FALL 2025 Wine-share
Looking back / looking forward,
Remembering 2016 and our last planting with our dad, Ted, we’re amazed at everything that has happened in nine years. So much in our small world of winegrowing in Augusta County, from making our first Midland wine in 2017, to opening Common Wealth Crush in 2022, to 2025 and seeing our farm and work in the New York Times and Bon Appetit.
Midland started with the goal of producing wines that spoke from the land where they were grown. This is still a guiding principle, but the past ten years have shown us it’s more complex than that. We also understand that our choices, the selections we make along the way, change the trajectory of the wines. We see we have more choices to make, and so we know when we taste our 2027 wines in a few years, they will surely be ten years different than our first vintage.
We’re crossing our fingers that 2027 will be the year we make our first wine from Leaport, a rocky hillside just over the ridge from Mt. Airy. We won’t share too much yet, as our approach is fluid and evolving, but we’re planting new varieties on what looks to be a very good site. Leaport is where we’re going for it, pushing ourselves to walk the walk, and where we’re letting our crazier ideas see the light of day. That’s all we will say for now, we can only drink our reality, not our dreams, but we do wonder what this letter will bring in November 2035!
This November, as we transition from harvest to the bounty of holiday feasts, we say what we can never say enough: Midland continues because of you. It’s fun seeing our wines in shops and restaurants, it feels great to be recognized in newspapers and magazines, but our wine-share community sustains us. Our work for the future of our farm, our place in Virginia, and our contributions to the mid-Atlantic regional wine culture; all of it is made possible by our wine-share members. This is the wine culture we wish to engage, and we thank you for sharing Midland with us.
These are the last of the 2023 still wines, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay, and the final bottle of sparkling wine from the beautiful 2019 vintage. All three are perfect for your holiday table.
The Jordan Family
NOTES2023 CABERNET FRANC, Mount Airy, Shenandoah Valley
2023 was an amazing growing season followed by a ripening period that was unbelievably dry and beautiful. We picked the Cabernet Franc on the knife’s edge, teetering between ripeness and power and freshness and detail, something we always shoot for, but rarely have the luxury with the weather to do with such precision. We fermented on 20% whole clusters, with ambient yeasts. Dried flowers and smoked tea accentuate the dark, but buoyant fruit and surprising structure.
What should I use this wine for? Winter is the time of slow cooking, braises, stews, roasts, meals that warm the house and the soul.
2023 CHARDONNAY, Mount Airy, Shenandoah Valley
Barrel fermented without inoculation in 6th use, 500L French oak puncheon, full malo and bottled unfiltered after 19 months on the lees. Orchard fruit is punctuated by beeswax, wildflowers 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. Seafood tower anyone? Or just lobster. Or crabcakes. You see where we’re going here.
2019 Brut “Zero” Blanc de Blancs, Mount Airy, Shenandoah Valley
We love long lees aging. We left this wine longer in barrel (18 months) and in bottle (48 months). This deepens the flavor and texture and allows us to work without the addition of dosage/sweetness. There are few examples of wines that age for this long before release, but we love what it does, so we do it. As promised, we saved a bottle of this for the fall share.
What should I use this wine for? Sparkling wine is for celebrations, right? Well, let’s celebrate Saturday night, or your next meal with your parents, or your favorite take out. Let’s take the pressure off the holidays and momentous events and celebrate the smaller occasions in life. Also, considering the season, we have to admit that sparkling wine tastes great during the holidays. Let us know if you need more.
