As a wine enthusiast, it’s fun to share my interest in unfamiliar, unsung wine regions and/or grape varieties. My Wine of the Week, the 2020 Prima Materia Rosé checks both of those boxes.
About Lake County AVA
Lake County is located in Calfornia’s larger North Coast AVA, just north of Napa and Sonoma counties and to the east of Mendocino County. Clear Lake, California’s largest body of fresh water, sits within the county and the rugged, volcanic topography surrounding it begets volcanic wines, of which Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Petite Sirah are star performers. There are approximately 9,500 acres of vineyards planted in the AVA.
Prima Materia
Prima materia refers to the school of alchemy. It is the first element that that goes through a lot of transformative processes to get to its end goal just like wine explains Prima Materia Vineyard & Winery Proprietor/Winemaker Pietro Buttitta, whose undergraduate degree is in Philosophy. He goes on to explain “that mix of soil, agriculture and then time that congeals into wine…”(1) was his inspiration for the winery’s name. Buttitta is also a chef who has worked at restaurants in Napa Valley and Portland.
Their 12-acre estate vineyard located in the Kelsey Bench AVA of Lake County at 1,450′ elevation on well draining, red volcanic soil with with large amounts of obsidian, yellow and red clays, and rock washes from Mt. Konocti and the Mayacamas mountain range. They have an impressive roster of Italian grape varieties including Aglianico, Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, Negroamaro, Primitivo, Refosco, Sagrantino, and various clones of Sangiovese. While the winery is primarily focuses on Italian grape varieties, it is planted to other international grape varieties.
The vineyard is farmed sustainably without herbicides or pesticides. Buttitta’s mission is to stay authentic to the vineyard’s terroir by providing a a snapshot of the grape’s homeland through the lens of Lake County, and high altitude volcanic soils. His efforts have earned Prima Materia spot in the 2021 Slow Wine Guide
Their main tasting room is located at 49th & Telegraph Avenue in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, Ca., and you can also try their wines at Riggers Loft in Richmond, California.
2020 Prima Materia Barbera & Aglianico Rosé
We recently visited the winery, and had a wonderful experience! This is one of the bottles that made its way home with us.
Inspired by the wonderful dark rosé wines of Abruzzo and Southern Italy, this 50/50 blend of our Barbera and Aglianico spent one day on the skins before springing to life as a pink wine explains the Prima Materia website.
It pours a slightly cloudy scarlet color with subtle purple hue. It shows a melange of black and red fruit, sun-baked earth, and white pepper aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and balanced with sassy, mouth-watering acidity and fine grained tannins, which boost its structure. It shows ample sour cherry, black cherry, raspberry, and a hint of blackberry flavors with a satisfying mineral driven finish. 13.8% abv|SRP – $25. The winery suggests this wine is ‘perfect for the porch, the charcuterie plate, fall barbecues and most things in between.”
(1) – Prima Materia Vineyard and Winery – Slow Wine USA 2021