Stagiaire - 'It's Dangerous to Go Alone' - Merlot+ - Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma, CA - 2022

Notes from the Winery/Importer

Merlot from the famous Sonoma Mountain site that Nic Coturri sourced fruit from back in the day. Farmed by my buddy David that used to be a part of that project. Picked on the early side. Kind of a long story, but just part of the funny magic of harvest chaos. So often winemaking decisions are marketed as divine intervention(but minimal), the dictations of terroir(not real?), or genius. Generally, and in a rather unsexy way, it boils down to scheduling, logistics, and which tank you have available that can fit x tons of grapes in it Short whole cluster maceration infusion. The free run went into Dangerous’ sibling cuvee Cheeky Bisous which was fleshed out with a splash of Sav Blanc. Here, the press wine was seasoned with a dash of Syrah to broaden and balance things out and add some spice. A slow fermenter. The yeast went on holiday as soon as the wine went to barrel and it took almost a year to finish up the last bit of sugar. I was never quite certain where the wine was going, and frankly still have no clue, but it feels very good, and people that have tasted through these new wines have been surprisingly(to me) really attracted to this cuvee. It has the juicy lip smacking acid goodness of the glou with some structure and fruit density to be garde.

Notes on the Producer

‘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 pursuit of knowledge. I work with vineyards that are organic at a minimum, actively seeking thoughtfull and regenerative practices instead of recipe farming. Most importantly I want to work with good people that are trying to farm with nature instead of against it. Starting in 2020 I am farming a few parcels of my own. If we have good grapes, why add anything to them in the cellar?