the sweet fermentations moving along, feeling a sense of connectedness and relief. I needed the distraction of harvest to heal. And while I was healing, I was learning a new way of life.

I went on to work for Drew Voit at Shea Wine Cellars for two vintages. I could write a book on that experience alone. I got to help him prepare wines for bottling before my first harvest internship there started, giving me access to more cellar work and learning. The cellar at Shea became my temple. I worked quietly, meditatively on the work orders Drew gave me. I got a real apprenticeship with one of the greatest winemakers the state has ever known. I was in my first year of school for a degree in enology, the science of winemaking when I started at Shea. So I got to ask questions in real time with what I was learning in the classroom. I felt like I was getting a Masters Degree working for Drew. It was truly the greatest way to learn the trade of a winemaker – working for a winemaking icon while enrolled in winemaking school.

During my second vintage at Shea, Drew encouraged me to make my own wine. And so I did. That’s when I had the big idea. I was in love with Cabernet Franc. I was able to secure 750 pounds of it from Les Collines Vineyard in Walla Walla via my friend Chris Berg at Roots Wine Company. As I mentioned, I made one barrel’s worth of that Cabernet Franc Blanc and the rest is history.

I ended up working one more vintage before working for myself. I got the sole intern position at Alloro Vineyard working for another talented and intelligent winemaker, Tom Fitzpatrick, truly one of the nicest fellows in the business. I loved working for Tom and appreciated that he trusted me with so much responsibility. He was a great teacher and mentor.

While at Alloro, I would finish my day and then drive over to Beacon Hill winery where Drew moved his personal production and started making custom crush wines for a handful of clients. I made my second vintage of wine in the same building and got to share space with a bunch of young up and coming winemakers. It felt like we were a bunch of squatters because the winery had been abandoned and the new owner was slowly completing construction. It was wild making wine in an unfinished winery. But I was surrounded by great people which made it fun, despite then long , exhausting days working our asses off.

Over the course of eleven vintages I got to make some exciting wines inspired by the Loire Valley. But I eventually cut back from producing multiple SKUs to focus in on what I set out to master: Cabernet Franc.

I was always careful to point out that I wasn’t trying to mimic the Loire Valley. I needed a reference point because my wines were nothing like New World Cabernet Francs. So I called them Loiregon – originally coined by Herb Quady. I asked him if I could use that name for my flagship Oregon Cabernet Franc.

Herb became a very important player in the production of my Blanc de Cabernet Franc wine. In 2012, I began sourcing his Cabernet Franc from Mae’s Vineyard in the Applegate Valley. We discussed at length the style of wine I wanted to make and so Herb began to farm with my style points in mind. I didn’t want any of the grape’s characteristic bell pepper, which would be too harsh for a white wine. So, he came up with a plan to manage the methoxypyrazines at specific times in the vine’s growth cycle. Herb was a pro at farming for style and even led a session at the Oregon Wine Symposium on the subject, highlighting his work with my block of Cabernet Franc for the Blanc.

The Blanc de Cabernet Franc was the wine that got me into important restaurants, bottle shops and in featured stories in wine and lifestyle magazines. Once I was discovered, and this was a miracle in itself because I never had a PR consultant helping me, it felt like I was going to be able to really show the world why Cabernet Franc from Southern Oregon is so special. I was focused. And all in.

My Oregon Cabernet Franc has been the heart of my business, beating steadily to build momentum for my business. The Blanc was the soul of my business. And then the two reserves – my “Clos Rogue Valley” and “Grand Reserve” were the higher mind of my business, like the collective consciousness of the all and everything – something so elevated, pure and very, very intentional.

From 2011 to 2022, I built something special that I am so proud of. I literally hit every single one of my personal goals as a winemaker. My wines have had incredible press and quite a following for a micro-sized winery. It was never my intention to scale. I went against conventional advice to scale to the 3000 case threshold as quickly as possible. Instead, I kept my head down and stayed hyper focused on crafting the best tiny lot, handcrafted Cabernet Franc possible. So, without trying to be edgy or cultish, I now have a cult-like following. I just don’t make enough wine to get very far.

