Ashanta "Oshun" Blanc de Noir, California 2023

FROM ASHANTA:

THE WINE: Vineyard Notes: The Chardonnay for the 'Oshun' comes from a 35+ year old, certified organic vineyard in Mendocino, located on the literal banks of the upper Russian River. The dry farmed vines grow directly and deeply into the river rock to collect minerality from the gravelly banks with plenty of aromatics coming from the classic California Wente Clone. The Carignan comes from a certified biodynamic vineyard less than a mile up the road from the Chardonnay vineyard. The Carignan vines are 75+ years old.

Winemaking Notes: The Chardonnay was picked twice, 10 days apart. The first pick was to preserve the bright acid of the foggy river mornings and the second pick to lend more honeyed aromatics from basking a bit longer in that Mendocino sunshine. Both picks were meticulously hand sorted then whole cluster direct pressed to stainless steel tanks, where fermentation was allowed to take place spontaneously at cool cellar temperature. A few days after the second Chardonnay pick, they brought the Carignan which had been direct pressed super gently and cut immediately at the first sign of pigment run, in order to make a true Cali Blanc de Noir.

The Carignan was then blended into the slowly fermenting Chardonnay and allowed to coferment with daily stirring for an additional 10 days, adding a backbone of racy fruit and depth. The wine was bottled at precisely 1.3 Brix, the magic number that Ashanta has landed on after several vintages of trial and error. They believe that bottling at this precise sugar level lands the final wine at just the right amount of true effervescence while crafting a refined mouusseux more reminiscent of traditional method sparkling rather than the sometimes aggressive Pet Nat. The bottles were laid down for 10 months before being meticulously hand disgorged. They've been given an additional 3 months of bottle conditioning before release.

THE PRODUCER: 5th generation Oakland native and 5th generation winemaker, Chenoa Ashton-Lewis, and cinematographer, Will Basanta, got fully bitten by the winemaking bug in October of 2019 when last minute they bombed up to Sonoma Mountain from Los Angeles, on the news that Chenoa’s family vineyard still had unsold grapes that were quickly turning to bird fodder. With the help of family and friends they jumped in, picking and crushing to make an experimental Syrah and Pinot Noir co-ferment. The single barrel was then stored in a tent for 8 months on the family’s organic, 50-year-old vineyard, planted by Chenoa’s grandparents in the early 1970s.

In 2020 when quarantine hit, Chenoa and Will once again escaped to Glen Ellen. In the early spring while wandering the remains of the Pinot Noir vineyard destroyed in the 2017 Nuns Fire, Chenoa and Will found new vines alive and growing horizontally, buried and abandoned in a tall uncut jungle of grass. Inspired, they immediately and painstakingly walked row by row discovering and staking the new vines. To their surprise, by the early summer 160 vines that were once seemingly dead had been reclaimed and were bearing clusters of grapes. Through this magical discovery of fermentation and natural renaissance, they became even more fascinated with the resilience of nature and connected with neighbor Tony Coturri on Sonoma Mountain.

For harvest 2020, Chenoa and Will were shepherds to their first commercial vintage at the historic Coturri Winery, introducing their label Ashanta Wines. Ashanta Wines ancestral winemaking practices and makes a full range of bespoke, artisanal wines. From experimental multi-fruit co-ferments, Pet-Nats, skin contact whites, field blends and elegant California Reds. Our wines are terroir driven expressions of Pachamama and her seasons.