Ashanta Wines 2022 'Callisto' Pinot Noir Blanc, Round Valley

Vineyard Notes: Callisto Pinot Noir Blanc comes from the Parducci Lost Vineyard in Round Valley near Covelo, California. Sitting at 1,400 feet elevation, Round Valley is the only Menodcino Valley AVA with a continental climate rather than a maritime climate. The valley often sees 45+ degree diurnal shifts in the summer, with highs nearing the triple digits and lows in mid 50s. To get there, you wind through steep, narrow roads that curve alongside the Eel River, a 196 mile long river that ends in the Pacific Ocean just south of Eureka. The Eel River is the third largest watershed in California.

In 1989 the "godfather" of Mendocino wine, John Parducci, planted an experimental test vineyard. The test was to determine the viability of Round Valley as a new viticulture site. Eight rows of Pinot Noir (Martini Clone 13) were planted in the very gravelly loam soils of the valley floor.

Winemaking Notes: The Pinot Noir was gently direct pressed into stainless steel drums cutting the press the very moment any pigment began to show. Aged sur lie for 21 months with no battonage, making an elegant Pinot Noir Blanc, one of its kind from the region.

About the Name: "As we left Round Valley, hauling the fruit on the 12' trailer attached to our truck, we climbed the steep mountain we had just descended the day before, and once again traced the sinuous path of the Eel River. As we came across a steep bend that dropped into the river, we spotted a bulky, thick-coated, four-legged animal sprinting across the road and up a hillside. We locked eyes, briefly, with its orange glow piercing our eye-line. As quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, the first wild California Brown Bear sighting I've ever had during two decades of living in the state, and our inspiration for naming this wine Callisto."