Floreal – Floreal Cider V

The project is a collaboration with the Jacobson family who farm a Biodynamic orchard at the base of Mt. Hood. The property lies at 2000 feet, 11 miles from the summit of Mt Hood and has been a farm since the turn of the century. The 60 acre orchard is irrigated with glacial water and the soils are loam composed of volcanic glass fragments. Almost 100 varieties of apples, pears, crabapples and quince are grown here, with the majority of apples heirloom or cider varieties. The ciders made are a blend of up to 35 varieties, among them Ashmead's Kernal, Wickson, Hudson’s Golden Gem, Ribston Pippin, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Dabinette, Frequin Rouge, etc. The ciders are all made in the following way: apples are aged for a month after picking, milled and macerated for a week and pressed in a basket press traditionally lined with straw. They are then fermented and aged in old barrels. After this the styles diverge, but we always use fermenting juice from the next vintage to initiate the secondary fermentation in bottle and we never add anything but apples.