Patois Amherst County Cider "Morris" 2022

FRUIT/SITE:

- 53% Goldrush, 14% Ashmeads Kernel, 14% Harrison, 13% Wickson Crab, and 6% mixed crab and seedling apples from Morris Orchard in Monroe, VA. Clays of granitic schist, 950’ elevation. Wil Barnes, grower.

- Morris Orchard is a Virginia Century Farm, growing mixed fruits and vegetables and raising cattle.

SEASON:

- Harvest rains tempered ripeness and offered more earthy and herbal flavors. More delicate than 2021 but with plenty of tropical fruit.

FERMENTATION/DEVELOPMENT:

• -  A continuous fermentation carried through the full harvest window from September through December: sorted apples soaked overnight on skins before being pressed into poly tanks. The multiple components were then blended to finish fermentation in the bottle.

• -  Bottles aged on lees for 4 months before being riddled and disgorged by hand in late April 2023.