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Say When

Rasi Pinot Noir 2018

Price: $38.95
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Tasting notes

Rancho La Viña is one of the coldest Pinot Noir sites in California, and that shows in the wine: roasted cherry and baking spice on the nose, then firm chalky tannins and bright acidity on the palate that keep everything taut and focused. Native fermentation and neutral oak mean the vineyard does the talking, not the cellar.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Dark CherryBaking SpiceBlistered StrawberryEarth
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; 100% Pinot Noir; roasted cherry, baking spice, earthy mineral; 14.5% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Pinot Noir, clones 114 and 777; Rancho La Viña, Sta. Rita Hills AVA; sandy loam and clay soils, low fertility; one of the coldest PN sites in California
  • Winemaking: Hand-harvested Oct 20, 2018; native yeast fermentation; 10 months neutral French oak; unfined, unfiltered; no additions beyond minimal sulfur
  • Serving: Serve at 60-64F; 20-30 min decant recommended
  • Pairing: Duck breast, roasted lamb, wild mushroom risotto, aged manchego, porcini pork loin
  • Similar To: For fans of cool-climate, terroir-driven Pinot Noir who want California fruit with Burgundian structure and restraint

Say When's Rasi is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from a single site: Rancho La Viña, a 35-acre vineyard sitting on a gently sloped mesa at the far southwestern edge of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, roughly 8.3 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Planted in 2005 with Pinot Noir clones 114 and 777, the vineyard's low-fertility sandy loam and clay soils and relentless marine exposure make it one of the coldest Pinot Noir sites in California. Grapes were hand-harvested on October 20, 2018.

In the winery, winemaker Rachel DeAscentiis used native fermentation with no commercial yeasts or nutrients, aged the wine for 10 months in neutral French oak, and bottled it unfined and unfiltered. No additions were made beyond minimal sulfur. The approach is hands-off throughout: what is in the bottle reflects the vineyard, the vintage, and little else.

On the nose, roasted dark cherry, cardamom, and star anise lead, with a thread of wild blackberry underneath. The palate is plush at first, then baking spice and firm tannins assert themselves, with blistered strawberry and earthy mineral notes carrying through the finish. Classic Sta. Rita Hills structure: high acidity, defined backbone, layered complexity.

The wine is produced by Say When, a small label run by Rachel and Michel DeAscentiis out of Lompoc, California. Rachel handles all winemaking; Michel oversees branding and operations. They source fruit from sustainably, organically, and biodynamically farmed vineyards across Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County, and produce every wine themselves in a shared winery space.

Pinot Noir at this weight and acidity works well alongside duck breast, roasted chicken thighs, or lamb chops. The earthy spice notes make it a natural match for mushroom-based dishes like a wild mushroom risotto or a porcini-rubbed pork loin. Aged cheeses such as manchego or comté work well too.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Pinot Noir
Farming:, Sustainable
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 14.5%
Country:, USA
Region:, Sta. Rita Hills
Appellation:, Sta. Rita Hills 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

Say When

Say When was founded by Rachel (Silkowski) DeAscentiis and her husband Michel DeAscentiis. Rachel began working with Brian and Kimberly Loring at Loring Wine Company in Lompoc at age 18, completed her Agricultural Business degree at Oregon State, and was hired as assistant winemaker after graduation, a role she held for five years. In 2013 she produced her first barrel of Pinot Noir independently under the Rasi name. Say When officially launched as a label in 2016. The winery operates out of a shared production facility in Lompoc, with Rachel handling all winemaking decisions and Michel overseeing branding and operations.

Say When sources fruit from small family-owned vineyards in Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County, working with sites farmed using sustainable, organic, biodynamic, or regenerative organic practices. As of 2020, all vineyard sources meet one of those farming standards. Grapes are hand-harvested each vintage.

Every Say When wine undergoes native fermentation with no added commercial yeasts or nutrients. No fining or filtration is used. Sulfur is the only additive. The Rasi Pinot Noir is aged in neutral French oak for 10 months before bottling.

Wine region

Sta. Rita Hills, USA

Sta. Rita Hills is a sub-AVA of the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California, designated in 2001 and sitting between the towns of Lompoc to the west and Buellton to the east. The AVA's defining geographic feature is its east-west transverse valley orientation, which channels Pacific Ocean winds and morning fog inland through corridors formed by the Purisima Hills to the north and the Santa Rosa Hills to the south. This maritime throat keeps the region classified as Region One on the Winkler heat summation scale, one of California's coolest grape-growing climates, with day-to-night temperature swings of 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the growing season.

Soils across the AVA are marine-derived and highly varied, including sandy loams, diatomaceous earth, limestone, chalk, and clay loams pushed up from the ocean floor through ancient tectonic activity. Elevations range from near the valley floor to roughly 800 feet on the hilltops. Pinot Noir dominates plantings, followed by Chardonnay and Syrah. The long, cool growing season allows for full phenolic development while preserving high natural acidity, a combination that defines Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir.

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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