Susan’s Apples Lopez Island 2021

Susan is an herbalist and flower farmer on Lopez Island. She has been living on Lopez her entire life, and in the early 1980s planted a beautiful orchard on the edge of her property that views the sea and the Olympics in the distance. Old sandstone, planted to the bright and aromatic varieties of Melrose, Akani and Spartan. Organic since always.

In October of 2021, we picked the entire orchard save what Susan wanted for pie. We let the apples rest in the winery for nearly two months before crushing in December, and the wine fermented long and slow. We bottled in September of the following year, and the wine has been mellowing now for an additional year in bottle. Our longest fermentation and our longest bottle aging yet!

This is super beautiful, richly bodied and honeyed wine. Golden, delicate bubbles. Tight and tender acidity. Very friendly in fruit and gastronomically ready to tackle all the fall flavors.