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Bichi

Tinto 2016

Price: $29.95
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Tasting notes

This is an Italo-Mexican mashup that has no real precedent: Nebbiolo's dusty rose and firm acid meets Tempranillo's crunchy red fruit, all run through a chili pepper and granite mineral thread that is unmistakably Tecate. At 12.5% ABV from 100-year-old dry-farmed vines in the Mexican mountains, it is far more energetic and fresh than the terroir would suggest.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
CherryMineralChili SpiceDried Rose
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; Nebbiolo and Tempranillo co-fermented; bright cherry, chili spice, granite mineral; 12.5% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: Nebbiolo and Tempranillo; ~100-year-old own-rooted vines; dry-farmed; sandy loam and granite soils; 2,000+ ft elevation; Tecate, Baja California
  • Winemaking: Native yeast co-fermentation in 450L concrete tinajas; 3 months aging, half stainless steel and half neutral old oak; no fining, no filtration, no added SO2; 378 cases
  • Serving: Serve at 55-60F; 15-20 minute chill recommended; brief decant or pour and let breathe in glass
  • Pairing: Carnitas tacos, carne asada, lamb birria, aged manchego, mushroom quesadillas with salsa verde
  • Similar To: For fans of lighter Nebbiolo (Langhe) and earthy Grenache who want something outside the European canon

Bichi Tinto is a red blend of Nebbiolo and Tempranillo grown on the Téllez family ranch in Tecate, Baja California — just six miles south of the California border at elevations above 2,000 feet. The vines are approximately 100 years old, own-rooted, dry-farmed, and planted in sandy loam and granite soils. This is one of 378 cases produced in 2016.

The grapes were co-fermented in locally made 450-liter concrete tinajas using native yeasts. After fermentation, the wine was aged for three months split equally between stainless steel vats and neutral older oak barrels. It was bottled without fining or filtration and with no added SO2.

Nebbiolo brings dusty rose and dried cherry notes along with its trademark firm acid and grip. Tempranillo adds red fruit and earthy spice. Together in this warm-climate, high-altitude setting they produce something lighter and more lifted than you might expect — bright, crunchy, and savory, with a persistent mineral edge and a chili pepper vibe that runs through the finish.

Bichi's approach is rooted in recovery: identifying old, near-forgotten dry-farmed vineyards in the Tecate mountains and making wine from them with as little intervention as possible. The Tinto reflects that ethos directly.

The wine's bright acidity and savory chili-spice character make it a strong match for carnitas tacos, grilled carne asada, or slow-cooked lamb birria. It also works well alongside aged manchego or a simple mushroom quesadilla with salsa verde. Serve it with a 15-minute chill to bring out the freshness.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2016
Alcohol:, 12.5%
Country:, Mexico
Region:, Baja California
Appellation:, N/A
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 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.


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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

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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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4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

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**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

Bichi

Bichi was founded in 2014 by the Téllez family, who relocated from Sonora to Tecate, Baja California. The name comes from a Sonoran Yaqui dialect word meaning 'naked,' chosen to signal a no-additions winemaking approach. Chilean winemaker Louis-Antoine Luyt, who trained in Burgundy and is known for reviving the Pais grape in Chile, began collaborating with the family at the project's founding. Luyt worked with Bichi through the 2016 vintage before departing in 2017. Noel Téllez, a former lawyer, is now the sole owner and operator, working with Beaujolais-trained winemaker Yann Rohel.

Bichi farms 10 hectares of its own Tecate vineyards biodynamically and sources from a wider network of organic growers in Tecate and around San Antonio de las Minas in Valle de Guadalupe. All estate vines are head-trained and dry-farmed, with the majority over 100 years old and own-rooted. The focus is on recovering nearly forgotten heritage plantings — Misión, Rosa del Peru, Tempranillo, and others — that were largely abandoned as commercial wineries in Baja moved toward irrigated international varieties.

In the winery, grapes are destemmed by hand and foot-trodden, then fermented with native yeasts in locally fabricated 450-liter concrete tinajas. Wines are raised in a mix of neutral old barrels and stainless steel vats. Bottling is done without fining or filtration, with minimal or no sulfur added depending on the cuvée and vintage. The Tinto 2016 was bottled with no added SO2 and only 378 cases were produced.

Wine region

Baja California, Mexico

Tecate sits in the Puerta Norte area of Baja California Norte, roughly six miles south of the California border. It is not formally classified within the Valleys of Ensenada appellation cluster, but its mountain vineyards at elevations above 2,000 feet give it a cooler, more continental character than the better-known Valle de Guadalupe further south. Soils in the area are sandy loam over decomposed granite, well-draining by nature. The climate is Mediterranean in influence, with Pacific ocean air moderating summer heat and producing significant diurnal temperature swings that preserve acidity in the grapes.

Baja California accounts for roughly 90% of all wine production in Mexico, with winemaking history dating to Spanish missionaries in the early 1500s. The state has no formal DOC-equivalent appellation system, though Valle de Guadalupe is the most internationally recognized sub-region. Tecate, by contrast, is primarily known in natural wine circles as the base of Bichi. Key varieties grown across the state include Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Misión (Listán Prieto), and Rosa del Peru (Moscatel Negro). The extreme dryness — some areas receive only 8 inches of annual rainfall — makes dry-farming an act of careful site selection rather than routine practice.

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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