E.Z. ORCHARDS CIDRE
About
We have been orchardists since the 1920s when we began to grow Roman Beauty apples on the farm. When we began specifically producing cidre apples in 2000, the entire orchard was transformed around that intent and slowly took shape. Surrounding the orchards, the larger farm produces a wide variety of fruits that diversify the land and aid in the pollination process, including peaches, pears, and hazelnuts.
Today, we grow a wide variety of heirloom cidre apples including French and English bittersweets, and American semi-sharps. In the Willamette Valley of Oregon where we farm, the ground is an ancient seabed full of rich and nutritious soil. With so much nutrition available to the trees, we have to suppress their vigor through pruning and selection to ensure that each apple receives the most intense nurturing for flavor and aromatics.
We grow our apples with specific cidre blends in mind. As you walk the grounds, it becomes clear that it’s organized around specific cultivation and harvesting techniques, enabling us to manage a precise maturation on the tree that we improve with every year’s lessons.
Varieties
Hawk Haus
Hawk Haus
Hawk Haus is named after the kestrel nests found on the property, and is a blend of Jonathan and Yarlington Mill Apples. Pale, yellow-golden in color and lightly hazed with modest, tiny carbonation bubbles like the finest sparkling wines. The aroma is fresh cut apples and an earthy farmyard character. Very pleasant and grounded. Hawk Haus is big, soft, and round on the palate with gentle acidity. Notes of cinnamon and brown sugar are reminiscent of apple turnover. The finish is just short of total dryness, with appealing fresh apple flavors from beginning to end.
Poire
Made only from freshly crushed pear juice. Nothing added. Poire is a very light straw color with a fine haze and some sediment in the bottle. Aromas are delicate - slightly yeasty with freshly cut pear. On the palate one is struck by the unusually fine, gentle carbonation. Mouthfeel is big, round, soft, and juicy. Let Poire breathe and warm and you will be rewarded with juicy, fresh pear flavor and a slight, pleasantly buttery character which may remind you of fresh pears served with a very fine double-cream brie. The finish is dry, but not jarringly so, with a beautiful long finish of fruit.
Roman Beauty
Roman Beauty is a North American style cidre, crafted primarily from Roman Beauty, an heirloom apple we have grown since our beginnings as Orchardists in 1929. The balance of the blend is made with Yarlington Mill, and English bitter sweet apple, and Granny Smith. The fruit is well matured on the tree to enhance the aroma and composition of the fruit for fermentation. The cider presents an aromatic body that places you in the cidre house and farmyard. Acidity is noticeable, not dominant, harmonizing with the build of orchard ripe fruit. A soft, lazy bubble carries the cider across the palate adding length to the flavors. The process for production of Roman Beauty Cider is reminiscent of how cider was made on the farm in the 19th century.
Pomme
Pomme is a fortified apple wine, similar to a Port or Sherry. It can be served as an aperitif, in cocktail mixology, or in cooking. The body and texture tastes of ripe fruit and baked apple, with subtle toasted wood notes. The prominent tannin structure of the fruit is evident, giving duration to the taste. The alcohol is soft, mellowed by extended barrel aging.
Cidre Dry
Aromas of orchard ripe apples, leaves, and earth reflect complex favors of apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The mouthfeel is enlivened by a gentle sparkle. At mid palate the tannin rich fruit becomes apparent, widening the flavor. Our Cidre is low in acidity; giving the impression of will ripened apples. Serve chilled in a Champagne style glass or in a typical wine glass. Chill and cellar with the bottle standing upright, this will contain the sediment, allowing you to see the gentle effervescence until your last pour from the bottle. Our cidre is enjoyed with cheese, bread, and nuts. Consider serving with pork and poultry. Enjoy with traditional preparations of European, and American cuisine. This cider makes any event extraordinary.