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Methode Sauvage — natural wine producer
Methode Sauvage
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Methode Sauvage Iruai California Alps 2018

$26.00
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Tasting notes

This is one of the only wines in California built around Savagnin and Bergeron (Roussanne) sourced from high-elevation Shasta-Cascade sites, and it shows: the acidity is electric, the texture is generous, and the dried flower and almond notes land like a Jura blanc that grew up in Northern California. At 12.5% ABV, it stays focused and food-friendly without any heaviness.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
AlmondGreen AppleDried FlowersCitrus
Dry/Sweet:Dry
Wine Type:White Wine
Wine Style:Medium Body
Grapes:Chardonnay, Savagnin, Bergeron
Farming:Organic
Vintage:2018
Alcohol:12.5%
Country:United States
Region:California
Appellation:American AVA
Bottle Size:750ml
Sugar Level:Zero Added Sugar
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Important information

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. Shipping to PO Boxes is not allowed.

Ship to a FedEx Store

If nobody can be at your address to sign for the package, you can have your order sent to a FedEx store instead. Enter your preferred FedEx store as the shipping address at checkout and we'll ship your order there. Once it arrives, you have 5 business days to pick it up, and you'll need to show your ID.

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, at a cost, but even so, we can't be held liable if it's 104 where you are and corks pop. 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

Methode Sauvage

Methode Sauvage was founded in 2013 by Chad Hinds and Michelle Westbrook Hinds, initially operating out of a winemaking co-op in Berkeley, California. The project started as a nomadic natural winemaking venture focused on Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc from various California sites. Hinds later discovered Savagnin growing in the Trinity Lakes AVA and began sourcing it for alpine-inspired blends, laying the groundwork for what became the California Alps concept.

In 2018, the couple planted a vineyard in the Scott Valley in Siskiyou County and in 2019 they relocated there permanently, settling in Etna, CA, a small town at the foot of the Cascade Range. They renamed the operation Iruai, taken from the earliest recorded name for the Scott Valley. The Methode Sauvage name remains on bottles from the earlier nomadic era.

Vineyard work at Iruai follows the permaculture principles of Japanese farmer Masanobu Fukuoka: no tilling, no synthetic fertilizers, no pesticides, and no weeding. The goal is to allow vines to thrive within a functioning ecosystem rather than a managed monoculture. In the cellar, the approach is equally non-interventional: native yeast fermentations, no fining, no filtration, and no added sulfur dioxide. Fruit is also sourced from leased organic vineyards throughout the Shasta-Cascade and from Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley.

Wine region

California, United States

The Shasta-Cascade region of far Northern California sits just south of the Oregon border, anchored by the Scott Valley in western Siskiyou County. The valley floor sits at roughly 3,000 to 3,500 feet, with Mount Shasta, the second-highest peak in the Cascade Range, visible to the east. The climate is continental: short growing seasons, significant diurnal temperature swings, and a rain shadow created by the mountain itself. This combination of high elevation and continental conditions is largely without precedent in California viticulture.

Trinity Lakes is a small, recognized AVA within Siskiyou County situated in the Trinity Alps, west of Mount Shasta. It is home to one of the few known plantings of Savagnin in California, grown organically at Alpen Cellars, which supplied fruit to Methode Sauvage for early California Alps bottlings. The broader Shasta-Cascade growing area used by the project also extends south through El Dorado and Calaveras Counties, where higher-elevation Sierra Foothills sites contribute to the blend. No established appellation covers all of these sites, so bottles are typically labeled under the catch-all American AVA designation.

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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