Fall 2024 Wine-share
Ah 2024, you served up a long and luxurious autumn, and we thank you for that! As of this letter writing, we just finished October, and the weather was remarkable the entire month. Maybe a little warm, but putting us in the mood for the upcoming holiday feasting and winter comforts. The holiday season has roots in the harvest, celebrating the time of plenty, and that resonates every year as we finish the long winemaking days and emerge ready for the parties!
As we reflect on all the work we’ve done this year in the vineyard and in the winery, we also want to acknowledge the partnership we have with our share members. Your willingness to follow along on our winegrowing journey allows Midland to exist, as a small, boundary pushing family business, and we are grateful for your company.
The wines for this share are best suited for the foods and feelings of the fall and winter, one woodsy, one mineral and dense, one savory and subtle, and one celebratory. In fact they are so dialed into the season that you may find you have used them up before December!
You guessed it, Cabernet Franc brings the woodsy, smoky dark fruit we crave as the temperatures drop, while the Chardonnay provides the richness and concentration of long lees aging we need for heartier foods. The 2nd bottle of 2021 Riesling, with a year more of bottle age than when you last tasted it, brings all the layers of umami flavor; this is the sleeper wine to pair with the holiday meals. And for celebration, do we lees age our entire sparkling wine production longer than anyone in Virginia? On average? Probably? We haven’t done the research to confirm, but it sure feels like it! We continue to add a bottle to each share; this the second bottle of 2019 sparkling rosé this year, which sports an extra year on the bottle lees compared to the 2018.
Finally, Tim, Gray, and Ben hope to throw a potluck, bonfire party at Leaport, the site of our most recent plantings, on the winter solstice. Assuming the weather holds, and that’s the type of thing you enjoy, please come and join. It’s not a Midland event per se, but we’ll invite our friends in the local wine industry, ask everyone to bring some food, and enjoy the shortest day of the year, the sunset and the stars that (hopefully) follow. Stay tuned for details.
The Jordan Family
NOTES2022 Chardonnay, Mount Airy, Shenandoah Valley
Barrel fermented without inoculation in 4th and 5th use, 500L French oak puncheons, full malo and bottled unfiltered after 18 months on the lees. Orchard fruit is punctuated by beeswax, wild mint and fresh baking bread. Mineral character shapes the flesh of the wine, making for a play of texture and acidity. Every year, we see more depth in this wine, a product of the vine maturity and deeper roots.What should I use this wine for? Classic “serious” Chardonnay pairings. Fancy seafood or something rich and decadent.
2022 Cabernet Franc, Mount Airy, Shenandoah Valley
While the Cab Franc can achieve high ripeness at this site, there seems to be a compelling argument to pick earlier for freshness. 2022 was a “classic” Virginia vintage, in that it wasn’t too dry or too wet, and the grapes ripened with moderate heat, so there was no rush to pick in a heat wave. We fermented on 20% whole clusters, with ambient yeasts. Herbs and smoked tea accentuate the dark fruit and tactile structure. What should I use this wine for? Braise much? If not, maybe you should start(?), and then pour this in your glass when the food hits your table.
2021 Riesling, Mount Airy, Shenandoah Valley aka “this is different”, aka “savory boy”, aka “let’s check in on this one”
It’s official. Mount Airy Riesling has decided it wants to be wild. Both the 2021 and 2022 Rieslings took over a year to ferment (‘22 is still going!) and are full of complex microfloral life. The result is savory, umami, wild flavored wine that trades fruitiness for the flavors of fermentation. We held back a bottle of this to see what a year of bottle age could do for an unfiltered wine like this, and it has settled into a beguiling, contemplative drinking experience. What should I use this wine for? When the meal veers unconventional, or brings complex, savory, fermented flavors, this is so subtle and so right. Oh you’ll see why.
2019 Brut “Zero” Rosé, Mount Airy, Shenandoah Valley
It’s official. Mount Airy Riesling has decided it wants to be wild. Both the 2021 and 2022 Rieslings took over a year to ferment (‘22 is still going!) and are full of complex microfloral life. The result is savory, umami, wild flavored wine that trades fruitiness for the flavors of fermentation. We held back a bottle of this to see what a year of bottle age could do for an unfiltered wine like this, and it has settled into a beguiling, contemplative drinking experience. What should I use this wine for? When the meal veers unconventional, or brings complex, savory, fermented flavors, this is so subtle and so right. Oh you’ll see why.
