Patois "Readymade" Pear Cider, Virginia 2021

FROM THE PRODUCER

THE CIDER: 100% unsprayed heirloom and seedling pears we foraged ourselves. Soils of broken down and metamorphic granite up and along the Blue Ridge mountains give way to red clay to the east. A blend of chance and discovery that shifts year to year.

Pears contain sorbitol, an unfermentable sugar alcohol, which gives the finished perry a slight natural sweetness akin to a brut-level dosage.

Season: Clear, warm temperatures defined the growing season, with enough rain to maintain tree metabolism. A ripe year for Virginia fruit.

Fermentation/Development: After harvesting, we left the pears in small bins in the shade to further concentrate for roughly two weeks before pressing.

A continuous fermentation carried through the full harvest window from August to November: we crushed the pears to soak overnight on skins, and then pressed them into a mix of poly tanks and glass demijohns. The multiple components were then blended to finish fermenting in the bottle.

Bottles aged sur lattes for 16 months before being riddled and disgorged by hand.

Tasting: Daffodil, meyer lemon, sorghum