RS17 Merlot Pignolo 2017

RS17 stands for Rosso Saša, the personal red wine project of Saša Radikon. The blend is 75% Merlot and 25% Pignolo, sourced from south-facing vineyards in Oslavia, a hamlet of Gorizia in the Collio hills of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, roughly 300 meters from the Slovenian border. Vines average around 30 years old and grow in ponca, a compressed, friable Eocene-era soil of layered marl and sandstone that imparts mineral tension and salinity to the wines. The vineyards are farmed organically with no synthetic treatments.

Grapes are destemmed and co-fermented spontaneously in 25-hectoliter open wooden vats with no temperature control, no added yeasts, and no sulfur. Skin maceration runs approximately 14 to 15 days with daily punchdowns. The wine is then aged for 12 months in used Slavonian oak botti and bottled without fining or filtration. Total sulfites are minimal at 15 mg/L.

Pignolo is a native Friulian variety that nearly went extinct in the 20th century. Its tight, pine-cone-shaped clusters produce low yields and contribute firm tannin structure, dark fruit, and herbal depth. In this blend, Merlot supplies dark plum fruit and body while Pignolo adds structure, grip, and savory herbal character. The result is a medium-to-full-bodied red with the kind of earthy complexity and food compatibility that defines the Radikon house style.

The RS line was introduced by Saša as a more approachable, earlier-drinking expression of the Radikon cellar philosophy, distinct from the estate's flagship whites and reds, which receive three or more years of barrel aging. The 2017 vintage falls within Saša's first years leading the winery after Stanko passed in September 2016.

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.