Sold Out
Scotty Boy!

L'Arge d'Oor 2018

Price: $37.95
Enter your email address below to be notified when this product is back in stock.
Tasting notes

171 days of skin contact on a single-vineyard Sangiovese is almost unheard of in California — the result is dense, tannic, and savory, closer in spirit to an old-school Barolo than anything from Tuscany. After 24 months on the gross lees in neutral French oak, the fruit has integrated into layers of dried cherry, tobacco, and earth that reward patience in the glass.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Dried CherryTobaccoEarthBlack Pepper
  • Style: Dry, full-bodied red; 100% Dogged Vineyard Sangiovese; Santa Barbara County; 15.5% ABV; 237 cases produced
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Sangiovese; Dogged Vineyard, Santa Barbara County; sustainably farmed, hand harvested
  • Winemaking: 171 days skin contact; 100% native yeast fermentation; 24 months on gross lees in neutral French oak pieces; 35 ppm sulfur at bottling; unfined, unfiltered
  • Serving: Serve at 62-66F; decant 45-60 minutes; cellar-worthy through 2028+
  • Pairing: Braised lamb, wild boar ragu, beef short rib, aged Pecorino Sardo, grilled porcini
  • Similar To: For fans of long-maceration Barolo and Aglianico who want a California expression with similar structure

L'Arge d'Oor is the fine wine label of Scott Sampler's CCGP operation based in Buellton, California. This 2018 Sangiovese comes entirely from the Dogged Vineyard in Santa Barbara County, sustainably farmed and hand harvested. Only 237 cases were produced.

The winemaking is defined by extremes: 171 days of skin contact, 100% native and ambient fermentation for both primary and secondary fermentations, then 24 months of aging on the gross lees in 100% neutral French oak pieces. The wine was racked once to tank before bottling with 35 ppm total sulfur, unfined and unfiltered.

Santa Barbara County's transverse mountain ranges funnel cool Pacific air and fog inland, creating one of California's most southerly cool-climate wine regions. The county's ancient marine-derived soils — calcareous limestone and chalk, diatomaceous earth, and sandy loams — combined with a long growing season and pronounced diurnal temperature swings, give grapes here exceptional acid retention and extended hang time for flavor development.

The L'Arge d'Oor name is a bilingual play: part French 'l'age d'or' (the golden age) and part English 'large door,' which Sampler describes as a portal between old-world technique and California fruit. At 15.5% ABV and after nearly six years of total production time, this is a wine built for contemplation, not casual sipping.

The wine's structure and 15.5% ABV call for substantial food. Braised lamb shoulder, wild boar ragu on pappardelle, or a well-aged sheep's milk cheese like Manchego or Pecorino Sardo are all strong matches. Grilled porcini mushrooms or a beef short rib braise will also hold up to the tannin.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Full Body
Grapes:, Sangiovese
Farming:, Sustainable
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 15.5%
Country:, United States
Region:, Santa Barbara County
Appellation:, Santa Barbara County
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

Scotty Boy!

Scott Sampler grew up in Los Angeles, earned a philosophy degree from UC Berkeley, and worked in the film industry before shifting to winemaking. He launched The Central Coast Group Project (CCGP) in 2012, based in Buellton, California, with the aim of making wines in the style of the classic Italian producers he admired — long macerations, minimal intervention, no chemical additions beyond minimal sulfur at bottling.

CCGP sources exclusively from small, family-owned vineyards farmed without chemical spraying, at minimum, with many sites farmed organically or biodynamically. All fruit is hand harvested. Sampler's approach draws on techniques from old-school Barolo: extended macerations that often run hundreds of days, native yeast fermentations, and long aging at the winery before release. His wines are distributed by Amy Atwood Selections in Los Angeles and have been placed in restaurants including Bell's in Los Alamos, Otoko in Austin, and Blue Hill at Stone Barnes in New York.

L'Arge d'Oor is Sampler's fine wine label within the CCGP umbrella, focused on single-vineyard, long-maceration wines built for aging. It sits alongside the more approachable Scotty-Boy! label, which is designed as vin de soif — wines meant to be drunk fresh, often chilled. The L'Arge d'Oor Sangiovese represents the more serious, time-intensive side of Sampler's production, with the 2018 vintage spending 171 days on skins and 24 months on the gross lees before bottling.

Wine region

Santa Barbara County, United States

Santa Barbara County sits at approximately 34.5 degrees north latitude, but its east-west transverse mountain ranges — the Santa Ynez and San Rafael ranges — funnel cool Pacific fog and marine air directly inland through the county's valleys. This geography makes it one of the most southerly cool-climate wine regions in the Northern Hemisphere, with a long growing season that gives grapes extended hang time to develop acids, flavors, and tannins simultaneously. Average annual rainfall is low, typically under 18.5 inches, which reduces disease pressure and allows grapes to ripen fully.

The county contains seven recognized AVAs, including Santa Maria Valley, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District, Happy Canyon, and Alisos Canyon. Soils vary widely from ancient marine-derived diatomaceous earth and calcareous chalk in the western and coastal areas to sandy loams and clay loams further inland. Sangiovese has found a niche in the county alongside more widely planted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, and Grenache, with producers like Palmina and CCGP demonstrating that the region's long growing season and acid-retaining soils suit Italian varieties well.

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.

This collection features our best selling natural wine from all around the world. It's the best place to start you natural wine journey! Browse one of the largest selections of natural wine available online in the United States.

Primal Wine Natural Wine Club is the best way to discover natural wine. Let us do the heavy-lifting, sit back, and relax. We will send you an ever-changing selection of natural wine made by top producers from around the world.

Our customers love Primal

I'm just copying and pasting from the hundreds messages we received, no pseudo reviews!
Erin C.

We love our membership so far and can't wait until our next shipment.

Jennifer B.

A note to say that we are loving the tasting notes sheet you’re sending!

James S.

I'm really happy to find Primal – your selections are terrific. 

Samuel M.

Love your company, always a great wine selection. 

Chelsea V.

I love what you guys do!

What Is | Primal Wine

What is natural wine?

Natural wine is a type of wine made in small batches from organic or biodynamic grapes with minimal intervention.
What Is Biodynamic Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is Biodynamics?

Biodynamic wine is wine made from grapes farmed biodynamically. Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach.
What Is Organic Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is organic wine?

Organic wine is made with grapes farmed organically. Organic farming is an alternative to conventional farming.
What Is Vegan Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is vegan wine?

Vegan wine is wine made without using animal products during the fining phase of the clarification process.