In addition to making some of my favorite wines from California, New Orleans native Brent Mayeaux is also one of the most vocal advocates for American natural wine and transparency is at the forefront of what he does in his Treasure Island winery. Having moved his winemaking operation from Santa Cruz to Treasure Island just a couple of years ago, Brent has been farming parcels on-and-off for a few years, and works closely with growers he buys grapes from as well. Once the fruit is in the winery, it sees one of any number of vinification methods depending on the vintage and Brent’s intuition.

The first wine I tasted from Stagiaire was a Sauvignon Blanc that was poured for me “blind,” meaning I didn’t know what it was. Everyone I worked with assumed it was French and none of us guessed Sauvignon Blanc. That wine will stick out in my memory for a long time as one that shifted my perspective further into the “wine from anywhere can be good when the fruit is well-farmed and the winemaking is careful and intentional” camp. -DJ

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