Which is why I have intentionally held on to my library wines. These are wines that I made to age. That is my style – age-worthy wines that you don’t have to worry about when they’re stored properly. You don’t have to rush through them. They’ll be more than fine. Time is an essential tool in my winemaker toolbox.

I have received some incredible recognition for my work – especially by way of Food & Wine’s list of the 15 women in wine in the world to know – I was one of three Americans on that list.

Also the thoughtful praise of Ian Cobule, Master Sommelier:
“Leah’s plush and beautifully balanced Cabernet Franc is crafted in the same spirit as the best Oregon Pinot Noirs: it has an Old World sensibility, but it isn’t trying to be a carbon copy of its Old World inspirations (in this case Chinon or Saumur-Champigny from the Loire). This is Southern Oregon’s interpretation with its own compelling message.”

Wine Enthusiast included me in “Cutting Edge Oregon:  These forward-thinking winemakers aim to redefine the state’s scene” by Paul Gregutt.

It has been humbling to read the headlines over the years. I recognize how lucky I’ve been to be able to make any kind of statement on behalf of Cabernet Franc from Southern Oregon.

The world has changed drastically over the past few years. And I am learning so many new things. I’m evolving. Which can be very scary when you think you’re where you’re supposed to be, but the universe is telling you otherwise.

Restructuring my business is my reality. I am excited about it. I am awakened to it. I am studying regenerative business and I have been prepared for this moment for a long time. I began sequestering library wines for long-term sales. I stopped producing other varietals and I’m now starting to move those inventories. I am proud of all of my wines – the Gamay Noir and Malbec are stunning wines, but they’re just not Cabernet Franc, which is what I have built my business on.

Rather than continue to just make more wine and build more inventory, because there’s such an oversaturated market in wine right now, I get to clear out my current inventory and maintain a treasure trove worth of exceptional age-worthy Cabernet Franc bottles for collectors. My winemaking business will evolve into a small lot library collection – so my devoted customers and serious Cab Francophiles can still get wine!

So it is with great exuberance that I get to announce today that the 2022 is the final vintage of Leah Jorgensen Cellars!!

I am transitioning my role and retiring from the winemaking business, save for a micro lot I’ll process each in order to maintain my winery license. I will still host private tastings by appointment and I am keeping select wines on hold for my wine club subscribers.

And while I have completed the journey of making wine, I get to continue to follow my passions in herbalism, growing medicinal plants for herbalists and acupuncturists in my community, and writing books – I just got my first book deal to write a book using my expertise in beverage production and herbalism. I will share more about that book on my social media and here. I’m planning on joining a few other cool parents in a homeschooling adventure that incorporates outdoor nature school with child-led education. I’m working on various certifications to help women during various changes and challenges in life – from weening a baby, divorce, menopause, Chiron Return, job loss, etc. The world has been wounded since the pandemic hit, and the struggle around health and wellness is real. I feel called to step more intentionally into my purpose using my holistic nutrition degree, certificate in herbalism and certificate as a facilitator in ritual and ceremony to create space and support for women in need.

I also get to mentor! Which I’m very excited about. I have been helping out a few women with career path support simply by sharing wisdom and gentle coaching. It’s been so rewarding.

I guess this is the path of the crone!

Yes, I still have wine to sell. I am not closing up shop! My website will reflect what’s still available. I still have distributors in a handful of markets. The structure of my business is different. But incredible age-worthy, collectible Cabernet Franc is the primary focus.

There’s not going to be a crazy “everything must go” sale! I won’t do that. I will have some offers or special pricing available for larger purchases of wine in storage that is not part of the collectible stuff in my library. Otherwise, you won’t notice much of a difference. I’m still operating my business on a very small scale, offering private tastings by appointment and selling wine online.

It’s been an incredible winemaking journey. I’m grateful to all who have been a part of this journey with me. I hope my wines continue to bring joy and reflection.