From the great springs region of Virginia, Troddenvale produces sparkling ciders of origin driven by transparency. This bottling was done as a special Collaboration with their good friends at Lightwell Survey.

Fruit:
49% Virginia Hewe’s Crabapple, 33.5% Vidal Blanc, 7.5% Brooder Seedling, 7% Traminette, 3% Petit Manseng

Orchard/Vineyard Sites:
VHC - Countryside Farm & Nursery - Crimora, VA Vidal - Rainbow Hill - Zenda, VA, Sherman Ridge - Woodstock, VA Brooder Seedling - Oakley Farm Warm Springs, VA Traminette - Barren Ridge - Fishersville, VA Petite Manseng - Rainbow Hill - Zenda, VA, Sherman Ridge - Woodstock, VA

Vinification:
At Lightwell Survey the Traminette was macerated on the skins for two days before being added to the press with Vidal Blanc and an early pick of Petit Manseng. Meanwhile at Troddenvale the Virginia Hewe’s Crab was directly pressed to tank, then hauled for blending. They split the blend in two equal parts and returned our portion to its home in a neutral French oak barrel at the stable of Oakley. Upon completing an uninoculated native fermentation, the barrel was topped up with a combination of cider from VHC and a seedling apple found on Oakley. The wine sat undisturbed until racking off its gross/fine lees in February and was bottled still. No SO2 was added at any stage of the wine.

Notes:
This collaboration would be worth doing simply based upon Troddenvales love for the people behind Lightwell Survey. Ben, Sebastian, and the rest of their gang represent the beating heart of Virginia’s avant-garde wine movement. They also feel that multi-fruit wines hold a very important place in Virginia’s future and love exploring the category with them. In 2021, grapes came in much faster than the previous year, forcing a different varietal selection window for their contribution. Generally any precious VHC they have is put towards their Petite cider but the harvest was abundant and they spared a bin of Raul’s fruit for the project. The selection was fortuitous as they were looking for more of a ‘cider’ influence in this year’s collab and the Hewe’s was pressing out to be some of the strongest juice they had worked with in years; super concentrated high sugars, and more perceivable tannins after six weeks of hot drought prior to harvest. Once blended, it was clear this rendition would be a more grown up version than the last, leaning hard on acid and more rigid substance. Unlike the previous year where both bottles featured the same juice, they both elected to top up their barrels at their own discretions. They chose to use a touch more VHC and round out the blend with a single varietal cider made from an isolated wild apple off the farm they call “Brooder Seedling”. Although small in quantity, its presence is the difference maker with this version finishing strongly “cider”.

25 Cases Produced, Alc. 10.5% by Volume, 750ml