Archibald James Wickson/Russet Dry Cider

Archibald James Wickson/Russet Dry Cider

WHY WE LOVE IT

  • This cider comes out with more earthy tones than the current off-dry cousin, with an obvious character owing to 8 months of barrel aging and partial ML fermentation.
  • A small amount of barrel aged heirloom blend is added to balance the tannins and acidity and round out the edges for bottle aging.

Varietal Composition: 50/50 blend of organic Wickson Crabapples and Golden Russets.

Elaboration: Fermented cold and slow with a combination of native yeasts and bacteria. Barrel aging sur lie. Fermented dry, racked from barrels and settled prior to bottling sans filtration. Alcohol content is 7.8% ABV, with no residual fermentable sugars.

Tasting Notes: Dried fruit notes, earth or ‘terrior, slight oak, a dense mouth-feel and palate, and tannins from the crab and russet starting to tame after aging with some breathing room in barrels. a little nutty, buttery, and lactic character in the finish.

PRESS

n/a

PRODUCER BACKGROUND

Archibald James Ciderworks producers an evolving line of ciders, intent on accentuating the natural character of fruit coming from the varied soils of Washington state. Archibald James partners Seth Cohen, Bryan Noyd, and Jason Schilling came together in 2018 to start this venture and bring a unique line of beverages to the market, starting in the Wenatchee Valley where they call home, surrounded by some of the finest orchards in the world. Seth came back to the industry after 15 years in academia as a researcher and professor of grape and wine chemistry and fermentation sciences to explore another chapter of life and a business with his friends and partners.

Archibald James’ line of ciders varies throughout each year, following the innate concept of vintage and regional influences of all wines. They always try to have specialty, seasonal ciders in their rotation, which are co-fermented with other local fruits, herbs, or honey; they come back to some of these each season and some are rarer than that. Archibald James continues to explore and experiment and refine based on feedback from our friends and consumers. These ciders are made from a wide variety of apples; whatever they feel will work well in their blend and provide the appropriate fruit character, sugar, acid, or tannin profile to come together in the end. Some of these exhibit fresh and bright fruit character while others are allowed to age long enough to transform into more subtle and nuanced ciders. Archibald James cider’s land on the dry side of the spectrum, with little to no residual sugars or sweetness.

Archibald James has been lucky to find friends in the area such as Stemilt, Feil Fruits, and Diamondback Ranch to supply them with an amazing array of high-quality fruits. They also source heirloom apples from further out in our region and into the Columbia Valley to bring in greater diversity in fruits and growing region, which leads to greater diversity in the cellar. In all cases, they work hard to grind and press their own fruit, which allows them to control that critical step and play with longer fruit maceration times and fermentation’s.

Seth, Bryan, and Jason all share a passion for handcrafting fine wines and ciders, highlighting the terroir of the fruits they work with, exploiting the diversity growing across the many regions Washington state, and celebrating a simple and classic approach to transforming fruits.

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