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Carmarans

Carmarans Selves Chenin Blanc 2022

$50.00

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Style: Dry, light to medium-bodied white with racy acidity, mineral tension, and fleshy texture; minimal-intervention winemaking
Grapes & Terroir: 100% Chenin Blanc from vines aged 5–50 years on granitic soils along the Selves River near Campouriez, Aveyron
Winemaking: Direct pressing in old Burgundian vertical press, overnight settling, spontaneous fermentation, aging on lees in demi-muids, unfined/unfiltered, minimal sulfites
Serving Temperature & Decanting: Serve chilled at 46–50°F; no decanting necessary
Pairing: Grilled squid
Similar To: Mineral-driven Savennières or dry Vouvray; shares textural richness with skin-contact whites from the Loire

Carmarans Selves Chenin Blanc 2022 is a natural white wine crafted by Nicolas Carmarans in the cold river valley near Campouriez in Aveyron, southwestern France. Named after the Selves River, Carmarans Selves Chenin Blanc 2022 comes from 100% Chenin Blanc vines ranging from 5 to 50 years old, planted on granitic soils. Hand-harvested grapes are directly pressed in an old Burgundian vertical press. The must settles overnight before spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The wine ages on lees in demi-muids (600-liter barrels). Bottled unfined, unfiltered, with minimal or no added sulfites. Around 11.5% alcohol.

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

Carmarans

Nicolas Carmarans followed a winding path to winemaking. A grandson of Aveyron natives who migrated to Paris, he spent years running Café de la Nouvelle Mairie in the city's 5th arrondissement. Opening in 1994, this small bistro became one of the pioneering natural wine bars in the French capital, amassing nearly 400 references and shaping Nicolas's palate through countless bottles shared across the zinc counter.

But the vine called. In 2000, Nicolas returned to his ancestral village near Campouriez to plant his first 0.3 hectares. For years he split time between Paris and the steep slopes overlooking the Selves River. In 2007, he committed fully with the purchase of Le Mauvais Temps—a vineyard and house in a stunningly remote setting surrounded by forests and the biodiversity he credits for his vines' health.

Today Nicolas farms approximately 4 hectares organically across precipitous terraces worked by caterpillar tractor or winch. He cultivates indigenous varieties—Fer Servadou, the rare Négret de Banhars—alongside Chenin Blanc, Gamay, and Pinot Noir. His Chenin vines, ranging from young plantings to 50-year-old parcels, thrive on granitic soils in the cold Selves valley.

Winemaking follows a hands-off philosophy: direct pressing in an old Burgundian vertical press, spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, aging in neutral demi-muids, no fining or filtration, and minimal sulfur—often just 1 mg at bottling. The resulting wines are bright, aromatic, and deeply territorial.

The Selves cuvée—named for the river winding through these steep gorges—was singled out by Punch magazine as one of "The 15 Wines of Right Now."

Explore more from Nicolas Carmarans including Mauvais Temps and Maximus, or browse the best-sellers collection at Primal Wine.

Wine region

Aveyron, France

Aveyron occupies a remote corner of southwestern France, deep in the foothills of the Massif Central. The fifth-largest département in France, it remains one of the most isolated—a landscape of steep gorges, dense forests, and high pastures where sheep outnumber people. Yet this rugged terrain holds an ancient viticultural tradition stretching back to medieval times, when Aveyron supplied wines to pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago.

At its peak, the region cultivated over 2,000 hectares of vines. Phylloxera, two world wars, and the collapse of local mining devastated the vineyards. Most inhabitants abandoned the land for Paris. Today, only a handful of hectares remain under vine in the appellations of Marcillac, Entraygues-Le Fel, and Estaing, along with wines bottled under the broader IGP Aveyron designation.

The terroir varies dramatically across the département's river valleys. Around the Selves and Truyère rivers near Campouriez, granitic and schistose soils dominate steep terraces at elevations around 500 meters. The cold valley climate—marked by continental winters, warm summers, and significant diurnal temperature variation—allows grapes to ripen slowly while retaining natural acidity.

While Fer Servadou defines most Aveyron reds, Chenin Blanc has found a home on the region's granite slopes. Known locally as Gamet d'Entraygues, Chenin produces whites with distinctive mineral character, floral aromatics, and racy acidity—a counterpoint to the richer expressions found in the Loire Valley. The combination of challenging terrain, cool nights, and ancient soils has attracted a new generation of natural winemakers seeking terroir-driven wines from forgotten corners of France.

Browse Aveyron wines in the French natural wine collection and explore white natural wines at Primal Wine.

Frequently asked question

When is my order shipping?

We are doing your best to ship your order in 2-3 business days.

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.

Do I have to sign upon delivery?

Yes, someone 21 years or older must sign for the package.

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.

What if I miss a delivery?

Worry not, we have options, but please read carefully.

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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What is natural wine?

Natural wine is a type of wine made in small batches from organic or biodynamic grapes with minimal intervention.

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Biodynamic wine is wine made from grapes farmed biodynamically. Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach.

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