Brut Nature 2018

Vermont is perfectly suited to support small family farms over a multitude of industries. About 40% of Vermont’s population regularly shops at farmers markets, and the State promotes micro-agriculture and craft production. It’s topography is key, as the steep hillsides that spring up from the landscape make industrial farming cost prohibitive.

Eden has about 4 acres (1000 trees) of holistically farmed trees, which borrows heavily on the work of biodynamics. Holistic management hinges on viewing the orchard itself as a living organism and promoting biological diversity. As Pucci describes, “they use natural pest deterrents like neem oil and Liquid Fish to cultivate active microbes and encourage orchard health. Admittedly, the yields are much less than you’d get from more conventional methods, but the juice is amazing, and the quality is a hallmark of Eden Specialty Ciders.”

Eden’s work wouldn’t be possible without a tight network of small farmers who grow beautiful heirloom fruit. There is a mutual dependency in these relationships, as Eden could not make their ciders without these apples, and the farms wouldn’t be commercially viable unless their heirloom varieties were fueling the passion projects of Eden. One major contributor is the historic, eco-certified Scott Farm, growing over 130 apple varieties over 36 acres. Most of the Kingston Blacks, which made up about a quarter of the Brut Nature blend, are grown in these orchards.

The heirloom blend of the Brut Nature is largely responsible for it’s amazing texture. 25% of the blend is made up of Scott Farm’s Kingston Blacks, a variety with a historic lineage. As Dan Pucci describes in his seminal work American Cider: A Modern Guide to a Historic Beverage “the famed Kingston Black bittersharp is an old apple of British origin…and lends complex tannin and structure to ciders.”

After a primary fermentation in stainless steel, the Brut Nature undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle and rests on the less for at least 18 months. As with a Brut Nature champagne, no dosage is added and the cider remains bone dry.

Cider Apples: Kingston Black, Roxbury Russet, Esopus Spitzenburg, McIntosh, Dabinett, Yarlington Mill, Calville Blanc, Hudson’s Golden Gem, Orleans Reinette, Empire, Black Oxford, Blue Pearmain, Rhode Island GReening, Baldwin

The Brut Nature is is elegantly balanced with deep apple character, smooth tannins and well integrated acidity. Ready to drink now as a celebratory aperitif with your favorite cheese.

The texture, effervescence and deep apple flavor make the Brut Nature incredibly versatile at the table. Oysters, hard cheese, grilled fish, roast chicken and light preparations or pork spring to mind, but it can also handle things that are traditionally harder to pair with wine like asparagus or fish sauce.