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La Cave des Nomades

L'Arlequin Errant 2017

Price: $42.95
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Tasting notes

This is a rosé built on tension rather than weight: red fruit and wild rose aromatics cut through by the minerality of vertical schist soils right at the Spanish border. At a production of 300 to 1,200 bottles per cuvée, it is genuinely rare, and the zero-sulfite, native-yeast approach means what you get in the glass is exactly what the terroir and vintage gave.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Wild StrawberryPomegranateWild RoseMineral
  • Style: Dry, light-bodied rosé; mineral and fresh; red fruit and wild rose; no added sulfites; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: Grenache-based; biodynamic; steep schist terraces, Banyuls-sur-Mer, coastal Roussillon
  • Winemaking: Native yeast fermentation; no fining, no filtration, no added sulfites; vessels vary by vintage
  • Serving: Serve at 48-52F; no decant needed; drink within 1-2 years of vintage
  • Pairing: Grilled whole fish, anchovies, Pyrenean sheep's milk cheese, Mediterranean roasted vegetables
  • Similar To: For fans of lean Provence rosé or Loire Pineau d'Aunis rosé who want schist-driven minerality

L'Arlequin Errant is a dry rosé from José Carvalho Moreira, known as Zé Tafé, who farms a 3-hectare estate on the schist terraces of Banyuls-sur-Mer in southern Roussillon. The vineyards sit near the Pyrenees foothills where they meet the Mediterranean coast, on steep terraced slopes that require entirely manual viticulture. His parcels include old vines of Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris, Carignan, and Mourvèdre, farmed without pesticides or herbicides under biodynamic principles.

Winemaking at La Cave des Nomades is non-interventionist: native yeast fermentation only, no fining, no filtration, and no added sulfites. Vessels change instinctively each vintage across stainless steel, old barrels, and amphorae of various sizes. Each cuvée is a micro-production, typically between 300 and 1,200 bottles.

The wine is labeled Vin de France, as Zé intentionally declassifies his dry table wines from the Banyuls AOC, which is formally reserved for naturally sweet vins doux naturels. The name references a wandering court jester, part of the fictional universe Zé builds across his entire lineup, with labels printed on cork by artist Katja Stroph.

On the palate, this rosé is slender and fresh, with aromas of small red fruits, wild rose, and pomegranate. It is an agile, mineral-driven wine rather than a fruit-forward one, reflecting the lean schist soils and coastal Mediterranean climate of Banyuls.

Serve alongside grilled whole fish, anchovies on toast, or a plate of charcuterie and aged sheep's milk cheese from the Pyrenees. Its lean structure and mineral edge also make it a solid match for Mediterranean vegetables roasted with olive oil and thyme.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Rose Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Grenache
Farming:, Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2017
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, France
Region:, Roussillon
Appellation:, Vin de France
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

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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.


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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.


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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.**

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**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

La Cave des Nomades

José Carvalho Moreira, known as Zé Tafé, grew up outside of Porto and spent his twenties working on organic and biodynamic farms across Europe while pursuing a career as a musician. In 2010, while harvesting fruit in Roussillon, he encountered Manuel Di Vecchi Staraz of Vinyer de la Ruca in Banyuls, whose natural wines became a turning point. After several harvests helping friends in the region, Zé acquired his first vineyard parcel in 2013 and made his debut vintage in 2014.

La Cave des Nomades operates across 12 parcels totaling roughly 3 hectares in and around Banyuls-sur-Mer. The parcels are planted primarily with old vines of Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Carignan Noir, Carignan Gris, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Merlot, Macabeo, Muscat Petit Grain, and Chardonnay. Farming is strictly biodynamic: no pesticides, no herbicides, all grass removal done by hand, and no mechanization in the vineyard. Zé worked alongside peers including Bruno Duchene and Alain Castex and is a member of Les 9 Caves, the communal winery space in Banyuls.

In the cellar, Zé uses only native yeasts, adds no sulfites, and does not fine or filter his wines. Each parcel is vinified separately, sometimes sorted by grape color, with the choice of vessel changing instinctively each vintage between stainless steel tanks, old barrels, and amphorae of various shapes and sizes. Blending and bottling decisions are made after fermentation. Every cuvée is a micro-production of 300 to 1,200 bottles. The 2017 vintage was Zé's fourth year of production; his last Banyuls vintage was 2020.

Wine region

Roussillon, France

Roussillon occupies the southernmost corner of France, bordered by the Pyrenees to the west and south and the Mediterranean to the east. The Banyuls-sur-Mer area, where Zé farms, sits on the Côte Vermeille at the eastern tip of the Pyrenees, where the mountains drop directly into the sea. Slopes rise from the coast to over 400 meters, and the steep terraced vineyards are built on schist restanques, stone-walled terraces that date back centuries and make mechanization impossible. Soils are almost exclusively brown schist in vertical strata, lean and fast-draining, which forces vines to root deep.

The climate is Mediterranean: hot and dry in summer, with rainfall concentrated in violent autumn and spring storms. The Tramontane, a dry north-westerly wind, sweeps the region roughly one day in three, reducing disease pressure and allowing growers to minimize treatments in the vineyard. The area sits within the Banyuls AOC, whose formal designation covers vins doux naturels made primarily from Grenache Noir. Dry table wines from the same terroir are typically declassified to Vin de France or Collioure AOC. Key grape varieties across Roussillon include Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Macabeo.

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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