2023 Stagiaire 'Shadow's on a Hill' Chardonnay

I’ve been moving myself and Stagiaire more and more out to the coast in the last years. Living in Bolinas now, I’m digging deep into the largely unknown extreme viticulture of Marin County and the Petaluma Gap appellation. Cold growing seasons, fog, lots of WIND. Challenging farming for sure, but thats what we all expect from the regions producing the most compelling wines.

The largest buyer of Marin County grapes seems to be Schramsberg from what I can tell, putting these high acid and low alcohol grapes to work in their sparkling wines. This vineyard was an old Schramsberg site that I’m helping to rehab with the owner and my good friend David Rothschild. South facing slope catches the sun and tempers against the oppressive wind. Yields are less than 2 tons to the acre. 

White wine making… there isnt much to say. We pressed the grapes. Some fermented in barrel and a portion fermented in tank before going to old oak for aging. Some people have brought up my time spent working in Jura when they taste this wine. I get what they are seeing, but I like to think this is just what California produces when we push farming to the edge. 

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