Bardos "Rocinante" Cider, Sonoma, CA

FROM BARDOS

THE CIDER: “Rocinante” was the name John Steinbeck gave his RV in his road trip book, “Travels With Charley”. He borrowed the name from Don Quixote. “In many ways, Rocinante is not only Don Quixote's horse, but also his double; like Don Quixote, he is awkward, past his prime, and engaged in a task beyond his capacities.” This sense of humor reminds us a lot about our relationship to working with these old mysterious trees.

Creating Rocinante, we traveled to various counties, from West Sonoma to the wild roads of Irmolco in Mendocino and then to an old homestead orchard east of Fort Bragg on the Noyo River. This Cuvee is a blend of historic fruit that represents the journeys we take to find rare heirloom orchards that have stood the test of time and remain alive producing fruit full of personality and unique expression.

King, Summer Banana, Baldwin, and Spitzenberg from a historic homestead orchard east of Fort Bragg. York Imperial, Rhode Island Greening, Winesap, Rome Beauty sourced and dry-farmed by the Walker Family.

THE PRODUCER: Bardos makes cider in the arid climate and sandy-loam soil of Northern California. A collective venture of friends and family, we produce ciders with minimal carbon footprint and a deep appreciation for sustainable agriculture and ancestral wine and cider-making traditions.

Focusing on apples that have gone feral and derelict, the orchards with which we work are not farmed or irrigated; rather, they are stewarded in their old age. Without any additions other than the fruit we press, the ciders we make are an inspired expression of the unique lives, mysteries, and times of the trees, terroir and their fruit.