FORAGED CIDER 2022/23 

Fruit
Victor Gaines - Blend of heirloom apple and pear trees planted in the second half of 20th century. (’22)
Valley’s End - Unidentified early 20th century heirloom varieties. (’22)
Chimney Run - Predominately wild seedlings taking root along and in the creek bed. (‘22+’23)
Virginia Hill - A lone, sprawling Arkansas Black of giant size and age. (’23)

Sites
22% - Victor Gaines Home Orchard - Bolar, Highland County Virginia 2200’. Located on a slightly elevated plateau within the Jackson River Valley. Unsprayed. 17% - Valley’s End - Falling Spring, Alleghany County Virginia 3000’. High valley saddle sloping above the source of Falling Spring waterfall. Unsprayed. 24% - Chimney Run - Warm Springs, Bath County Virginia 2800’. Southwest facing, sloping bowl offering diverse seedlings. Unsprayed. 25% - Virginia Hill - Hot Springs, Bath County Virginia 2200’. Odd north facing micro climate that avoids most heavy frost. Unsprayed. 12% - Assortment of varying other single tree locations. Unsprayed.

Vinification
Fruit was harvested through out the 2022 and 2023 seasons, some lots seeing upwards of five days cold maceration, some direct press to barrel. All primary fermentations were uninoculated, native yeast and varying levels of native malolactic secondary fermentation occurred during the cooler winter months. Individual barrels from 2022 were blended in the summer of 2023 and aged for an additional year. The single barrel from 2023 was aged for 15 months before being blended with 2022 reserved cider. Bottled sparkling via traditional method and rested for an additional five months undisgorged before its release. No additions of SO2 were made at any stage of this wine.

Notes
When left completely to their own (no thinning, no frost mitigation, no spray, no pruning), uncultivated and forgotten apple trees are wildly inconsistent. This is certainly part of the charm of making cider from such trees but it also can be logistically a little more to navigate. 2022 gave us a huge amount of fruit from almost all of our favorite foraging sties, allowing for us to be picky about what went to a single orchard bottling, what was blended together, and what was held back as a reserve. In 2023, we had the opposite scenario; multiple, hard frosts left us scrounging up just enough fruit for one barrel. The choice to blend vintages offered us not only more cider to bottle but the ability to layer it with both fresh, grassy tones bounding from the energetic ’23 vintage and aromatic depth and phenolic structure from the further aged ’22. Faint fruit dances with feral tannin.

552 Bottles Produced, Alc. 8.07% by Volume, 750ml