Patois Cider Cydonia 2024

Cydonia Orchard, Augusta County. Drinking apples: some are standard southern heirlooms, some are smuggled French/British cider varieties, and some we suspect are propagated seedlings. 

A continuous fermentation carried through  September as different apples ripened: After five days of active fermentation on skins, fruit is pressed to finish in  228 L neutral French oak barrels.  Aged untouched on gross lees for 8 months. Intentionally left un-topped, each barrel develops a positive voile/flor that protects the underlying wine and contributes  aromatic  complexity. 

Barrels were racked together and aged an additional 3+ months in a steel tank before being bottled by gravity on September 5th 2025. No SO2 additions were made.