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Mendall

Es-Te Garnatxa Primeur 2020

Price: $34.95
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Tasting notes

This is Grenache at its most immediate: early-bottled, zero-sulfite, and grown on limestone at up to 500 meters in Terra Alta, it delivers bright raspberry and red cherry with a garrigue-edged freshness that heavier Garnacha from the Spanish interior rarely achieves. The Primeur approach strips out any oak or extended aging, leaving you with the raw, direct energy of the grape and the place.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
RaspberryCherryGarrigueWildflowers
  • Style: Light-bodied, fruit-forward red; early-bottled Primeur style; organic Grenache; zero sulfites; Terra Alta limestone, up to 500m elevation
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Grenache (Garnatxa); certified organic; limestone and clay soils; Vilalba dels Arcs / El Pinell de Brai, Terra Alta DO, Catalonia
  • Winemaking: Native yeast fermentation; no SO2 added; unfined; unfiltered; early-bottled Primeur style for freshness
  • Serving: Serve at 58-62F; no decant needed; drink young for maximum freshness
  • Pairing: Charcuterie, grilled lamb, roast chicken, tomato-based pastas, mild aged cheese
  • Similar To: For fans of Beaujolais Nouveau or light-touch Garnacha who want zero-intervention natural wine

Es-Te Garnatxa Primeur is a red wine made from organically farmed Grenache (Garnatxa) by Laureano Serres of Mendall, based in El Pinell de Brai in the Terra Alta DO of Catalonia, Spain. The "Primeur" designation signals an early-bottled, fresh-fruit-forward style, released young to capture bright aromatics and immediacy rather than extended aging. No sulfites are added at any stage.

Mendall's vineyards sit on limestone soils at elevations reaching up to 500 meters above sea level in the Terra Alta highlands. Viticulture since 2017 has been concentrated around the village of Vilalba dels Arcs at the lieu-dit Terme de Guiu, a limestone amphitheater planted to massale selections of red, white, and grey Garnatxa alongside old Carignan and Macabeo. The combination of calcareous soils, significant diurnal temperature swings, and drying northerly cierzo winds produces grapes with structure and freshness not typical of the region's hot interior.

Winemaking is fully zero-intervention: native yeast fermentation, no fining, no filtration, and no added sulfites at any point. Laureano has worked without SO2 additions since 2002, when he accidentally omitted it from a cuvee and preferred the result. The Primeur style means the wine is bottled early, preserving primary red fruit character and keeping the texture light and direct.

Grenache at altitude on limestone tends toward red cherry, raspberry, and garrigue-inflected spice, with soft tannins and a fresh, food-friendly acidity. The zero-sulfite, unfiltered approach means the wine is a live, evolving product best stored cool and consumed with some food.

Works well alongside charcuterie, grilled lamb merguez, or a simple roast chicken with herbs. The bright acidity and light tannins also make it a good match for dishes with tomato-based sauces or mild aged cheeses. Serve slightly cool, around 58-62F, to keep the freshness in check.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Grenache (Garnatxa)
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2020
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Spain
Region:, Terra Alta
Appellation:, Terra Alta DO
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 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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Heat/Frost damage

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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.

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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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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

Mendall

Laureano Serres Montagut founded Mendall in 1999 in El Pinell de Brai, Tarragona, after leaving a career in computer programming in Madrid to return to his hometown and head the local Catedral del Vi wine cooperative. Dissatisfied with a production model that prioritized volume, he left to vinify independently, starting with 500 liters from his grandfather's vines at Finca Caibelles. His daughter Alícia, now trained in winemaking, works alongside him. Laureano is also a co-founder of the Brutal wine label and an organizer of the H2O Vegetal natural wine fair.

Since 2017, Mendall's viticulture is centered in Vilalba dels Arcs at the lieu-dit Terme de Guiu, a limestone amphitheater planted to massale selections of white, red, and grey Garnatxa, old Carignan, and Macabeo, with some Malvasia de Sitges. Total holdings are approximately five to six hectares across parcels in El Pinell de Brai at around 170 meters and higher sites in Terra Alta reaching close to 500 meters. There is little topsoil, so vines root directly into the limestone bedrock. All farming is organic and has been from the start.

Laureano has worked without SO2 additions since 2002, when he forgot to add sulfur to a cuvee and preferred the result. Fermentation is always spontaneous with native yeasts. The cellar in El Pinell de Brai contains a mix of vessels — stainless steel tanks, old barrels, and terracotta amphorae — and Laureano may produce up to 16 cuvees per vintage, including macerated whites, red-white co-ferments, frizzantes, and early-bottled Primeur-style reds. Wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered, with no additions of any kind.

Wine region

Terra Alta, Spain

Terra Alta is the southernmost DO in Catalonia, located inland in the western province of Tarragona and encompassing 12 municipalities including Gandesa, El Pinell de Brai, and Vilalba dels Arcs. The region takes its name from the Catalan for 'high land': vineyards are planted primarily between 350 and 550 meters above sea level, with mountain peaks reaching 950 meters. The climate is a blend of Mediterranean and continental influences — hot summers, cold winters, and low annual rainfall of 14 to 20 inches — moderated by the cierzo wind from the north and the garbí from the southwest, both of which keep the grapes dry and disease pressure low. Soils are predominantly limestone and clay with some sandy components.

Terra Alta DO received official status in 1972 and covers approximately 6,000 hectares of vines managed by around 1,250 growers. Garnatxa (Grenache) in its three forms — Blanca, Tinta, and Peluda — is the foundation of the appellation. Garnatxa Blanca holds particular standing, with Terra Alta recognized as having one of the highest concentrations of the variety in the world. For reds, Garnatxa Tinta and Cariñena (Carignan) dominate, producing wines with Mediterranean intensity balanced by altitude-driven freshness. The cooperative cellars of Pinell de Brai and Gandesa, designed by César Martinell, a student of Gaudí, are architectural landmarks of the region.

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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