2021 Stagiaire ‘Consistency in Chaos’ Cuatro Esquinas Syrah, Sonoma Valley Terrestrial

I love working with my friends. Working with my friend Dave Rothschild (ex Sonoma Mountain Winery) as he grows his Sonoma  grape and vineyard management operation has been super inspiring. To source grapes from someone that is just as nerdy as I  am about viticulture, that I trust, that I can be myself with, that I can party with… it is honestly better for me than growing the  grapes myself. This was the first fruit I got from Dave. In 2022, I got Chardonnay and Merlot as well. Moving forward he is going  to be a big part of the Stagiaire program. 

Syrah from a plot planted by Phil Coturri in the 90s. I dont know what the soil is. Ask Dave. Honestly the vineyard has very little  sex appeal. South of the town of sonoma. On the valley floor, so cooler, and with more fog influence(which somms love to talk  about… the fog getting sucked up the valley yada yada… but realistically the fog influence on Napa and Sonoma in the last few  dry years has been very minimal :/) But is a lesson for me, that as much as grapes love a view, there are still great vineyards  producing great wines in nondescript locations. Don’t judge a book by its cover I guess. 

Somehow I am good in a crisis. It became apparent recently in conversation with a friend and then later in an actually crisis with that friend. And by ‘somehow’ I mean just by existing as a small agricultural business in california in the times of climate  change. Wine making is managing chaos. I am not in control. I do everything I can to expect it and prepare for it, and every year  shows me new ways I could never have dreamed of having my shit rocked. I love it. 

33% Whole Cluster. 33% destemmed on top. 33% direct-pressed over the rest. 3 weeks infusion. It really tastes like some fancy  Syrah which is what you want I guess. Fruit kinda in the purply and blue spectrum. There is a brightness to it’s darkness. Thin  mint girlscout cookies with their cooling breeze effect. Sappy herbs. That good blood thing that turns to the meaty side on day two. I won’t compare this to a french or rhone style wine… bc well it isn’t really standing out as an of them regionally or by  producer to me. But some people have said Cornas when tasting. Some have said Beauger. Some have said Stagiaire. It’s from  California.

– Stagiaire