Solera Pommeau 2025 Release

Site
Countryside Farm & Nursery - Augusta County, 1260’ elevation
Foggy Ridge - Dugspur, Carroll County, Virginia 2720’ elevation

Fruit
100% Virginia Hewe’s Crab

Vinification
The process of making this pommeau started in the 2019 vintage, when three barrels of Virginia Hewe’s Crab cider were reserved for distillation taking place in the summer of 2020. The resulting brandy was aged for one year in a combination of a Hungarian oak 40L barrel and glass carboys. In the fall of 2021, freshly pressed Virginia Hewe’s juice was blended with a mixture of predominately aged brandy with a small portion of un-aged 2021 distillate as well. This process stabilizes the juice, preventing fermentation and dropped the alcohol of the brandy from 60-70% to a calculated 18%. This effort is performed each year, adding to the complexity of our pommeau solera. Each subsequent year we remove half of the aged wine and replace it with fresh. This year’s blend is comprised of 9% 2021, 10% 2022, 19% 2023, and 62% 2024.

Notes
In 2025, we added another barrel to our Solera, absorbing all of the fresh pommeau made this year. In turn, we were able to focus on older components of the Solera, offering a dense, rich, and opulent bottling. In a sense, a Solera serves not only a practical application but also gives us the ability to blend different age components each year to make a compelling beverage. Every “part” is continuously changing, allowing for the finished product to either have consistency or variance, depending on preference. This vintage showcases length and reduced sweetness as the brandy shines through more on the pallet. Yet somehow after components being over five years old, the distinctive flavor of Virginia Hewe’s Crabapple still shines.

216 bottles produced, 18% Alc. by Volume, 500ml