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La Sorga

Grand Pestilence NV

Price: $35.95
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Tasting notes

Grand Pestilence delivers what old-vine Cinsault and Grenache on Faugères schist actually tastes like: crunchy red fruit, white pepper, thyme, and a saline mineral pull that comes directly from the soil. The 60-day whole-bunch maceration on the Cinsault gives it texture without heaviness — it's a structured wine that drinks like a lighter red but carries real complexity.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
StrawberryWhite PepperThymeRose
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; old-vine Cinsault, Grenache, and Carignan; schist terroir; thyme, strawberry, white pepper; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: Cinsault, Grenache (Noir/Blanc/Gris), Carignan; organic and biodynamic farming; schist soils, Cabrerolles, Faugères area; vines 65 to near 100 years old
  • Winemaking: Whole-bunch maceration (60 days for Cinsault); indigenous yeast fermentation; no temperature control; 12 months in stainless steel; unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added
  • Serving: Serve at 60-62°F; light chill brings out the red fruit and keeps acidity fresh
  • Pairing: Duck confit, lamb chops, roast chicken with olives, aged Ossau-Iraty, herb-roasted vegetables
  • Similar To: For fans of Gamay and lighter-styled Grenache who want Languedoc schist minerality

Grand Pestilence is a non-vintage red blend from Anthony Tortul of La Sorga, sourced from old-vine parcels in and around Cabrerolles, in the Faugères appellation area of the Hérault department. The grapes — primarily Cinsault, with Grenache (Noir, Blanc, and Gris) and, in some releases, Carignan — come from vines ranging from 65 to nearly 100 years old, grown on the schist hillsides that define this corner of Languedoc. Bottled as Vin de France, allowing Tortul full blending flexibility across his sourced parcels.

Winemaking follows a whole-bunch approach: Cinsault undergoes an extended carbonic-style maceration of around 60 days, while Grenache is destemmed manually. Fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts, with no temperature control. The wine is aged for 12 months in stainless steel tanks or neutral vessels before blending. Zero sulfites are added at any stage; the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The schist soils of Cabrerolles are a Paleozoic metamorphic rock that retains heat during the day and releases it at night, promoting even ripening while driving vine roots deep for water. The resulting wines carry a distinct mineral freshness alongside ripe fruit — characteristic of Faugères terroir. The Cinsault gives light structure and crunchy red fruit; the Grenache contributes body and aromatic lift; Carignan, when present, adds spice and color.

Tasting notes point to an aromatic profile typical of Faugères: thyme, strawberry, rose petal, and white pepper on the nose, with a broad, peppery palate, citrus peel minerality, and notable length. The texture is rounded with soft tannins and lively acidity.

Works well with duck confit, lamb chops with herbs, or roasted chicken with olives and tomatoes — dishes where the garrigue notes in the wine mirror the food. Also solid with aged sheep's milk cheeses like Ossau-Iraty or Manchego. Serve slightly cool, around 60-62°F, to keep the fruit fresh.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Cinsault, Grenache, Carignan
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, NV
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, France
Region:, Languedoc
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

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

La Sorga

Anthony Tortul was born in Foix, Ariège, in the Pyrenean foothills. After six seasons working as a viticultural technician and oenologist across the South of France — including stints in Bergerac, Fitou, Corbières, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape — he founded La Sorga in 2008 as a négociant operation based in the Languedoc village of Vias. His model was to identify, source, and personally follow organic and biodynamic parcels across southern France, then vinify each lot separately. From 2013 onward, he also began farming his own vineyards, while continuing to work with trusted growers.

Tortul works with over 40 parcels spread across the Aude and Hérault departments, totaling approximately 25 hectares under his direct supervision. The vines are grown organically, with roughly half farmed biodynamically. Vine age is a consistent priority: he targets parcels with vines at least 50 years old, and some exceed 100 years. Yields are correspondingly low, typically between 15 and 23 hl/ha. Soils across his sourced parcels include calcareous clay, schist, basalt, sand, and granite, depending on the cuvée.

In the cellar, Tortul uses whole-bunch fermentation, with no temperature control and no inoculation — all fermentations proceed with indigenous yeasts. Grapes are harvested by hand into 15 kg boxes. Vinification vessels include stainless steel tanks, cement tanks, and old wooden barrels or sandstone jars depending on the wine. No fining, no filtration, and no sulfur additions are used at any point. La Sorga releases between 20 and 40 distinct cuvées per year, each reflecting its specific source terroir.

Wine region

Languedoc, France

Languedoc stretches along the Mediterranean coast of southern France from the Rhône delta west toward the Pyrenees, making it one of the largest wine-producing regions in the world. The region's soils are exceptionally varied — limestone, schist, clay, basalt, granite, and sand appear across its appellations — and the climate is broadly Mediterranean: hot, dry summers, mild winters, and strong winds from the Tramontane and Marin. Key AOPs within Languedoc include Faugères, Saint-Chinian, Minervois, Corbières, Pic Saint-Loup, La Clape, and Terrasses du Larzac, each with distinct soil profiles and microclimates.

Faugères, located about 30 km north of Béziers in the Hérault department, sits at the foothills of the Massif Central at elevations between 250 and 400 meters. Its defining characteristic is its soil: virtually the entire appellation sits on schist, a Paleozoic metamorphic rock that retains heat, drains well, and forces vine roots deep into the substratum. The commune of Cabrerolles is one of the seven villages within the Faugères AOP. The main red grape varieties planted in Faugères are Cinsault, Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. The red wines received AOC recognition in 1982 and are known for mineral freshness, spice, and soft tannins derived from the schist terroir.

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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