La Boutanche
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'La Boutanche' Melon 2016

Price: $24.95
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Tasting notes

Melon de Bourgogne grown on schist and gneiss in Ancenis, then vinified without SO2 in Touraine, produces something structurally taut and mineral rather than broad or fruity. The no-lees, tank-only elevage keeps it lean and direct, with a saline, stony finish that reads more like flint than fruit.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
FlintLemon PeelSea SaltPear
Dry/Sweet:Dry
Wine Type:White Wine
Wine Style:Medium Body
Grapes:Melon de Bourgogne
Farming:Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:2016
Alcohol:12%
Country:France
Region:Loire Valley
Appellation:Vin de France
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

La Boutanche

Quentin Bourse established Le Sot de l'Ange (loosely translated as 'Idiot Angel') in Azay-le-Rideau, Touraine, when he took over a friend's estate in time for the 2013 vintage. Before that he worked internships across the Loire, including a six-month stage at Domaine Huet in Vouvray. He works 12 hectares of vines in Azay-le-Rideau, sharing cellar space with Pascal Pibaleau.

The estate has been certified biodynamic for over a decade, which is rare in the Azay-le-Rideau sub-appellation. Vineyard soils are primarily clay over silica. Bourse manages the estate largely himself, with friends assisting at harvest.

In the cellar, Bourse uses native yeasts throughout and does not add SO2 at any stage for his red wines. For whites, the approach involves slow, gentle pressing and aging in tank. The 'La Boutanche' label is used for wines made from purchased or sourced fruit rather than his own estate vines, including this Melon de Bourgogne from Domaine Landron-Chartier in the Coteaux d'Ancenis.

Wine region

Loire Valley, France

The Loire Valley runs roughly 1,000 kilometers across north-central France, from the Atlantic coast near Nantes east to Pouilly-sur-Loire. It is broadly divided into Pays Nantais, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine, and the Central Vineyards. The climate shifts from oceanic in the west, where proximity to the Atlantic moderates temperatures and raises humidity, to more continental in the east around Sancerre. This gradient shapes the styles dramatically: briny, lean Muscadet in the west versus mineral, precise Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé further inland.

Key white grape varieties include Melon de Bourgogne (the sole grape of Muscadet), Chenin Blanc (the backbone of Vouvray, Savennières, and Anjou), and Sauvignon Blanc (dominant in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé). Red production centers on Cabernet Franc in Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur-Champigny, and Gamay across Touraine. Pays Nantais soils are primarily ancient metamorphic rock — schist, gneiss, micaschist, and granite — from the Massif Armorican. The Coteaux d'Ancenis AOC, recognized in 2011, sits on both banks of the Loire between Nantes and Ancenis, overlapping geographically with Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire but permitting different grape varieties.

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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