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La Cave des Nomades

La Decouverte Inattendu 2017

Price: $47.95
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Tasting notes

Pure Muscat Petit Grain vinified dry and aged in barrique is a rare thing — the grape's explosive orange blossom and lychee aromatics land in a structured, non-sweet frame. The schist soils of Banyuls keep the texture lean and the finish mineral rather than flabby, which is exactly what this variety needs to stay interesting.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Orange BlossomLycheeGrapefruitWhite Pepper
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied white; intensely aromatic; orange blossom and lychee; 12.5% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Muscat Petit Grain; biodynamic; Cambrian grey schist terraces, Banyuls-sur-Mer, Roussillon
  • Winemaking: Direct press; fermented and aged in barrique; natural winemaking, no additions
  • Serving: Serve at 48-52F; enjoy within a year or two of purchase for peak aromatics
  • Pairing: Spiced white fish, Thai green curry, aged goat cheese, cured anchovies
  • Similar To: For fans of dry Alsace Muscat or aromatic whites who want a more structured, schist-driven expression

La Decouverte Inattendue is a 100% Muscat Petit Grain white wine from La Cave des Nomades, made by José Carvalho Moreira (known as Zé Tafé) in Banyuls-sur-Mer, at the southern tip of Roussillon near the Spanish border. It is labeled Vin de France. The 2017 vintage comes in at 12.5% ABV.

The wine is made by direct press and then fermented and aged in barrique. Muscat Petit Grain — the finest member of the Muscat family — delivers intensely aromatic wines even when vinified dry, with characteristic orange blossom, citrus and lychee notes balanced by the spice and texture that barrel aging contributes.

The vines sit on Cambrian grey schist terraces above Banyuls-sur-Mer, a demanding site where low yields are the norm. Each cuvée from Cave des Nomades is a micro-production, typically between 300 and 1,200 bottles. Production of this wine has now ceased, as 2020 was Zé's final vintage in Banyuls.

The floral intensity and dry finish make this a good match for dishes with some aromatic lift of their own: spiced white fish, Thai green curry, or a plate of aged goat cheese. It also works well as an aperitif alongside cured anchovies or olive tapenade, where the wine's Mediterranean character plays to the food.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, White Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Muscat Petit Grain
Farming:, Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2017
Alcohol:, 12.5%
Country:, France
Region:, Roussillon
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

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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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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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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 Cave des Nomades

José Carvalho Moreira, known as Zé Tafé, is originally from a small town outside Porto, Portugal. He followed a bachelor's degree in cinema and art with three years working on organic and biodynamic farms. In 2010, while in Roussillon harvesting fruit, a friend introduced him to winemaker Manuel Di Vecchi Staraz, who had set up a small estate in Banyuls. Trying natural wine for the first time was, by Zé's account, a revelation. A few years later, Manuel helped him find a parcel of Grenache in Banyuls, and Zé acquired it on the spot. Cave des Nomades' first vintage was 2014.

The estate in Banyuls-sur-Mer covered approximately three hectares across up to 12 parcels, planted primarily to low-yielding old vines. Grape varieties included Grenache Noir, Gris and Blanc, Carignan Noir and Gris, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Merlot, Macabeu, Muscat Petit Grain, and Chardonnay. The vineyards sit on Cambrian grey schist terraces above the Mediterranean, the same demanding terrain that defines the Banyuls and Collioure appellations.

Each parcel is vinified separately, with vessels chosen instinctively and changing from year to year — stainless steel, old barrels, and amphorae of various sizes all appear across the range. La Decouverte Inattendue is made by direct press, then fermented and aged in barrique. Each cuvée is a micro-production of 300 to 1,200 bottles. Zé made his final vintage in Banyuls in 2020 before leaving in search of a new site.

Wine region

Roussillon, France

Roussillon sits at the southern end of France, bounded by the Pyrenees to the west, the Corbières hills to the north, and the Mediterranean to the east. The region shares its cultural identity more with Catalonia than with Paris, and its viticultural history stretches back to Greek settlement in the seventh century BC. The climate is strongly Mediterranean: hot, dry summers and mild winters, with the Tramontane wind sweeping through from the northwest roughly one day in three, reducing disease pressure in the vineyards.

Soils in Roussillon are highly varied — clay-limestone in the plains, granite and gneiss further inland, and ancient Cambrian grey schist in the coastal hillsides around Banyuls and Collioure. The schist terraces of Banyuls, stacked above the Mediterranean on narrow man-made walls, are among the most demanding vineyard sites in France. Key appellations include Côtes du Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Collioure (dry reds and rosés), and Banyuls and Rivesaltes for Vins Doux Naturels. Producers who work outside appellation rules — as Zé Tafé does with Muscat Petit Grain — label their wines Vin de France.

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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