Meet Your Farmer – Plaisance Ranch, By Linda Davis

Plaisance Ranch

Plaisance Ranch, owned by Joe and Suzi Ginet, is located on 210 pastoral acres, nestled in the mountains of Williams, bordered by Williams Creek.

The ranch has a rich history.  The first Joseph Ginet was born in the French Alps.  His family owned vineyards. Joseph came to America looking for a place to start his own vineyard.   In 1898, he started a vineyard outside of the town of Jacksonville using grape cuttings from the family vineyard in the French Alps.  Joseph called his business Plaisance Orchard, where he raised and sold wine, fruit and grape plants.  It wasn’t until the third generation of Ginets that Joseph’s grandson, Joe, resurrected the winemaking business.

Joe and Suzi Ginet and Cooper

Both Joe and Suzi are locals:  Joe grew up in the Applegate and Suzi in Grants Pass.  They dated in high school.  Joe graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Animal Science and Chemistry.  In 1972, he returned to France to his family’s vineyards. In the 1990s, Joe and Suzi started growing their vineyard using grape cuttings from France.  Then, in 1996, Joe’s cousins came from France to teach the Ginets how to further develop the vineyard and nursery operations. Plaisance Ranch became a certified nursery block, using plant materials from registered stock.  Only two facilities in the United States (UC Davis and Cornell University) provide registered stock for sale.

In the beginning, Joe and Suzi Ginet had a large dairy farm.  After 35 years of dairy farming, in 2004, tired of the 24-hour working days, they sold the cows, renovated the ranch facilities, and began raising grass fed beef, along with winemaking.

Today, Plaisance Ranch has 150 cattle roaming on 151 acres of organic pasture.  The cattle are Angus, cross-bred with various French cattle breeds.  There are 50 mother cows, 50 yearlings, 50 babies and 1 bull.  When the cattle are approximately 30 months old, they are taken to a USDA certified organic humane facility (Mohawk) in Springfield, Oregon.  The cattle are slaughtered, and the beef is prepared and packaged.  Plaisance Ranch sells many varieties of organic beef including 15 types of steaks, 6  different roasts, and miscellaneous cuts such as ground beef, stew, ribs, hot dogs and jerky.

Plaisance Ranch is known for the quality of its wines.  The wines are produced in a Salmon Safe certified vineyard.  We sampled the delicious wines at the Tasting Room- yum!  Wines for sale include Rouge Prestige, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Merlot, Ranch Red, Syrah, White Blend Viognier, Ginet Rose, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon.  Joe Ginet is the current President of the Applegate Vintners Association.

Tasting Room

Joe and Suzi also offer Oregon Certified Grape vines.  They sell grafted and own-rooted vines and will help a vintner choose which rootstock is best suited to soils and climate conditions.  The ranch produces between 20,000 to 50,000 grafts annually for sale to other ranchers.  Wood (part of the grape vine) is also sold to nurseries in California.  Last year, the ranch sold 150,000 sticks of wood.

Both the Ginets are committed to Buy Local Buy Rogue and to sustainability.  They buy local produce and other goods at the Ashland, Medford and Grants Pass Farmer’s Markets.  Their drip and sprinkler irrigation system pumps water out of Williams Creek.  Soon, the Ranch will use solar power to minimize electricity.  To maximize the beneficial insects, Joe mows every other row of grass.  This allows the beneficial insects to live longer, so they can work to destroy the bad insects.

Plaisance Ranch is located at 16955 Water Gap Road.  You can visit the Farm Store and Tasting Room, open from 12:00 to 6:00 pm (closed Tuesdays).  Meet Cooper, the family dog, and Edna and Patty, the pet goats.  You can buy Plaisance Ranch beef, wine and other products at the Farm Store and Tasting Room or you can call Joe or Suzi at (541) 846-7175 or email them at info@plaisanceranch.com.   During the spring, summer and fall Plaisance ranch beef and wines can be purchased at the Farmers Markets in Ashland, Medford and Grants Pass.

For some good music and a delicious catered, local dinner come to the monthly Happenings at Plaisance Ranch.  The next event is Wine Down on March 30^th.  See you there!

Linda Davis

Linda Davis moved to Jacksonville three years ago, with her husband Tom and her dog Ellie. As a retiree, she loves Jacksonville and is passionate about supporting local businesses.  Linda is a Thrive Board Member and volunteer.  Previously, in her work life, Linda was a rail safety consultant.