Brutal
Brutal
In 2020, Ashanta created their first Brutal wine, inspired by hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains where they harvested wild elderberries growing at 6,500 feet in granite soils. They co-fermented the elderberries with French Colombard from Solano County Green Valley, but shortly after bottling, the Bobcat Fire ravaged the area, including the site where the elderberries had been gathered. Remarkably, when they returned in 2021, the elderberry trees had survived the fire and were still producing fruit. As they continued to explore the charred landscape, they found more elderberry bushes thriving amid the devastation. By 2022, they were able to harvest from the same site once again, co-fermenting the elderberries with several varietals to create a wine that embodies the resilience and distinct terroir of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Origin: San Gabriel Mountains, CA
ABV: 11%
USNW Classification: Natural
Varietal & Type: Viognier, Elderberry, Vitis Californica, Chardonnay, and Mission
Vintage: 2023
Tasting Notes
Vineyards
About the Winemaker
Chenoa Ashton-Lewis, a 5th generation Oakland native and winemaker, and cinematographer Will Basanta caught the winemaking bug in 2019 when they rushed to Sonoma Mountain to save unsold grapes from Chenoa's family vineyard. With help from family and friends, they made an experimental Syrah and Pinot Noir co-ferment, which was aged for 8 months on the family’s organic vineyard. In 2020, during the quarantine, they discovered new life among the destroyed Pinot Noir vines from the 2017 Nuns Fire and were amazed to find 160 vines bearing fruit. This discovery deepened their passion for winemaking, leading them to collaborate with neighbor Tony Coturri at Coturri Winery for their first commercial vintage under their Ashanta Wines label. Ashanta Wines focuses on terroir-driven, artisanal wines made from family-operated vineyards using organic or biodynamic practices, and is based in Healdsburg, CA.
Shipping Details
US Natural Wine ships once a week, every Wednesday. All orders should be placed by Tuesday at 10am in order to be picked up from our distributors and out on Wednesday's delivery truck. Shipping cost is 30 bucks a box (up to 12 bottl
US Natural Wine ships once a week, every Wednesday. All orders should be placed by Tuesday at noon in order to be picked up from our distributors and out on Wednesday's delivery truck.
Shipping cost is 30 bucks a box (up to 12 bottles) so we highly encourage picking up more than 1 bottle for the best value! Remember, all orders over $150 get FREE SHIPPING!
At $30, shipping cost is on par with most wine ecommerce. Ultimately, we eat the cost of shipping more often than not because wine can be damn heavy. We can't thank you enough for your understanding!
