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Vini Sassara

Esotico 2021

Price: $29.95
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Tasting notes

Ten varieties from the same old-vine plot co-ferment together, producing a wine that smells of clementine peel, dried strawberry, and orange blossom with a saline, dry finish that you don't expect at 10.5% ABV. The morainic soils of Monte Mamaor give it a stony mineral edge that keeps it from going flabby.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
OrangeDried ApricotWild StrawberrySaline
  • Style: Orange wine; copper-salmon color; citrus, dried strawberry, saline finish; 10.5% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 30% red (Corvina, Rossanella, Rondinella, Molinara), 70% white (Fernanda, Moscato, Trebbianello, Trebbiano, Garganega, Tocai); old vines 50-70 years; morainic soils, Monte Mamaor, 200m, Valeggio sul Mincio
  • Winemaking: Spontaneous co-fermentation; 10-day skin maceration in fiberglass; aged in stainless steel; unfined, unfiltered, no added sulfites
  • Serving: Serve at 48-54F; no decant needed; drink now through 2024
  • Pairing: Shellfish, cured fish, seafood salads, soft-ripened cheese, charcuterie
  • Similar To: For fans of Txakoli or skin-contact Garganega who want low-ABV, mineral-driven orange wine

Esotico is a field blend co-ferment of 30% red grapes (Corvina, Rossanella, Rondinella, Molinara) and 70% white grapes (Fernanda, Moscato, Trebbianello, Trebbiano, Garganega, Tocai) grown on old vines at Vini Sassara's 10-hectare site on Monte Mamaor, a morainic hill in Valeggio sul Mincio at roughly 200 meters elevation, within the Bardolino DOC in Veneto.

All grapes are hand-harvested and spontaneously co-fermented together with 10 days of skin maceration in fiberglass tank, without temperature control. The wine is aged in stainless steel, then bottled unfined, unfiltered, with no added sulfites and no added yeast. The result sits in an ambiguous color range between deep salmon and copper-orange.

The soils at Monte Mamaor are morainic in origin, a mix of ancient marine deposits and glacially transported sediment including quartz, granite, limestone, and alabaster, all of which register in the wine's saline, mineral character. The vines themselves are roughly 50 to 60 years old, giving concentrated fruit at naturally low yields.

Serve with shellfish, cured fish, or lightly dressed seafood salads where the wine's salinity and citrus notes can mirror the brine. It also works well with soft-ripened cheeses and charcuterie boards. The low tannin and bright acidity make it a natural match for dishes with citrus-forward dressings.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Orange Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Corvina, Rossanella, Rondinella, Molinara, Fernanda, Moscato, Trebbianello, Trebbiano, Garganega, Tocai
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2021
Alcohol:, 10.5%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Veneto
Appellation:, Veneto IGT
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

Vini Sassara

Vini Sassara is a 14-hectare estate on the slopes of Monte Mamaor in Valeggio sul Mincio, at the southern end of the Bardolino DOC near Custoza. The estate has been in Stefano Bertaiola's family for over 50 years; Stefano is a third-generation winemaker. His wife Alessia, who has a background in agricultural research and development, joined him and the pair took full operational control in 2007, at which point they converted the property to biodynamic farming. Ten of the 14 hectares are planted to vines; the remaining four are woodlands and olive groves.

Farming is certified organic and biodynamic. The vineyards contain old vines, roughly 50 to 70 years old, of the traditional local varieties: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara, and Rossanella for reds; Garganega, Trebbianello, Tocai, Moscato, Fernanda, and Trebbiano for whites. The morainic soils at Monte Mamaor are a layered mix of ancient seabed and glacially deposited sediment, including quartz, granite, limestone, and alabaster.

In the cellar, Sassara uses spontaneous fermentation without temperature control and employs skin maceration for all wines in the range. Esotico is fermented and aged in fiberglass tank, then stainless steel, with no added yeast, no fining, no filtration, and no added sulfites. The Esotico 2020 was the first release under the Vini Sassara label.

Wine region

Veneto, Italy

The Bardolino DOC sits on the eastern shores of Lake Garda in the Veneto, province of Verona. The appellation was established in 1968 and today covers around 2,700 hectares across 16 municipalities. Elevations range from 65 meters at the lakeshore to 250-300 meters in the higher morainic hills. Lake Garda, Italy's largest lake at 370 square kilometers, moderates temperatures year-round: cooler in summer, warmer in winter than the surrounding land. This thermal buffer, combined with lake breezes from the north, allows full phenolic ripeness while retaining high natural acidity.

The soils throughout Bardolino are morainic in origin, shaped by repeated glacial advances and retreats that deposited a complex mix of quartz, granite, limestone, and alabaster across the hillsides. The southern sub-zone, Sommacampagna, includes Valeggio sul Mincio where Vini Sassara farms. The DOC's primary red grapes are Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara; white varieties like Garganega and Trebbiano are widely grown for Soave and other IGT wines to the east. Bardolino Superiore achieved DOCG status in 2001 for structured, aged expressions, while most Bardolino is produced as a light, early-drinking red or rosé.

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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