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Vin de California

VDC Arrakis 2019

Price: $26.95
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Tasting notes

Arrakis does something unusual: it uses Chardonnay as a blending component in a red wine, pulling the Pinot Noir toward citrus and mineral territory instead of dark fruit. The result is a pale, high-acid red that genuinely rewards a chill, with cherry-berry fruit, a squeeze of citrus, and a stony finish.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
CherryBlood OrangeMineralWildflowers
  • Style: Light-bodied natural red blend; bright cherry and citrus; high acidity; serve chilled
  • Grapes & Terroir: 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay; organic fruit; Santa Barbara County, Central Coast AVA
  • Winemaking: Separate native yeast fermentations; varietals aged apart; blended before bottling; unfined, unfiltered
  • Serving: Serve at 50-55F; no decant needed; drink now
  • Pairing: Grilled salmon, fresh chevre, charcuterie, tomato salad, grain salads
  • Similar To: For fans of chillable Gamay and light Pinot Noir who want something genre-bending

Arrakis is a 50/50 blend of organically farmed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sourced from Santa Barbara County, bottled under the Central Coast AVA. The two varieties are fermented separately with native yeasts, aged apart, then blended just before bottling. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.

The blend reads as a red wine but carries real tension from the Chardonnay component. Expect bright cherry and red berry fruit from the Pinot Noir alongside citrus and mineral notes contributed by the Chardonnay. Tannins are minimal, acidity is lively, and the whole thing is designed to be served with a chill on it.

This is a low-intervention bottling in the fullest sense: no additions, no fining agents, no filtration. The name references Frank Herbert's fictional desert planet from Dune, which fits the project's offbeat, pop-culture-inflected identity.

Serve chilled alongside grilled salmon, a simple tomato salad, or a cheese board anchored by fresh chevre. The wine's acidity and light body also make it a solid match for charcuterie or lightly dressed grain salads.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2019
Alcohol:, N/A
Country:, United States
Region:, Central Coast
Appellation:, Central Coast 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

Vin de California

Vin de California was founded in 2016 in Los Angeles by Kate and Adam Vourvoulis. Adam built an audience through the natural wine meme account @natural_whine on Instagram and co-hosted the Natural Disasters podcast with wine writer Marissa Ross before transitioning into winemaking. The project is rooted in California's pre-Prohibition winemaking history, and the Vourvoulises have established their winery at 3225 E. Foothill Blvd in the Lamanda Park neighborhood of Pasadena, a site that sits in an area zoned for winemaking dating back to the Sunny Slope Ranch of the 19th century.

VDC sources grapes from vineyards across the California Central Coast and Los Olivos, working with growers who practice ethical vineyard management. The focus is on heritage varieties made in a fully natural way. Kate Vourvoulis operates the adjacent Good Luck Wine Shop, a natural wine retail boutique, alongside the winery. The winery's production takes place on-site in Pasadena, where the cellar includes large barrels and a concrete tank that Vourvoulis calls 'the Monolith.'

All VDC wines use native yeast fermentation with no additions, no fining, and no filtration. For Arrakis specifically, the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are fermented separately, aged apart, and blended immediately before bottling. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.

Wine region

Central Coast, United States

Santa Barbara County sits within the broader Central Coast AVA and contains six federally designated sub-appellations, including Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Maria Valley, Ballard Canyon, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, Los Olivos District, and Santa Barbara Highlands. The defining geographic feature is the east-west orientation of the Santa Ynez Mountains, the only transverse coastal range along the entire Pacific Coast from Alaska to Chile. This orientation funnels cold Pacific Ocean air directly inland, creating a temperature gradient of roughly one degree Fahrenheit per mile as you travel from Lompoc east toward Los Olivos.

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the region's benchmark varieties, particularly in the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley where cool ocean influence preserves high natural acidity and extends the growing season. Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict planted the county's first Pinot Noir vines in the Sta. Rita Hills in 1971, establishing that Burgundian varieties could thrive here. Santa Maria Valley's Bien Nacido Vineyard, planted in 1973, remains one of the most widely sourced sites in California for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The region's diverse soils, which include diatomaceous earth, clay, and sandy loam, add further textural complexity to wines made from these varieties.

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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