Nero d'Avola 2016

Martha Stoumen's 2016 Nero d'Avola is sourced from two Ukiah-area vineyards with a direct familial connection: Fox Hill Vineyard (30%) on Talmage Bench, planted in 1986 by viticulture pioneer Lowell Stone and widely considered the oldest Nero d'Avola planting in California, and Benson Ranch (70%), planted in 2004 using cuttings taken directly from Fox Hill vines. The Nero d'Avola at these two sites shares the same genetic lineage, separated by 18 years of vine age.

Benson Ranch is a 5-acre leased site farmed by Martha Stoumen to organic principles: no pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fungicides, with only elemental sulfur dust applied occasionally for mildew control. The vines are head-trained and dry-farmed on gravelly loam benchland soils, forcing deep root growth. Fox Hill, a 150-acre ranch with 60 acres planted to grapes, olives, and fruit trees, is farmed conventionally but without herbicides including glyphosate.

In the cellar, the fruit was destemmed and fermented with native yeast in small vats, with twice-daily punchdowns until dry, typically over about two weeks. The wine was pressed and transferred to neutral barrels on lees. Only minimal sulfites were added at bottling. Total SO2 at bottling was 12 mg/L for the comparable 2017 vintage. 516 cases were produced.

The result is a wine with bright acidity and soft, dusty tannins alongside dark wild forest fruits, cocoa, and a savory undercurrent. Nero d'Avola's ability to retain acidity in warm inland climates makes it an ideal variety for the Ukiah benchlands, where Mediterranean-style summers allow low-input farming while preserving freshness in the finished wine.

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.