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Fruit/Site:

• 53% Harrison and Ashmeads Kernel apples harvested in 2022. 25% Harrison and Ashmeads Kernel apples harvested in 2020. Morris Orchard in Monroe, VA. Clays of granitic schist, 950’ elevation. Wil Barnes, grower.

• 22% Vidal Blanc grapes harvested in 2020 from Bluestone Vineyard in Bridgewater, VA. Silt loam of weathered limestone, sandstone, and shale with chert fragments, 1100’ elevation. Lee Hartman, grower.

Season:

• Virginia experiences wide vintage variability. Late frosts and harvest rains in 2020 produced lean fruit with herbal freshness. 2022 gave us comparatively more ripeness, but rains kept things delicate and earthy. We’re experimenting more with multi-vintage blending to work with such swings.

Fermentation/Development:

• In 2020, we macerated whole cluster Vidal for three days before pressing to ferment in a poly tank. Apples were then crushed into that ferment to macerate for an additional three days before being re-pressed into a 350 L used French oak barrel and poly tank. This wine was racked and aged under voile until the 2022 harvest.

• 2022 apples were soaked overnight and direct pressed into poly tanks. Once a healthy ambient yeast culture was thriving, we added a small sulfur dose to the 2020 wine and blended it into the 2022.

• This joint fermentation finished in bottle, aging sur lattes for 11-13 months before being riddled and disgorged by hand.

- Patois

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