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Old World Winery

L'Aureate Chardonnay 2019

Price: $29.95
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Tasting notes

This is a skin-contact Chardonnay that delivers grapefruit, grilled pineapple, and a subtle yeasty texture without tipping into oxidative or heavy territory. The 48-hour maceration gives enough grip and amber hue to read as orange wine while keeping the acidity sharp and the finish clean.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
GrapefruitPineappleBriocheWhite Peach
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied orange wine; 48-hour skin contact; bright and textural; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Chardonnay; Nagomi Vineyard, Russian River Valley; silty loam soils; biodynamic and regenerative farming; dry-farmed
  • Winemaking: Whole-cluster foot-stomped; 48-hour skin contact; native yeast fermentation; aged sur lie in neutral oak; unfined and unfiltered; SO2 below 30 ppm
  • Serving: Serve at 50-55F; suitable as an aperitif or with food
  • Pairing: Sushi, ceviche, lemony pasta, soft-ripened cheese, spanakopita, roasted cauliflower
  • Similar To: For fans of textural whites and entry-level orange wines who want a Chardonnay with grip and acidity rather than weight

L'Aureate is a skin-contact Chardonnay from Old World Winery's Nagomi Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, Sonoma County. The grapes are whole-cluster foot-stomped and allowed 48 hours of skin contact before spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts. The wine is then aged in neutral oak barrels, remaining on the lees the entire time without racking, and bottled unfined and unfiltered with total sulfur below 30 ppm.

Winemaker Darek Trowbridge farms the Nagomi Vineyard regeneratively and dry-farms vines on silty loam soils similar in composition to the Goldridge soils found near Sebastopol. No temperature control, commercial yeasts, enzymes, or new oak are used at any point in the cellar. The result is a wine that reflects the vineyard and vintage without correction or manipulation.

On the palate, L'Aureate is bright and crisp with a textural grip from the skin contact, tropical fruit character, and a light savory, yeasty edge. It drinks closer to a structured white than a deeply tannic orange wine, making it approachable for those exploring skin-contact styles for the first time.

L'Aureate works well with dishes that have some acidity or fat to match its texture: think sushi, ceviche, or a lemony pasta with ricotta. The savory, slightly yeasty quality makes it a natural match for soft-ripened cheeses and vegetable dishes like spanakopita or roasted cauliflower.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Orange Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Chardonnay
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2019
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, USA
Region:, Russian River Valley
Appellation:, Russian River Valley 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

Old World Winery

Old World Winery is a family-owned operation based in the Russian River Valley, Sonoma County. Proprietor and winemaker Darek Trowbridge is a fourth-generation grape grower whose family history in Sonoma dates back over 120 years, with ties to the Martinelli family. He learned traditional farming and winemaking practices from his grandfather, Lino Martinelli, and has worked in vineyard management and natural winemaking for more than 20 years.

The estate farms biodynamically and regeneratively, with dry-farmed vines over 100 years old. Trowbridge applies composted mulch under the vines to build soil microbiology and organic matter, and avoids synthetic chemicals entirely. Vineyards include old-vine field blends and rare varieties such as Abouriou alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

In the cellar, Trowbridge uses no commercial yeasts, no temperature control, no enzyme additions, and no new oak. All crushing is done by foot. Wines are fermented spontaneously, aged on the lees in neutral vessels, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Sulfur additions, when used, are kept below 30 ppm total.

Wine region

Russian River Valley, USA

The Russian River Valley AVA sits within Sonoma County, roughly between Sebastopol and Santa Rosa in the south and Forestville and Healdsburg in the north. The valley sits as close as eight miles from the Pacific Ocean, and the Russian River itself acts as a fog corridor, pulling marine air inland and holding it through late morning. This produces one of California's longest and coolest growing seasons, with significant diurnal temperature swings that preserve acidity in the grapes.

The dominant soil type in many of the appellation's most recognized vineyard blocks is Goldridge fine sandy loam, a well-drained loamy sandstone formed from ancient volcanic ash deposits. The AVA also includes Sebastopol clay loam and alluvial bench soils closer to the river. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the most widely planted varieties, and Chardonnay accounts for roughly half of all plantings in the AVA. Two sub-AVAs exist within the boundaries: Green Valley of Russian River Valley to the southwest, one of the coolest and foggiest zones in Sonoma, and Chalk Hill to the northeast, which is warmer with volcanic ash-rich soils.

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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