Foraged Cider 2024

Site

Hightown Orchard - Blue Grass Valley, Highland County, Virginia 3100’ elevation
Jack Bostic’s home orchard - Sinking Creek, Craig County, Virginia 2500’ elevation
Second Star Farm - Sinking Creek, Craig County, Virginia 2600’ elevation
Varying locations within and surrounding the Warm Springs Valley 2200-2600’ elevation

Fruit

34% wild seedlings, 33% Ashmead’s Kernel, 33% Harrison, Golden Russet, Dolgo Crab, John Downing Crab, Roxbury Russet, Arkansas Black

Vinification

Crabapples were harvested in the first few days of August during a drought induced stress. Fruit was ground and macerated for nearly a week before pressing. Remaining fruit from Sinking Creek, Blue Grass Valley, and other sites in the Warm Springs Valley was harvested over the month of October, ground, and pressed directly to varying size neutral barrels.  Each lot was uninoculated and natively fermented separately, resting undisturbed until July of 2025 when portions of Sinking Creek and Blue Grass Valley lots were racked for single orchard bottling and the remaining was blended together in a 500L puncheons. All components were further aged until October 2025, when they were racked, blended, and bottled traditional method. Bottles rested for an additional six months undisgorged before their release. No additions of SO2 were made at any stage of this wine.

Notes

In leaner years, our Foraged Cider is often a blend of all fruit we can manage to pick, becoming a mosaic of many different trees and sites. Admittedly, this sort of blend is far more pragmatic than artful, but nonetheless finds its own rhythm and profile. In 2024, we were able to return close to 2022 foraged numbers, having the fortune of several barrels to choose from. Because of that, this year’s blend is a lot more intentional and its components show much clearer in the composition. A barrel’s worth of Sinking Creek brings a fresh, woodsy aroma with aspects of salinity and chalky seashell. Ashmead’s soft but beaming acid is easy to pick out and compliments the bubbles. Several new seedlings of high quality were discovered at the base of Warm Springs Farm, delivering a sour grapefruit quality to the blend as well. This cider seems a little shy and responds well to aeration.

936 bottles produced, 8.4% alcohol by volume, 750ml