Renaissance Vineyard & Winery

Renaissance Vineyard & Winery was founded in 1975 by the Fellowship of Friends, a spiritual community headquartered at the Apollo settlement in Oregon House, Yuba County. The community acquired a 1,300-acre property and developed Renaissance as a vineyard and winery operation within it. Karl Werner, a German-born viticulturist who had been the founding winemaster at Callaway Vineyards in Temecula, was hired as consulting winemaker; in 1978 he returned to Oregon House with cuttings from Callaway's vineyards and worked with the Fellowship on the terracing and planting program. Werner married Diana and the two constructed the winery on the Renaissance property. The first Renaissance harvest in 1979 produced one barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon. Werner died in 1988, and his wife Diana subsequently took over winemaking duties. The multi-year terracing project from 1976 to 1982 produced 365 acres of vines and was one of California's largest hillside vineyard developments at the time.

• Fellowship of Friends founded Renaissance Vineyard & Winery in 1975 at the Apollo settlement, Oregon House, Yuba County
• Karl Werner: German-born founding winemaster at Callaway Vineyards in Temecula; returned to Oregon House with Callaway cuttings in 1978
• Werner constructed the Renaissance winery with his wife Diana; died 1988; Diana subsequently took over winemaking
• First Renaissance harvest 1979 produced one barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon
• Terracing project 1976 to 1982 produced 365 acres of vines: one of California's largest hillside vineyard developments

The Renaissance estate sits on the Smartville Intrusive Complex, a 165-million-year-old island-arc terrane of Jurassic age that forms the geological backbone of the northern Sierra Nevada foothills. Soils are predominantly decomposed granite with veins of metamorphic schist, providing well-drained, mineral-rich growing conditions. Elevations from 1,700 to 2,300 feet position the vineyards above the typical Central Valley fog layer, exposing vines to extended sunlight while moderating maximum temperatures relative to the warm valley below. Diurnal temperature swings frequently exceed 40 degrees Fahrenheit between summer afternoon highs and overnight lows, preserving natural acidity and supporting extended hang time. The North Yuba AVA was established July 30, 1985 as the 81st federal appellation, after a petition submitted by Karl Werner and James R. Bryant as officers of Renaissance Vineyard and Winery. Renaissance was the AVA's sole significant commercial winery throughout its operating life, with the AVA effectively coextensive with the estate's plantings.

• Smartville Intrusive Complex (165-million-year-old Jurassic-age island-arc terrane): decomposed granite plus metamorphic schist veins
• Elevation 1,700 to 2,300 feet places vineyards above Central Valley fog layer; extended sun with moderated heat
• Diurnal temperature swings frequently exceed 40 degrees Fahrenheit; preserves natural acidity
• North Yuba AVA established July 30, 1985 after petition submitted by Karl Werner and James R. Bryant as Renaissance officers
• Renaissance was the AVA's sole significant commercial winery throughout its operating life

Renaissance built its early recognition on late-harvest Riesling, producing Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, and Trockenbeerenauslese-level botrytized wines through the 1980s and 1990s that brought attention to the German varietal program inherited from Karl Werner's planning. Cabernet Sauvignon emerged as the flagship red wine across the 1990s and 2000s, with single-block and reserve bottlings demonstrating the structured tannins and dark fruit concentration achievable on the decomposed-granite hillsides. The broader portfolio included Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Roussanne, and Syrah, alongside dessert wines from late-harvested whites. Production was small-scale and primarily direct-to-consumer or through specialist retailers. Vintages from the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Gideon Beinstock served as head winemaker, are particularly sought-after by collectors familiar with the estate.

• Early flagship: late-harvest and botrytized Riesling (Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese) during 1980s-1990s
• Modern flagship: Cabernet Sauvignon (estate, reserve, single-block); structured tannins and dark fruit from decomposed granite
• Additional varieties: Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Roussanne, Syrah; dessert wines from late-harvested whites
• Late 1990s through early 2000s vintages (Beinstock-era) particularly sought after
• Small-scale production with primarily direct-to-consumer and specialist retailer distribution

Gideon Beinstock was named head winemaker at Renaissance in 1994 and developed the estate's minimal-intervention approach to winemaking, including native yeast fermentations, extended skin contact for reds, oxidative whites, and minimal sulfur additions that anticipated the California natural-wine movement that emerged in the 2010s. In 1999 Beinstock and his wife Saron Rice, both former Fellowship members, bought adjacent land and founded Clos Saron, where they continued producing minimal-intervention wines from cool-climate Pinot Noir, Syrah, and heritage varieties while Beinstock remained at Renaissance. The Clos Saron flagship Black Pearl was originally made from Renaissance grapes. Beinstock's last hands-on Renaissance vintage was 2006, when he left the Fellowship; he was officially listed as Renaissance winemaker through 2010. The Beinstock-era Renaissance bottlings remain reference points for understanding California minimal-intervention winemaking before the 2010s natural-wine wave. Clos Saron remains in operation and continues to farm portions of the former Renaissance vineyard.

• Gideon Beinstock named head winemaker 1994; developed minimal-intervention techniques anticipating the 2010s natural-wine movement
• Beinstock and wife Saron Rice founded Clos Saron in 1999 on adjacent land while Beinstock remained at Renaissance
• Clos Saron flagship Black Pearl originally made from Renaissance grapes
• Beinstock's last hands-on Renaissance vintage was 2006, when he left the Fellowship; officially listed as winemaker through 2010
• Beinstock-era Renaissance bottlings remain reference points for California minimal-intervention winemaking

The Fellowship of Friends effectively shut down Renaissance Vineyard & Winery operations in 2015 after 33 years of operation under that organization. Of the original 365 acres of vines, approximately 33 acres remain today and are farmed by a small group of producers who continue to work the surviving plantings. Clos Saron (Gideon Beinstock and Saron Rice) anchors the post-Renaissance group. Frenchtown Farms was founded in 2015 by Aaron and Cara Mockrish, who began apprenticing with Beinstock at Clos Saron and made four barrels from that vintage. The Mockrishes now lease 33 acres of land from the Fellowship and use a flock of sheep for weed control, providing fruit to Beinstock at Clos Saron and to Dani Rozman at La Onda, the third producer in the small Oregon House cluster. The combination of Clos Saron, Frenchtown Farms, and La Onda functions as the contemporary stewardship of the Renaissance terraces and continues to produce wines from the remaining 33 acres of decomposed-granite hillside plantings, though under separate labels rather than under the Renaissance name.

• Fellowship of Friends effectively shut down Renaissance Vineyard & Winery operations in 2015
• Approximately 33 acres of vines remain of the original 365
• Clos Saron (Gideon Beinstock, Saron Rice) anchors the post-Renaissance producer group
• Frenchtown Farms (Aaron and Cara Mockrish): founded 2015 after apprenticing with Beinstock; lease 33 acres from the Fellowship
• La Onda (Dani Rozman) joins Clos Saron and Frenchtown Farms in farming the remaining vines
• Contemporary stewardship continues to produce wines from the remaining Renaissance terraces under separate labels