2016 marks the vintage I packed my tools and notebooks and moved the Pentimento project to another property.

Sometimes circumstances align in a way that make clear minded thinking easier. Pots boil, and pots boil over. Nobody likes to make a mess while they’re cooking. And at the moment your gut feelings kick in, very loudly telling you: “there has got to be more than this" — that’s when growth is possible.

One of my favorite professors at UC Davis had this quote on his office door: "Where there is chaos, there is opportunity.” For him, this was a reference to some physics principle I didn’t understand at the time, which was why I was sitting outside his office, waiting for extra help 4 afternoons a week. Staring at quotes taped to his door was my standard waiting game. The point is, it’s easy to get discombobulated and nervous when things don’t seem right, but the older I get, I have learned to look for the stepping stones amidst the clutter and the filth. In 2015, I saw an opportunity developing that would allow me to take what I had begun, making Pentimento over the years 2008 – 2014, and transition the entire production, with all my ideas, to a place where, very simply, I could make better wine.

Ever the present student, I listened to my mentor, Stéphane Derenoncourt and the people around me in France with whom I’ve been working and learning from since 2004. Simon Blanchard, Frédéric Massie and Julien Lavenu have been advising me since the day I showed up as a post graduate intern. I had only 2 French words that I could pronounce correctly: "Michele" and "D’Aprix". Nevermind their talent as teachers and winemakers; these men became trusted friends; their patience was and is worthy of the saints. This many years later, I never hesitate to consult them on even the smallest of details. I take a lot of pride in the fact that my most useful skill is the ability to identify who the smart people are in the room, and listen to them.

All around, taking my project to Côtes de Castillon is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made professionally, because I am now working alongside a family who spends the entire year working in their vineyard, fully engaged in the daily process of what is required to be vineyard owners and winemakers. They are Séverine, Philippe, Aurélien and Flavie. And their home is known as Manoir du Gravoux.

As it turns out, Côtes de Castillon is a place that has advantages terroir-wise and wine-wise, but it also serves as a metaphor for all the good things that come from not being afraid to make decisions. Plus Stéphane’s home and vineyard, Domaine de L’A, is right next door.