Farm Cider, Pommage 2023

 Fruit
51% Solarina, 19% Piel de Sapa, 16% Dabinett, 3% Collaos, 2% Coloradona, 2% Kingston Black,
2% Major, 1% Grimes Golden, 1% Wickson, 1% Riene de Pomme

Site 
Oakley Farm - Warm Springs, Bath County Virginia 2400’ elevation 
-High-density orchard on G11 rootstock planted in 2019 located in the ‘hay field’, site of the farm’s original 19th century orchard planted by the Francisco family. 
-Soil composition: Hayter loam on top of Ordovician limestone.
-Practicing regenerative organic farming. Bio-intensive rotation of poultry and sheep, rotational cover crops within drip lines. No use of heavy metal sprays, no cultivation. Biannual biological mowing only.

Vinification
Several spring frosts crippled what we hoped to be our largest crop yet at Oakley. In turn, all varietals harvested from September through October were pressed to a single barrel, amounting to a continuous, uninoculated native fermentation over the course of the fall. The cider sat undisturbed until it was racked off its gross and fine lees in late April of 2024 and bottled traditional method sparkling. Bottles rested on their lees until being hand disgorged in early December of 2024. No additions of SO2 were made at any stage of this wine.

Notes
Although experiencing nearly a 90% loss in fruit from the Oakley Orchard, the skank amount we were able to harvest proved to be a beacon of hope for the future. This vintage was the first that offered a harvestable quantity of Solarina, one of the best performing Asturian varietals we planted. Its staggered bloom and precocious bearing have proved to offer some frost resilience. Same goes for Piel de Sapa, which we have fallen in love with its soft and savory acidity and pest resistance in the orchard. As well, the very late bloom of Dabinett saved a light crop from earlier frosts and yielded well needed structure for the blend. The resulting cider’s unique, forest mint aroma is quite pronounced, making for a very captivating experience. Such a nose on a cider is one of our favorite things to experience. The sweet, herbal qualities persist into the pallet, incorporated into a deep and balanced body. The cider has a lovely silky finish with a kiss of sweetness. 

282 Bottles Produced, Alc. 8.52% by Volume, 750ml