2022 'Not What We May Be' 100% Heirloom Pet Nat

Apple

NC - North Carolina

$22.00 / 750 mL Bottle

Alcohol 10.5%

Fermented in stainless steel tanks to bring out the full freshness of the fruit. Like a high-elevation white wine this cider's acidity is perfectly balanced with a rich & round finish. Wild fermented with a blend of 100% Heirloom apples including Golden Russet, Pomme Gris, Ashmead's Kernel and Harrison from our family friends at Morris Orchard. 10.5% abv. "We know what we are, but not what we may be." - Ophelia in William Shakespeare's drama Hamlet. Predicting the outcome of fermentation is easy when you take known apples, make the juice sterile, add a selected yeast, filter and package it. You pretty much know what's going to happen. But, for us this means a missed opportunity. The flora has a potentially deeper story to tell from the wild yeast strains living on the skins of the fruit. It's a once in a fermentation expression, different each time, as temperatures, humidity, insects, etc. are never the same each season. It's the 'butterfly effect" in full effect. Much like Ophelia was struggling with uncertainty and the resulting confusion in Hamlet, so can be crafting Pet Nat Ciders and wines. With limited interventions and options to guide the fruit, and requiring absolute precision of those options, it can lead to worrisome and long nights. But with high risk comes great reward and sometimes you hit big.