Sold Out
Stagiaire Wine

Sea Shells She Sells 2018

Price: $32.95
Enter your email address below to be notified when this product is back in stock.
Tasting notes

This is Sauvignon Blanc stripped of any California excess — phylloxera-stressed vines on a dry-farmed, no-till site produce tiny clusters that ferment and age on full lees for nearly a year, yielding a wine with mineral grip and a savory, textured finish. Poured blind, tasters consistently assume it is French. That is the point.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
GooseberryLemon PeelHayFlint
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied white; 100% Sauvignon Blanc; mineral and textured; 12.5% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Sauvignon Blanc; Feliz Creek vineyard, west of Hopland, Mendocino AVA; organic, dry-farmed, no-till; alluvial and loamy creek soils; phylloxera-stressed old vines
  • Winemaking: Direct press; barrel fermented; aged on full lees ~12 months; zero sulfur; nothing added or removed
  • Serving: Serve at 50-54F; can open immediately or hold 1-2 years
  • Pairing: Oysters, clams, crab, grilled whole fish, soft-rind cheese, herb-dressed seafood salads
  • Similar To: For fans of Muscadet sur lie or Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc who want a California expression with real mineral tension

Sea Shells She Sells is 100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from the Feliz Creek vineyard, located just west of Hopland in Mendocino County. The vines are organically farmed, dry-farmed, and no-till — and are actively dying from phylloxera. That stress translates directly into the wine: tiny clusters, low yields, and deeply concentrated fruit.

The 2018 was direct pressed and barrel fermented, then aged on full lees for nearly 12 months. No additions, no sulfur — a true zero-zero wine. The lees aging adds weight and texture to what could otherwise be a lean, angular variety, while the phylloxera-stressed fruit contributes a tautness and mineral precision rarely found in California Sauvignon Blanc.

Winemaker Brent Mayeaux returned to California in 2018 after stints in France and Australia, where he worked with natural wine producers including Philippe Bonard in the Jura. That European sensibility — letting the vineyard lead, intervening as little as possible — defines how he approaches every bottle.

Hopland sits in the warmer, inland portion of Mendocino County, where alluvial and loamy soils run along creek corridors and diurnal temperature swings of up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit preserve natural acidity. The Sanel Valley, which encompasses Hopland, falls under the broader Mendocino AVA.

Works well with shellfish — oysters, littleneck clams, or a simple crab salad dressed with lemon. The lees texture makes it a good match for soft-rind cheeses like Camembert. Try it alongside grilled whole fish with herbs.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, White Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Sauvignon Blanc
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 12.5%
Country:, USA
Region:, Mendocino
Appellation:, Mendocino AVA
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Stagiaire Wine

Stagiaire Wine is the project of New Orleans native Brent Mayeaux. The name references the apprenticeship period — stagiaire — Mayeaux spent at wineries across California, Australia, and France early in his career. Formative experiences with Philippe Bonard in the Jura and Gareth Belton of Gentle Folk in the Adelaide Hills turned his focus toward natural winemaking. He returned to California in 2018 with a European sensibility around the primacy of vineyard over cellar.

Mayeaux initially farmed his own parcels across northern California before shifting in 2021 toward a negociant model, sourcing from organically and regeneratively farmed vineyards he works with closely. His winery was originally based in Santa Cruz before relocating to a former industrial space on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. He works with vineyards that are baseline organic or actively pursuing low-intervention farming practices.

Stagiaire wines are made without additions or removals — no added sulfur, no fining, no commercial yeast. The 2018 Sea Shells She Sells was direct pressed and barrel fermented, then aged on full lees for nearly 12 months. Winemaking decisions shift vintage to vintage based on what the fruit requires, but the zero-zero approach remains constant.

Wine region

Mendocino, USA

Mendocino County sits north of Sonoma along California's North Coast and encompasses 13 designated AVAs ranging from the cool, fog-driven Anderson Valley in the west to the warmer inland valleys around Ukiah and Hopland to the east. Hopland lies in the Sanel Valley within the broader Mendocino AVA, where the climate is sunnier and warmer than the coastal appellations, with diurnal temperature swings of up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the growing season. Soils in the Hopland corridor are primarily alluvial and loamy along creek drainages, with deeper alluvial deposits on valley floors.

Mendocino has the highest concentration of certified organic vineyards of any California wine region, with over 25 percent of acreage organically certified. The county's 13 AVAs support a wide range of varieties: Anderson Valley is best known for Pinot Noir and sparkling wine; inland areas around Hopland and Redwood Valley favor Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Carignan, and Sauvignon Blanc. Winemaking in the county dates to Italian immigrant settlers of the mid-1800s, many of whom planted the old-vine Carignan and Zinfandel blocks still farmed today.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

This collection features our best selling natural wine from all around the world. It's the best place to start you natural wine journey! Browse one of the largest selections of natural wine available online in the United States.

Primal Wine Natural Wine Club is the best way to discover natural wine. Let us do the heavy-lifting, sit back, and relax. We will send you an ever-changing selection of natural wine made by top producers from around the world.

Our customers love Primal

I'm just copying and pasting from the hundreds messages we received, no pseudo reviews!
Erin C.

We love our membership so far and can't wait until our next shipment.

Jennifer B.

A note to say that we are loving the tasting notes sheet you’re sending!

James S.

I'm really happy to find Primal – your selections are terrific. 

Samuel M.

Love your company, always a great wine selection. 

Chelsea V.

I love what you guys do!

What Is | Primal Wine

What is natural wine?

Natural wine is a type of wine made in small batches from organic or biodynamic grapes with minimal intervention.
What Is Biodynamic Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is Biodynamics?

Biodynamic wine is wine made from grapes farmed biodynamically. Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach.
What Is Organic Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is organic wine?

Organic wine is made with grapes farmed organically. Organic farming is an alternative to conventional farming.
What Is Vegan Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is vegan wine?

Vegan wine is wine made without using animal products during the fining phase of the clarification process.