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Sete

Comandante Cesanese 2018

Price: $34.95
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Tasting notes

Cesanese is one of Italy's most underappreciated indigenous reds, and Sete's version shows exactly why it deserves attention: sour cherry and violet up front, earthy spice on the finish, with a bright acidity that keeps every sip moving. At 13% and with only five days of skin contact, this is a red that drinks more like a serious Gamay than anything heavy, making it genuinely versatile at the table.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Sour CherryVioletCranberryEarth
  • Style: Dry, light to medium-bodied red; sour cherry, violet, earthy spice; bright acidity; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Cesanese; certified organic (Suolo e Salute); clay-limestone soils, Amaseno River Valley, Priverno, Province of Latina
  • Winemaking: Spontaneous fermentation; 5-day skin maceration in fiberglass with manual punch-downs 3x daily; aged in stainless steel; no added sulfites; unfined; unfiltered
  • Serving: Serve at 58-62°F; slight chill recommended; no decanting needed
  • Pairing: Oxtail stew, lamb with rosemary, meat ragu, aged pecorino, cured meats
  • Similar To: For fans of Gamay and light-bodied Pinot Noir who want indigenous Italian character

Comandante is a 100% Cesanese from Sete Vini Naturali, a project founded in 2013 by Emiliano Giorgi and Arcangelo Galuppi in Priverno, a small town in the Province of Latina about 100 kilometers south of Rome. The grapes come from old, small-parcel vineyards in the Amaseno River Valley, farmed organically without pesticides or chemicals, many of them rescued from abandonment and rented from elderly local farmers. Olive and fig trees grow between vine rows.

Cesanese is Lazio's most significant indigenous red grape, documented in the region since at least the 1400s. It is a late-ripening variety with naturally bright acidity and soft tannins, producing wines that tend toward red fruit, floral notes, and earthy, spiced character rather than weight or extraction. Sete vinifies each vineyard parcel separately, keeping the wine an expression of its specific plot rather than a blended house style.

The 2018 Comandante is fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts on the skins for five days in fiberglass, with manual punch-downs three times daily. After pressing, it is aged in stainless steel until bottling. No sulfites are added at any stage. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.

On the palate, it is dry and light to medium-bodied with sour cherry, violet, tart cranberry, and a thread of earthy spice. The acidity is lively and the finish clean. Serve slightly chilled around 58-62°F.

Cesanese's savory, earthy character pairs well with Roman cucina povera: oxtail stew, lamb with rosemary, or pasta with a meat-based ragu. Aged pecorino and cured meats also work well. Serving it with a slight chill at around 58-60°F brings out the red fruit and keeps the wine from feeling heavy.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Cesanese
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Lazio
Appellation:, Vino Rosso
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

Sete

Sete Vini Naturali was founded in 2013 by Emiliano Giorgi and Arcangelo Galuppi in Priverno, Province of Latina, in the Amaseno River Valley of southern Lazio. The name 'Sete' means 'thirst' in Italian. Emiliano had previously worked two vintages with Gianmarco Antonuzi at the natural wine estate Le Coste di Gradoli before returning to his home region to start the project with childhood friend Arcangelo. A third collaborator, Martina D'Alessio, later joined the team.

Sete works approximately three hectares of vineyards divided into eleven separate parcels, spread across the municipalities of Priverno, Roccagorga, Maenza, and Roccasecca dei Volsci. Many of these plots were purchased or rented from elderly local farmers whose vineyards had been at risk of abandonment. The vineyards grow on clay-limestone soils in the Amaseno River Valley, with olive and fig trees interspersed between vine rows. Farming is certified organic (Suolo e Salute). No pesticides or synthetic chemicals are used in the vineyards.

Sete vinifies each plot separately, working with indigenous Lazio grape varieties including Cesanese, Ottonese, Malvasia Puntinata, Moscato Bianco, Bonamico, and Nero Buono, among others. All winemaking is done by hand. Fermentations are spontaneous with indigenous yeasts. No sulfites are added. All wines are unfined and unfiltered. The Comandante Cesanese is fermented on the skins for five days in fiberglass with manual punch-downs three times daily, then aged in stainless steel until bottling.

Wine region

Lazio, Italy

Lazio is a central Italian region whose capital, Rome, sits at its geographic and cultural core. The region's climate is predominantly Mediterranean, moderated by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, which limits temperature extremes and supports a long growing season. The interior hills, including the Monti Lepini and the volcanic Castelli Romani, add elevation and cooler nights that help preserve acidity in the grapes. Soils vary significantly across the region: volcanic tuff and basalt in the Castelli Romani and around Lake Bolsena, and clay-limestone in the southern valleys such as the Amaseno River Valley near Priverno.

Lazio has historically been known for white wines, particularly Frascati (from Malvasia and Trebbiano in the Alban Hills) and Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone from the northern lake district. For red wines, Cesanese is the region's most distinctive indigenous variety, grown primarily in three appellations southeast of Rome: Cesanese di Affile DOC and Cesanese di Olevano Romano DOC in the province of Rome, and Cesanese del Piglio DOCG in the province of Frosinone, which is the only red DOCG in Lazio. Sete's Comandante falls outside these DOC zones, produced instead in the Amaseno Valley of the Province of Latina, and is labeled as Vino Rosso.

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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