Leah Jørgensen had been one of Oregon’s most focused and original interpreters of Cabernet Franc. After launching her eponymous label in 2011, the longtime wine-industry veteran built a small, cult-like following around a Loire-informed vision of Southern Oregon: fragrant, savory, acid-driven wines that put Cabernet Franc (not Pinot Noir), at the center of intention. Jørgensen sourced from select Rogue and Applegate Valley sites, treating the variety as a serious, site-transparent red rather than just another blending component. The Thorson-Parish project was announced shortly before Leah retired from winemaking. With only 150 cases made, it was intended to be the collector-minded next chapter she had announced during her own label’s 2024 restructuring–making this bottling part of a particularly limited and transitional chapter of her final wine work.

The 2021 “Crater View” comes from Crater View Ranch in the Rogue Valley, a site Jørgensen regarded as among her most compelling Cabernet Franc sources. The warm, dry Southern Oregon setting gives the wine depth and ripeness, while the vineyard’s character comes through in Cabernet Franc’s more lifted register: roses and violets, dark red fruit, spice, and a savory, tea- and tobacco-tinged finish. Just 147 cases were produced: cherry, leather, cinnamon, tobacco, black-tea, and ripe-tannin profile. Graceful, aromatic and indeed a cellar-worthy Cabernet Franc.

Why you’ll love it

• A rarity with real provenance. A 147-case, vineyard-specific Cabernet Franc from one of Oregon’s most outspoken and accomplished champions of the grape.

• The closes thing to Loire Cabernet Franc in the U.S. Floral aromatics, red-fruit energy, spice, and savory complexity 

• A rare gem that you'll never find again. Jørgensen has stepped away from commercial wine production, making wines from this period increasingly meaningful for collectors and Cabernet Franc devotees.

How to serve it

• Serve lightly cool, between 60–63°F. A brief 20-minute chill from standard cellar temperature will sharpen its floral perfume and keep the palate fresh.

• Decant for 30–45 minutes to open the aromatics of rose, violet, spice, and allow for its savory tobacco notes to emerge.

• Pair with herb-roasted lamb, duck breast, mushrooms, lentils, grilled sausages, pork with cherry or plum, or steak frites. Its acidity and restrained weight make it especially versatile with food.