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Gearhead Wines

Electric Cool Aid 2019

Price: $26.95
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Tasting notes

Blending a Southern Rhône red (Counoise) with a high-acid white (Picpoul Blanc) into a pét-nat rosé is the kind of move that only works when the fruit is right — and here it does, delivering rhubarb, fresh candy, and a saline citrus snap with a persistent fine fizz. At 12.5% ABV, it drinks like sparkling water with personality. This is a zero-zero wine: no fining, no filtration, no added sulfites.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
RhubarbCandied FruitLemon PeelWild Strawberry
  • Style: Pét-nat rosé; 70% Counoise, 30% Picpoul Blanc; Mendocino County; organic; zero added sulfites; 12.5% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 70% Counoise, 30% Picpoul Blanc; CCOF-certified organic Mendocino County fruit; warm inland valley sites with high diurnal temperature variation
  • Winemaking: Pétillant naturel; natural in-bottle fermentation; foot tread; carbonic maceration used across portfolio; unfined, unfiltered, zero added sulfites
  • Serving: Serve well-chilled (40-45°F); no decanting needed; open carefully — active pét-nat
  • Pairing: Raw oysters, grilled sardines, fried seafood, charcuterie, radish and herb salads
  • Similar To: For fans of Ancestral-method pét-nats and Loire Valley pétillant naturel rosés who want a California Rhône-grape take

Electric Cool Aid is a pétillant naturel rosé made by Craig West of Gearhead Wines from a blend of 70% Counoise and 30% Picpoul Blanc sourced from organically farmed vineyards in Mendocino County. Counoise is a Southern Rhône blending grape that retains bright acidity even at full ripeness; Picpoul Blanc, also from the Southern Rhône and Languedoc, is one of California's rarest white varieties, known for its sharp, saline acidity. The combination of a red and a white grape in a single pét-nat is classic Gearhead — unconventional on paper, completely coherent in the glass.

The wine is made pétillant naturel, meaning fermentation is completed inside the sealed bottle, trapping natural CO2 without any added carbonation or dosage. It is unfined, unfiltered, and bottled with zero added sulfites. Craig West makes wine at the Richmond facility of Noel Diaz (Purity Wine), who introduced him to winemaking. West uses foot treading and, across his portfolio, frequently employs carbonic maceration to keep wines light and fruit-driven.

In the glass, Electric Cool Aid shows a pale salmon color with persistent light effervescence. The nose leads with rhubarb and candy — the Counoise contributing red-fruited brightness, the Picpoul Blanc adding a citrus snap and saline edge. The palate is dry, fresh, and light-bodied, with the bubbles amplifying the wine's acidity and making it extremely easy to drink cold.

Mendocino County is California's leading region for certified organic viticulture, with roughly 25% of its vineyard acreage farmed organically. The county's inland valleys — where heat-loving Rhône varieties like Counoise thrive — sit east of the Mendocino Range, sheltered from direct Pacific influence, with warm days and significant diurnal temperature swings that preserve acidity at harvest.

Serve well-chilled alongside raw oysters, grilled sardines, or a simple salad of radishes and herbs. The wine's acidity and effervescence cut through anything salty or fatty — it works equally well with charcuterie or fried foods. Drink young and cold; this is not a wine for cellaring.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Sparkling Wine
Wine Style:, Sparkling
Grapes:, Counoise, Picpoul Blanc
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2019
Alcohol:, 12.5%
Country:, United States
Region:, Mendocino County
Appellation:, Mendocino County
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

Gearhead Wines

Gearhead Wines is the project of Craig West, who is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. West grew up in Orange County, California, and before wine he worked as a fisherman and as a baker for Acme Bread in the Bay Area. His entry into winemaking came in 2016 when Noel Diaz of Purity Wine invited him to tread grapes in a 48-gallon open-top fermenter. West made his first vintage that year in his garage while keeping his other jobs. He now produces small lots — often just a few dozen cases per wine — at Noel Diaz's facility in Richmond, California.

West sources all of his fruit from organically farmed vineyards across Northern California, purchasing grapes rather than farming his own. His go-to sources include CCOF-certified sites such as Lolonis Vineyard in Mendocino and Love Ranch Vineyard near Yosemite (Madera County). Across the Gearhead portfolio, West uses foot treading, frequently applies carbonic maceration, and adds no sulfur at any stage. All wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Electric Cool Aid is made pétillant naturel: the wine is bottled before fermentation is fully complete, and the CO2 produced by the remaining yeast activity is trapped in the bottle, creating natural effervescence. There is no dosage, no added carbonation, and no added sulfites. The 70% Counoise provides the rosé color and red fruit character; the 30% Picpoul Blanc contributes high acidity and a saline, citrus edge. Production is tiny — typical of the Gearhead label.

Wine region

Mendocino County, United States

Mendocino County sits in the northwestern corner of California's North Coast AVA, directly north of Sonoma County. The Mendocino Range divides the county into two distinct climate zones. To the west, coastal valleys like Anderson Valley receive Pacific fog and cool breezes that run along the Navarro River corridor, favoring Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and aromatic whites. To the east, inland valleys around Ukiah and Hopland are shielded from that marine influence and see warm to hot growing seasons — Region III on the Winkler scale — with diurnal temperature swings of up to 50°F that help grapes retain acidity even as sugars climb. Vineyard soils range from deep alluvial on valley floors near the Russian and Navarro Rivers to thin gravelly loam and scree on hillside sites.

Mendocino County holds twelve designated AVAs as of 2024, including Anderson Valley, Redwood Valley, Potter Valley, McDowell Valley, and Mendocino Ridge, among others. The inland eastern valleys favor heat-loving varieties: Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignan, and increasingly Southern Rhône grapes like Counoise, which thrives in warm conditions and retains acidity late into the season. Approximately 25% of the county's vineyard acreage is certified organic — the highest proportion of any wine-growing county in California and accounting for roughly one-third of all certified organic vineyard land in the state. Frey Vineyards in Redwood Valley was the first certified-organic winery in the United States.

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.

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