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En Cavale

Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Price: $25.95
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Tasting notes

This is Sauvignon Blanc at 12% ABV with real texture from brief skin contact and neutral oak aging -- citrus and tropical fruit backed by a saline, mineral edge that comes directly from the delta winds and sandy soils of Oakley. It is the kind of wine that makes you reconsider what California white wine can be.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
LimeGrapefruitPassionfruitSaline
  • Style: Dry, light-bodied white; citrus and tropical fruit; saline mineral finish; 12% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Sauvignon Blanc; organic; Delhi sandy loam, Sacramento Delta, Oakley and Knightsen, Contra Costa County
  • Winemaking: Foot-trodden; brief skin contact; spontaneous fermentation; 4 months neutral French oak; unfined, unfiltered; ~20ppm SO2
  • Serving: Serve at 45-50F; no decanting needed
  • Pairing: Oysters, grilled white fish, goat cheese, arugula salad, Thai basil dishes
  • Similar To: For fans of Loire Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre, Muscadet) who want a California natural wine with real texture

En Cavale is a collaboration between Wolfgang Weber and Chad Hinds (also known for Methode Sauvage / Iruai), founded in 2017 with the goal of making low-intervention wines from organically farmed California vineyards. This Sauvignon Blanc comes from a vineyard in the Oakley and Knightsen area of eastern Contra Costa County, where vines planted in the early 1990s grow in wind-blown Delhi sandy loam soils along the Sacramento Delta. The sandy soils allowed the vines to be planted on their own roots, free from phylloxera risk.

Afternoons in this part of the delta are regularly cooled by winds funneling in from the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and Suisun Bay, moderating what would otherwise be very hot growing conditions. That diurnal shift keeps natural acidity high and allows for early harvesting of Sauvignon Blanc with freshness intact. The site sits roughly 50 miles east of San Francisco, within the Contra Costa County AVA (formally established in 2024) and the broader San Francisco Bay AVA.

Grapes are foot-trodden and given brief skin contact before pressing. Fermentation happens spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, with no temperature control. The wine is then racked to neutral French oak for approximately four months, bottled unfined and unfiltered, and finished with a minimal SO2 addition of around 20ppm. Production is small, typically around 200 cases.

A natural match for oysters, grilled white fish, and fresh goat cheese. The wine's saline lift and citrus edge also work well alongside Thai basil dishes or arugula salads dressed with lemon vinaigrette. Keep it chilled and pair with anything where brightness is an asset.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, White Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Sauvignon Blanc
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 12%
Country:, United States
Region:, Contra Costa, California
Appellation:, Contra Costa County 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

En Cavale

En Cavale was founded in 2017 by Wolfgang Weber and Chad Hinds, the latter also known for his work under the Methode Sauvage and Iruai labels. The project sources grapes from approximately 5 hectares of organically farmed vineyards in Contra Costa County, producing around 200 to 800 cases annually across a range of varieties including Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Vermentino, Verdelho, Albariño, and Fiano.

All fruit is sourced from organically farmed sites. The Sauvignon Blanc vineyard in Oakley and Knightsen is planted in wind-blown sandy soils on the Sacramento Delta shore, with vines established in the early 1990s and farmed without synthetic chemicals.

Winemaking takes place at a natural wine cooperative in the Richmond Marina. Grapes are foot-trodden and given brief skin contact before pressing. Fermentation is spontaneous with no temperature control, followed by approximately four months of aging in neutral French oak barrels. Wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur additions.

Wine region

Contra Costa, California, United States

Contra Costa County sits on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay Area, roughly 50 miles east of San Francisco. Its vineyards are concentrated in the eastern towns of Oakley, Knightsen, and Brentwood, planted on ancient alluvial sandbars at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. The Delhi sandy loam soils are so inhospitable to phylloxera that many vines in the region remain on their own roots. The Contra Costa County AVA was formally established in April 2024, making it California's 150th AVA.

The climate here runs hot during the day but is reliably cooled by afternoon delta winds that funnel in through a gap in the Coastal Range as the Central Valley heats up. This diurnal shift preserves natural acidity in the grapes. The region is best known historically for old-vine Zinfandel, Mourvedre, and Carignan, but producers like En Cavale have demonstrated that the sandy delta soils and wind-driven freshness are equally suited to white varieties like Sauvignon Blanc and Vermentino.

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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