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Broc Cellars

KouKou Cabernet Franc 2021

Price: $34.95
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Tasting notes

This is Cabernet Franc stripped of its conventional weight: whole-cluster fermentation in concrete pulls out fresh strawberry, red plum, and a telltale green pepper note without any heaviness or oak influence. At 12% ABV, it stays lively and bright, and it genuinely improves with a 20-minute chill in the fridge.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
StrawberryRed PlumGreen PepperCranberry
  • Style: Light-bodied, chillable red; fresh and low-tannin; strawberry, red plum, green pepper; 12% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Cabernet Franc; Santa Ynez Vineyard, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA; serpentine and chert cobble loam soils; organically farmed, uncertified
  • Winemaking: Whole-cluster concrete fermentation; foot stomped mornings, pumped over evenings; native yeast only; no additions; 10 months in concrete; minimal to no SO2
  • Serving: Serve at 55-60F; 15-20 min in fridge before opening; no decant needed
  • Pairing: Roast chicken, grilled salmon, lentil salad, fresh chevre, roasted vegetables
  • Similar To: For fans of Beaujolais, light Cab Franc from the Loire, or anyone who wants a red that works with a chill

KouKou is 100% Cabernet Franc sourced from Santa Ynez Vineyard in the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA. The vineyard sits on serpentine soils composed of loam and clay loam with varying amounts of chert, which are low in nutrients and high in minerals. Warm days and significant diurnal temperature swings at night preserve natural acidity and keep the grapes fresh. The vineyard is farmed organically, though not certified.

Broc Cellars first made this wine in 2010, using whole-cluster fermentation to draw out the brighter, fresher side of Cabernet Franc rather than its heavier, extracted character. For the 2021, grapes were placed whole-cluster into concrete tanks, foot stomped in the morning, and pumped over in the evening. After pressing, the wine returned to concrete and aged for 10 months. No yeasts, nutrients, enzymes, or tannins were added. Sulfur was not used during fermentation or aging; only a minimal amount, if any, was added at bottling.

The result is a light-bodied, low-tannin red built for a slight chill. At 12% ABV, it leans on strawberry, fresh red plum, and green pepper rather than dark fruit or oak. It drinks more like a well-structured Beaujolais than a conventional California red, and works well slightly below room temperature.

The light body and fresh acidity make this a natural match for dishes that would overwhelm a heavier red: roast chicken, grilled salmon, lentil salads, or a charcuterie spread with fresh chevre. The green pepper note also plays well alongside roasted vegetables and herb-forward preparations like salsa verde or tabbouleh.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Cabernet Franc
Farming:, Sustainable
Vintage:, 2021
Alcohol:, 12%
Country:, USA
Region:, Santa Barbara County
Appellation:, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA
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

Broc Cellars

Broc Cellars was founded in 2002 by owner and winemaker Chris Brockway and is based in Berkeley, California, operating as an urban winery. Brockway grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, studied at UC Davis and then completed his oenology degree at Fresno State. He began working at JC Cellars, a conventional Oakland winery, while simultaneously frequenting Terroir, San Francisco's first natural wine bar, which shaped his winemaking direction. Bridget Leary joined as general manager in 2015. In 2021, Brockway took over farming operations at Fox Hill Vineyard in Mendocino County, and in 2023 the winery purchased the 60-acre site outright; it became CCOF-certified organic in 2024.

Broc Cellars sources exclusively from organically farmed vineyards across California, though not all hold formal certification. The winery works with family-owned growers who share its low-intervention philosophy, including the Santa Ynez Vineyard for this wine, which is farmed organically but not certified. Brockway harvests early to preserve acidity and keep alcohol levels moderate.

All Broc Cellars wines are made with spontaneous fermentation using only native yeasts and bacteria from the grapes themselves. No nutrients, commercial yeast, bacteria, enzymes, or tannins are added at any stage. Sulfur is never added during fermentation or aging; if used at all, a minimal amount is added at bottling depending on the wine and vintage. The winery facility in Berkeley includes stainless steel, concrete, and wooden tanks as well as a dedicated barrel and concrete egg room. KouKou specifically uses concrete tanks throughout, with whole-cluster fermentation, foot stomping, and pump-overs before 10 months of concrete aging.

Wine region

Santa Barbara County, USA

Santa Barbara County sits roughly 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles and is defined by its east-west transverse mountain ranges, which funnel cool Pacific air and fog into the valley floors. The county contains several AVAs with significantly different climates, ranging from the cool, fog-heavy Sta. Rita Hills in the west to the warm, inland Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA in the east. KouKou's fruit comes from the Santa Ynez Vineyard within Happy Canyon, the warmest mesoclimate in the Santa Ynez Valley, where summer daytime temperatures regularly climb into the low-to-mid 90s Fahrenheit before dropping dramatically at night due to a pronounced diurnal shift.

Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara was designated an AVA in November 2009 and covers 23,941 acres at elevations ranging from 500 feet in the southwest to 3,430 feet in the northeast foothills of the San Rafael Range. Its soils are a complex mixture of loam and clay loam embedded with red and yellow chert and serpentine cobbles, which are mineral-rich but low in nutrients. These low-vigor soils produce smaller vines and reduced yields, which suits Bordeaux varieties including Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. A north-south mountain ridge approximately 12 miles to the west blocks direct Pacific coastal breezes during the day while cooling breezes and morning fog roll through the canyon in the early morning and late afternoon.

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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