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Fres-co

Primitivo 2020

Price: $26.95
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Tasting notes

This is Primitivo, the Italian clone of Zinfandel, grown on own-rooted, dry-farmed vines in Kenwood on Los Robles gravelly clay loam, and it shows in the glass: red cherry and raspberry rather than jam, with a firm but approachable tannic structure and lively acidity that keeps it honest. It is the flagship wine of the Fres.co lineup, and the combination of no-spray farming by Ross Cannard and native-yeast, no-additive winemaking by Jack Sporer produces a Zinfandel that is specific to its site rather than generically Californian.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
RaspberryRed CherryBlackberryBlack Pepper
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; Primitivo (Italian Zinfandel clone); Kenwood, Sonoma Valley; bright red fruit, medium tannins
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Primitivo (Zinfandel); Benguerel Family Vineyard, Kenwood, Sonoma Valley AVA; own-rooted, dry-farmed; Los Robles gravelly clay loam; farmed by Ross Cannard without synthetic sprays
  • Winemaking: Native yeast fermentation; no fining, no filtration; minimal SO2 at bottling (~30 ppm); made at Magnolia Wine Services, Sonoma
  • Serving: Serve at 60-64F; 20-30 min decant optional
  • Pairing: Grilled pork, lamb burgers, roast chicken, tomato-braised meats, aged Dry Jack cheese
  • Similar To: For fans of restrained, lower-extract Zinfandel in the style of Dry Creek Valley benchland producers; closer to Bedrock or Nalle in spirit than to high-alcohol fruit-forward styles

Fres.co Primitivo is 100% Primitivo, the Italian clone of Zinfandel, sourced from Benguerel Family Vineyard in Kenwood, Sonoma Valley. The vines are own-rooted, dry-farmed, and grown on Los Robles series gravelly clay loam. Farmer Ross Cannard, son of Bob Cannard who grew produce for Chez Panisse, manages the vineyard without synthetic sprays or herbicides.

Winemaker Jack Sporer ferments with native ambient yeast, uses no fining agents or filtration, and adds only a small dose of sulfur dioxide at bottling. The wine is made at Magnolia Wine Services, the cooperative custom crush facility in Sonoma that Sporer owns and operates.

The wine shows red cherry, raspberry, blackberry, and black plum, with medium tannins and bright acidity. It reads as a restrained, food-friendly red rather than a high-extract, high-alcohol California Zinfandel. Sporer credits the farming and the dry-farmed, no-spray viticulture at Benguerel for the wine's clarity and freshness.

Fres.co highlights the grower's name on the back label of every bottle as a direct acknowledgment that the wine originates in the vineyard. The Primitivo is described by Sporer as his flagship wine and the expression that best reflects his sourcing and farming goals in Sonoma Valley.

Works well with grilled pork chops, lamb burgers, or a tomato-braised short rib. The wine's acidity and medium tannins hold up to roasted meats without overwhelming lighter preparations like roast chicken with herbs. Aged hard cheeses such as Vella Dry Jack from Sonoma are a natural regional pairing.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Primitivo (Zinfandel)
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2020
Alcohol:, N/A
Country:, United States
Region:, Sonoma Valley
Appellation:, Sonoma Valley AVA
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

Fres-co

Jack Sporer launched Fres.co (formally Fresh Wine Company) in 2019 in Sonoma Valley. He grew up in Sonoma, studied biology at Providence College, then returned in 2012 to work his first harvest. He subsequently worked harvests in France, Australia, New Zealand, and Chile, and staged at California wineries including Williams-Selyem, Bedrock Wine Co., and Chappellet before taking over and operating Magnolia Wine Services, a cooperative custom crush facility in the town of Sonoma.

Fres.co sources exclusively from organically and regeneratively farmed vineyards in Sonoma Valley. The label works directly with growers to transition vineyards away from synthetic inputs, sharing costs and risks with farmers during the conversion process. Farming practices across Fres.co's sourced vineyards include dry farming, no-till, no-spray viticulture, and in some cases rotational sheep grazing for soil health. The grower's name appears on the back label of every Fres.co bottle.

All Fres.co wines are fermented with native ambient yeast, without commercial yeast, enzymes, or other fermentation aids. Finished wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered, without cold stabilization. A small dose of sulfur dioxide, generally around 30 ppm, is added solely at bottling. Grapes are hand-harvested and handled without pumping. Wines are made at Magnolia Wine Services in Sonoma, the low-intervention wine collective Sporer owns and operates.

Wine region

Sonoma Valley, United States

Sonoma Valley was designated California's second AVA in 1981. The valley runs roughly 17 miles from the town of Sonoma in the south to Santa Rosa in the north, flanked by the Mayacamas Mountains to the east and Sonoma Mountains to the west. The hamlet of Kenwood, where Benguerel Family Vineyard sits, is in the northern portion of the valley where the Russian River watershed begins and afternoon Pacific fog and wind cool the growing season considerably. Soils across Sonoma Valley are highly varied, including volcanic basalt, clay, alluvial loam, and rocky benchland; the Benguerel site specifically sits on Los Robles series gravelly clay loam.

Zinfandel has deep roots in Sonoma Valley, with some plantings dating to the mid-1800s. The grape thrives in the warmer interior sections of the valley, and Sonoma Valley has long been home to producers committed to dry-farming and low-input viticulture. The broader Sonoma Valley AVA contains five sub-AVAs: Sonoma Valley, Los Carneros, Sonoma Mountain, Bennett Valley, and Moon Mountain. The region's long history of organic and regenerative viticulture, championed by figures including Phil Coturri and Bob Cannard, has made it one of California's most active zones for low-intervention farming and natural winemaking.

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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