Ashanta Wines 2023 'Oshun' Sparkling, Mendocino

Item Number: 21242

UPC: None

Country: USA
Region: California
Sub Region: Mendocino
Appellation/AVA: Mendocino County
Estate Grown Wine: No
Vintage: 2023
Grape(s): 65% Chardonnay / 35% Carignan
Type: Wine - Sparkling
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 12
Viticulture: Certified Organic
Case Production: 100

Vineyard Notes: The Chardonnay 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 and 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, the Carignan was gently direct pressed and cut immediately at the first sign of pigment run, in order to make a California Blanc de Noir.

The Carignan was then blended into the slowly fermenting Chardonnay and allowed to co-ferment 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 mousseux more reminiscent of traditional method sparkling. The Ashanta Oshun 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.

Sparkling Method: Ancestral