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St. Reginald Parish

The Great Pretender Red '17

Price: $29.95
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Tasting notes

This is a wine built on a genuine stylistic tension: Smith's instinct for riper, richer fruit meets Young's preference for freshness and drinkability, and the 2017 vintage holds both in check. The Southern Oregon component adds dark berry weight while the Willamette fruit keeps the acidity lively and the whole thing moving.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
BlackberryPlumBlack PepperWild Strawberry
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red blend; sustainably farmed Oregon fruit; bright acidity with ripe dark berry character; minimal intervention
  • Grapes & Terroir: Syrah-based red blend; sustainably farmed fruit from Southern Oregon and Willamette Valley; volcanic basalt and marine sedimentary soils
  • Winemaking: Native yeast fermentation; minimal additions; collaborative project between Andy Young (St. Reginald Parish) and Adam Smith (then of Eisold-Smith, now Skinner Vineyards)
  • Serving: Serve at 58-62F; light chill optional; no decant required
  • Pairing: Roasted pork, lamb merguez, charcuterie, grilled mushrooms
  • Similar To: For fans of cool-climate Syrah and Gamay who want a fruit-forward, lighter-touch red

The Great Pretender is a collaborative red blend from St. Reginald Parish winemaker Andy Young and Adam Smith, who at the time of this 2017 vintage was working out of the same Eola-Amity Hills facility and has since become Director of Winemaking at Skinner Vineyards in El Dorado County. The fruit is sourced from sustainably farmed vineyards in Southern Oregon and the Willamette Valley, two regions with markedly different growing conditions that together shape this wine's range.

Andy Young launched St. Reginald Parish in 2012 after leaving behind a career as a rock drummer in New Orleans. The winery name combines his middle name, Reginald, and St. Tammany Parish, the New Orleans neighborhood where he grew up. His approach across all labels relies on native yeast fermentations, sourced fruit from established sites, and minimal additions in the winery. Adam Smith brought experience from Domaine Serene, Bethel Heights Vineyard, and Shea Wine Cellars in Oregon, as well as Craggy Range in New Zealand, to the collaboration.

The wine leans into the contrast between Smith's preference for fruit richness and Young's pull toward lighter, more glou-glou styles. Southern Oregon fruit, particularly from the warmer Rogue Valley, tends to add weight and dark fruit character, while Willamette Valley material brings higher acidity and lift. The result sits between the two impulses: approachable and fruit-driven without being heavy.

Drink this with roasted pork shoulder, lamb merguez, or a plate of charcuterie. The moderate tannin and fresh acidity make it flexible at the table. Works equally well slightly chilled on a warm evening.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Syrah Blend
Farming:, Sustainable
Vintage:, 2017
Alcohol:,
Country:, USA
Region:, Oregon
Appellation:, Oregon
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

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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.


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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.

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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

St. Reginald Parish

Andy Young founded St. Reginald Parish in 2012 after leaving New Orleans, where he had worked as a rock drummer. The winery name is an amalgamation of his middle name, Reginald, and St. Tammany Parish, the neighborhood where he grew up. He based operations in the Willamette Valley, working from a shared facility in the Eola-Amity Hills.

Young sources all fruit from friends with established vineyard sites rather than owning estate land. This approach keeps volumes small and gives him flexibility to work across different growing regions. Across the St. Reginald Parish lineup, he uses native yeast fermentations, carbonic maceration for lighter styles, and minimal additions in the cellar. The winery operates under two labels: The Marigny, focused on lighter, more immediately drinkable wines, and St. Reginald Parish for more structured releases.

The Great Pretender was made in collaboration with Adam Smith, who had previously worked at Domaine Serene, Bethel Heights Vineyard, and Shea Wine Cellars in Oregon before positions at Craggy Range in New Zealand and Banshee Wines on the Sonoma Coast. At the time of this 2017 release, both winemakers were working out of the same Eola-Amity Hills facility. Smith subsequently returned to his home region of El Dorado County to become Director of Winemaking at Skinner Vineyards.

Wine region

Oregon, USA

The Eola-Amity Hills AVA sits within Oregon's Willamette Valley, northwest of Salem, established as its own sub-appellation in 2006. Vineyards run from 250 to 700 feet in elevation across a north-south ridge of hills underlaid by volcanic basalt and marine sedimentary soils. The defining climatic feature is the Van Duzer Corridor, a gap in the Coast Range that funnels cool Pacific air into the region each afternoon, dropping temperatures sharply and preserving acidity in the fruit as it ripens. The AVA covers roughly 39,200 acres, with around 3,040 planted, and is best known for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling.

Southern Oregon, by contrast, is warmer and drier, with the Rogue Valley and Umpqua Valley being the two primary appellations. The warmer days there suit varieties like Syrah, Tempranillo, and Grenache that would struggle to fully ripen in the Willamette Valley. Fruit from Southern Oregon typically shows deeper color and riper dark berry character, making it a useful counterweight when blended with the more restrained, high-acid material from further north. The combination across this wine reflects a deliberate choice to use Oregon's full geographic range rather than staying within a single appellation.

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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