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Deux Punx

Merlot 2019

Price: $26.95
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Tasting notes

Lake County Merlot at elevation is a different animal from its valley-floor counterparts: brighter acidity, a more defined herbal edge, and dark cherry fruit that stays lively rather than jammy. Deux Punx keeps the winemaking out of the way — native yeast, neutral oak, no fining — so the vineyard character comes through without polish or additives.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Black CherryPlumEarthDried Tea Leaves
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; 100% Merlot; Lake County, California; native yeast; unfined and unfiltered
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Merlot; organically farmed; Tejada family vineyard, Lake County; volcanic and alluvial soils; 1,300–3,000ft elevation
  • Winemaking: Native yeast fermentation; neutral oak aging (a few months); minimal SO2; bottled unfined and unfiltered
  • Serving: Serve at 58–62°F; no decanting required; drink now
  • Pairing: Roasted chicken, mushroom pasta, grilled burgers, charcuterie, aged cheese
  • Similar To: For fans of lighter-style California Merlot or Cabernet Franc who want minimal-intervention winemaking

Deux Punx Merlot 2019 is 100% Merlot sourced from the Tejada family's organically farmed vineyard in Lake County, California. Lake County sits north of Napa in the North Coast AVA, with vineyards planted between 1,300 and 3,000 feet above sea level on volcanic and alluvial soils shaped by Mount Konocti. The county's high elevation delivers significant diurnal temperature swings, which preserve acidity and keep the fruit from going soft.

Winemakers Dan Schaaf and Aaron Olson use the same approach across their entire lineup: native yeast fermentation, aging in neutral oak, minimal sulfur dioxide additions, and bottling without fining or filtration. For the 2019 Merlot, the wine spent a few months in neutral barrels before going to bottle, keeping the fruit fresh and the texture supple rather than heavy.

The result is a Merlot that leans into the variety's red-fruit and earthy character rather than its tendency toward plummy softness. Expect dark cherry, a savory herbal edge, and a clean finish with light structure. This is a drink-now wine built for the table, not the cellar.

Works well with roasted chicken thighs, mushroom pasta, or a burger off the grill. The wine's acidity and savory edge also make it a good match for charcuterie and aged cheeses. Serve lightly chilled around 58–62°F.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Merlot
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2019
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, United States
Region:, California
Appellation:, Lake 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

Deux Punx

Deux Punx was founded in April 2008 by Dan Schaaf and Aaron Olson. Schaaf is a water-resources engineer and former skateboarder; Olson is a software engineer and former punk band drummer. They met in 2005 and started making wine together in 2007, beginning with a 60-case production. Both maintain full-time careers outside of wine by design — they have stated explicitly that staying financially independent from winemaking keeps their motivation and pricing honest.

Deux Punx operates from Punk Dog Wineries, a shared warehouse facility in the River East neighborhood of Napa. They source grapes from organically farmed vineyards across Northern California, including the Tejada family's vineyard in Lake County, Elk Prairie Vineyards in Humboldt County, Del Barba Vineyard in Contra Costa County, and sites in San Benito County, the Sierra Foothills, and Clarksburg. Each wine label is designed by a different artist collaborator and paired with a musical recommendation.

Deux Punx applies the same production method to every wine: native yeast fermentation, aging in neutral oak at ambient temperatures, minimal sulfur dioxide additions, and bottling unfined and unfiltered. They do not fine-tune wines between vintages to achieve a consistent house style — their philosophy is to let vineyard and vintage variation express itself directly.

Wine region

California, United States

Lake County sits in the northeastern corner of California's North Coast AVA, directly north of Napa County. The county's most prominent geographic feature is Clear Lake, the oldest and largest natural freshwater lake in California, whose thermal mass moderates temperatures in the surrounding vineyards. Elevations across the county's nine sub-AVAs range from 1,300 to 3,000 feet above sea level, and the region experiences significant diurnal temperature shifts — sometimes exceeding 50°F between day and night highs and lows — which preserve natural acidity in the grapes.

The county's terroir is shaped heavily by volcanic activity centered on Mount Konocti, a dormant volcano. Hillside soils in sub-AVAs like the Red Hills and High Valley are rich in red volcanic material, obsidian, and well-drained gravel, while valley floors carry alluvial clay and loam deposits. Lake County grows a range of varieties, with Cabernet Sauvignon dominant at roughly 47% of planted acreage, followed by Sauvignon Blanc, Petite Sirah, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and Merlot. The county's high UV exposure — up to 10% more than sea-level valleys — produces grapes with thicker skins and higher phenolic concentration.

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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