Garagiste was founded in 2006 by Barnaby Flanders as a small, grower-focused Mornington Peninsula label built on purchased and leased parcels of top sites. Le Stagiaire is the estate's more approachable tier, though it is drawn from the same benchmark vineyards. The 2024 blend leans on Garagiste's Merricks North planting, home to thirty-year-old Dijon clones (40%), with fruit from Barney's at Balnarring (44%), Red Hill (10%) and Merricks Grove (6%). Balnarring, Red Hill and Merricks Grove are MV6, lending structure and power, while Merricks North's Dijon 114 and 115 add plushness and perfume. Sites are farmed sustainably across the cool, maritime Peninsula.

After sorting in the vineyard and again at the winery, spontaneous fermentations took place in concrete and stainless steel. Whole berries dominated, complemented by a 5% whole-bunch component for lift and spice. The fruit spent around 21 days on skins with gentle pump-overs and a little plunging towards the end of ferment. After pressing, the wine matured on its lees in 300-litre hogsheads for seven months, with just 5% new oak so that fruit and site drive the wine. It was bottled without fining or filtration, giving a bright, perfumed grower-style Mornington Pinot with red berries, spice and a fine mineral line.