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Vin de California

VDC Pinot Noir 2019

Price: $25.95
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Tasting notes

Bassi Vineyard, just 1.2 miles from the Pacific in Avila Beach, gives this Pinot Noir a saline, mineral edge that most California Pinot at this price point simply does not have. Fermented in a wood foudre with zero additions and bottled raw, it tastes like pure cherry and watermelon juice with a wisp of wet earth — no oak, no excess alcohol, nothing in the way.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
StrawberryWatermelonCherryWet Earth
  • Style: Light-bodied red; pale ruby; strawberry, watermelon, wet earth; bright acidity; no new oak
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Pinot Noir; organic; Bassi Vineyard, Avila Beach, SLO Coast; sandstone over marine bedrock; 1.2 miles from the Pacific
  • Winemaking: Native yeast fermentation in open-top wood foudre; natural malolactic fermentation; no additions; bottled unfined and unfiltered; minimum SO2
  • Serving: Serve at 58-60F; no decanting needed; light chill welcome
  • Pairing: Salmon, roast chicken, mushroom dishes, light charcuterie, soft cheeses
  • Similar To: For fans of light, transparent Pinot Noir and Gamay who want coastal California minerality

VDC Pinot Noir is 100% organically grown Pinot Noir sourced from Bassi Vineyard in Avila Beach, located 1.2 miles from the Pacific Ocean within the San Luis Obispo Coast (SLO Coast) AVA. The vineyard sits on sandstone soils over marine bedrock, and the constant coastal fog and marine influence keep temperatures low, preserving acidity and producing wines of high energy and low alcohol.

Winemaker Adam Vourvoulis fermented the wine in an open-top wood foudre with native yeasts and no additions. The wine went through natural malolactic fermentation and was bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimum added SO2. No new oak was used, keeping the focus squarely on fruit and site.

The result is a light, transparent Pinot Noir with notes of strawberry, watermelon, and cherry, backed by a subtle dusting of wet earth and faint spice. The SLO Coast's saline mineral finish carries through to the end. This is a wine built for the table, not the cellar — drink it with a slight chill.

Serve slightly chilled at around 58-60F. Works well with salmon, roast chicken, mushroom dishes, or light charcuterie. The wine's bright acidity and low tannin make it forgiving across a wide range of food.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Pinot Noir
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2019
Alcohol:, Unknown
Country:, USA
Region:, San Luis Obispo
Appellation:, Central Coast
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

Vin de California

Vin de California was founded in 2016 by Adam and Kate Vourvoulis and is based in the Lamanda Park neighborhood of Pasadena, California — a part of the city that was historically zoned for winemaking, once home to Sunny Slope Ranch, which at its peak had 90 acres under vine. Adam Vourvoulis, a native Angeleno, worked as a sommelier for 15 years before transitioning into winemaking. He also built a following through his natural wine Instagram account, @natural_whine, and co-hosted the Natural Disasters podcast with wine writer Marissa Ross.

VDC sources fruit from California growers who practice organic farming. For the Pinot Noir, grapes come from Bassi Vineyard in Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo County. All winemaking takes place at the Pasadena facility, with Adam handling production. The project focuses on heritage and coastal California varieties made with no additions and no fining or filtration.

Wine region

San Luis Obispo, USA

The San Luis Obispo Coast (SLO Coast) AVA sits along the Pacific coastline of San Luis Obispo County, stretching roughly 60 miles from the county's northern border near Big Sur south to the Santa Barbara County line. The AVA was officially approved in March 2022, encompassing the Edna Valley and Arroyo Grande Valley sub-appellations. Most vineyards are within six miles of the Pacific Ocean, placing them in Winkler Region I — the coolest classification in California. Average maximum growing season temperatures stay between 70 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit for most of the AVA, and nighttime fog covers the region between 35 and 55 percent of all nights during the growing season.

Soils in the SLO Coast are predominantly shallow loam and calcareous soils with limestone and calcium deposits, underlain by marine bedrock — the product of ancient tectonic uplift that brought sedimentary and marine material to the surface. Bassi Vineyard in Avila Beach, situated 1.2 miles from the Pacific, sits on layered sandstone over marine bedrock. Wines from this site consistently show a lacy saline finish across all varieties. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the dominant varieties, with Syrah and Albariño also planted in the cooler coastal sub-zones.

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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