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Tony Coturri

Saturnalia 2018

Price: $39.95
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Tasting notes

Coturri's Saturnalia is a study in what California red wine looks like without intervention: ripe dark fruit and earth with no cosmetic polish, no added sulfur, and no filtration. The Merlot rounds out the structure of the Cabernet Sauvignon, and the volcanic soils of Sonoma Mountain give the wine a dry, mineral backbone that keeps it honest.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
PlumBlack CherryEarthTobacco
  • Style: Dry, full-bodied red blend; Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon; organic, pesticide-free fruit; Sonoma Mountain AVA
  • Grapes & Terroir: Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon; organically farmed; volcanic-based, well-draining soils; Sonoma Mountain, above 400 ft elevation
  • Winemaking: Native yeast fermentation; aged in oak barrels; no fining, no filtration, zero sulfur additions
  • Serving: Serve at 62-66F; 30-45 min decant recommended to open up the fruit
  • Pairing: Grilled lamb, braised short ribs, mushroom stew, aged hard cheese
  • Similar To: For fans of structured, no-additive California reds with real terroir character and no winemaker gloss

Saturnalia is a red blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on organically farmed vineyards in Sonoma, California. The grapes are hand harvested, fermented with native yeasts, and bottled with no fining, no filtration, and zero sulfur additions at any point in the process. This is Tony Coturri's approach in its purest form: nothing added, nothing taken away.

Coturri sources fruit exclusively from vineyards free of pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. The winery sits on Sonoma Mountain above Glen Ellen in the Valley of the Moon, where volcanic-based, well-draining soils and a thermal belt climate moderate temperatures during the growing season, producing grapes with both ripeness and natural acidity.

Coturri wines age in oak barrels and are bottled when Tony deems them ready. With no preservatives and no stabilization, the wine evolves in bottle and rewards those who store it properly. Expect the deep, fruit-driven character typical of Sonoma Mountain reds, grounded by earthy structure and a dry, honest finish.

Serve alongside grilled lamb chops, braised short ribs, or a mushroom and lentil stew. The wine's dry fruit and earthy character also work well with aged hard cheeses like aged cheddar or Manchego. Avoid very light dishes; this wine wants food with weight.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Full Body
Grapes:, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, N/A
Country:, USA
Region:, Sonoma
Appellation:, Sonoma Mountain 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

Tony Coturri

Coturri Winery was founded in 1979 by Harry 'Red' Coturri and his sons Tony and Phil, on Sonoma Mountain above Glen Ellen, California. The family's winemaking roots go back further: Red learned to make wine during Prohibition from his father Enrico, who immigrated to America from the village of Farneta, Italy in 1901. The family planted two acres of vines in 1967 and added another five acres in 1975 before formally establishing the winery. Tony has been making wine since 1964 and is now a third-generation winemaker apprenticing his son Nic in the same traditions.

The Coturri estate vineyard is dry-farmed and head-pruned in the traditional Italian goblet style. The winery has never used grapes treated with pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides, and sources exclusively from organic vineyards. This commitment predates the modern natural wine movement and was born from the family's conviction that chemical inputs damaged both the land and the wine.

Every Coturri wine is made with native yeast fermentation, aged in oak barrels, and bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with no sulfur added at any stage. There are no additives of any kind. Tony Coturri resisted pressure from critics and markets to conform to a more interventionist style, and has been widely recognized as one of the pioneers of natural winemaking in California.

Wine region

Sonoma, USA

Sonoma Mountain is an AVA established in 1985, situated on the western edge of the Valley of the Moon above the town of Glen Ellen. Vineyards sit between 400 and 2,400 feet above sea level, placing them above the fog that blankets the valley floor. The mountain's thermal belt phenomenon moderates temperature extremes during the growing season, producing lower maximum temperatures and higher minimum temperatures than the valley below, which extends hang time and builds complexity in the fruit.

Soils on Sonoma Mountain are predominantly volcanic in origin, made up of old lava flows and ash deposits that are thin, rocky, and free-draining. These low-fertility soils stress the vines and produce small yields of concentrated fruit. The AVA is notably versatile: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir are all grown successfully within its boundaries, a rare combination for a single American appellation.

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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