Stagiaire "Shadows on a Hill" 2023 Chardonnay Petaluma Gap AVA

Sourced from an old south facing Schramsberg site in Marin County that Brent farms with David Rothschild (Marioni Wines). Grapes were pressed whole-cluster into a mix of steel tank and old barrel before being racked together to rest in wood.

Stagiaire - the French word for apprentice and what the winemaker I worked for in Jura called me when other local vigneron asked who the hell the guy speaking really bad French was. 

The name encapsulates humility, impermanence, and the never-ending pursuit of knowledge and improvement.

Vines are farmed beyond organically (kind of a low bar); I actively pursue thoughtful and regenerative practices instead of recipe farming. Most importantly I want to work with good people that are trying to farm in line with nature, instead of against it.

Vineyards are predominantly situated in a narrow strip of the California coast from Santa Cruz up to West County Sonoma. The confluence of the cold Pacific waters and the elevation of coastal mountain ranges produce real magic.

If we have good grapes, why add anything to them in the cellar?