Mon Trajet
"It is the journey, more than the destination, that matters."
Mon Trajet: Moan Trah-Zhay literally my path or journey
Here's my story - Voici mon histoire:
When I was 16, my parents sent me to France to study the beautiful culture of its food and wine. Their good friend Jean-Claude Vrinat owned the 3-star Michelin Taillevant in Paris, and he arranged a stage (internship) for me in the kitchen cutting haricots verts (string beans) to a specific measurement all day long. I didn’t mind the monotony of the task, since it was inevitably followed by the opportunity to eat well and taste wines a helluva lot sooner than would have been the case back home. I was exposed to many beautiful French wines, but I was most fascinated by the white Burgundies. The Chardonnay grape quickly became my passion.
Fast forward 5 years...In the late 80's I worked for a large California winery, overseeing its global distribution network. I learned that 80% of the Chardonnay grown in the state was produced from its own Wente clone. As I became increasingly discerning about the varietal, I seldom discovered a California Chardonnay that met my palate preference for Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Grand Cru Chablis-style wines. I was struck by the exceptional minerality of these wines, the purity of the fruit when not overshadowed by excessive oak aging. I tried every highly rated California Chardonnay and simply could not come to terms with them. There was an uncanny homogeneous nature to most of them. I became obsessed with the idea of producing a Burgundian-style Chardonnay in California that a) would set a new standard for this grape variety, b) could age gracefully and c) I would enjoy drinking!
Over the past several years, we searched for an appellation with the soil and climate conditions that could produce the fruit we needed. We settled on the Sta. Rita Hills AVA (Santa Ynez valley) in northwestern Santa Barbara County. We knew the limestone deposits in the soil and the influence of the Pacific Ocean were ideal; we contracted with Bentrock Vineyard (clones 76 & 95), owned by the Screaming Eagle partners.
The 2021 harvest yielded approximately 5 tons of gorgeous fruit, picked at just under 24 brix. We are fermenting and aging the inaugural vintage of Mon Trajet in a combination of a 170-gallon concrete egg (22%), stainless steel barrels (8%) and neutral oak barrels (70%) for 12 months. We will stir the lees monthly during the primary and secondary fermentations, then flash, for a few months only, a portion of the blend in Remond new French oak. We will release the v2021, 240 cases, in early 2023.
Mon Trajet is not your grandfather’s Chardonnay! Much like the very small plots in Burgundy (i.e. Montrachet 7.99 hectares, Batard-Montrachet 11.86 hectares, Chevalier-Montrachet 7.36 hectares) our vineyard is incredibly special; the wine produced from it will raise the bar for California Chardonnay...You will not be disappointed!
My journey has been a long one; and I continue to relive the innocent joy of discovering Chardonnay in Paris as a 16-year-old while pursuing my dream of showcasing this amazing varietal - done right in California!
Please download and complete the order form to reserve your 6-bottle allocation of Mon Trajet.
