SPRING / SUMMER 2026 Wine-share
Midland 2021 Rosé Sparkling & Pumpkin (recent pest management hire)
How to do this? It’s spring, a time of growth and renewal, and how do we lean into the optimism and potential of a new growing season after the freeze of Tuesday morning April, 21st? How about this? Let’s say out loud: It sucked. We lost a bunch of fruit, not sure how much yet, even though we stayed up all night trying to fight it, and that one hurt, folks.
But this letter is not supposed to be a bummer! We aren’t the first or the only to suffer crop losses as farmers in the Shenandoah Valley, and we know that frost and freeze are part of the many risks of bringing sweet, little grapes to the winery every year. So we’re moving forward, planting new grape varieties, refining our ecological farming techniques, and planning for the time when our kids wake us up in the middle of the night to ask us the best way to keep from lighting the hill on fire while keeping the tender shoots warm on a frosty night (dare to dream).
As we watched the sun rise on frozen shoots, we reflected on our community. That community, whether it be our farming neighbors, our winery colleagues, or our friends and family in the wine-share, that community is what makes what we do more than just the financial ups and downs that come with farming and small batch wine production.
We are working on a small scale, in touch with the land and the life on it and under it, and we’re making something that can’t be created anywhere else. AI can’t do it, large corporate wine companies can’t do it; it’s just us, working collaboratively with our community that makes these wines. That’s why we’re back at it, farming the shoots we have and making the wine we can.
And the wine we make is meant for all of us. For this group of people to commune and be human together. Regardless of the way the world swirls around us, these fermentations of fruit from a community of plants of microbes, are meant to accompany us. In ways that dig deep into our DNA, they allow us to slow down, breathe and receive the company of each other.
This share debuts the 2024s and introduces the first 2021 sparkling. We can’t wait for you to share them.
The Jordan Family
NOTES2024 Blaufränkisch, Mount Airy, Shenandoah Valley
2024 followed 2023 as another relatively dry growing season at our farm. These conditions led to low yields, and similar to 2023, we had a combination of ripeness, freshness and aromatic intensity, which is a combo where our Blau really shines. 2023 was a bit more round and sunny in its fruit expression, while 2024 adds additional layers of pepper and earth to the dark fruits.
What should I use this wine for? This wine has more acidity than most Virginia reds, giving it added precision. Combine that with the intensity of the vintage and the aromatic and textural effect of 50% whole clusters, and we have a wine that can stand with the flavors of smoke and pepper, and all the summer foods with strong personalities.
2024 Riesling, Mount Airy, Shenandoah Valley
We have always identified with those who don’t fit in, because they don’t care; the unbothered, the low-key weirdos. We may rarely hear their voices above the din of mass production culture, but when we do, we find ourselves listening. Of our wines, Riesling is the too real wine of the underground. No matter how we work towards a “normal” expression of this grape, it walks its own path. We backed off the skin contact of 2023; whole cluster pressing the fruit. The result is more “normal” color and structure of white wine but still not your German uncle’s Riesling. Like the kid who’s mom dressed them from the sale section of the local department store, you assume this Riesling is a normie until you sit down and hear all the crazy things they have to say.
What should I use this wine for? When the meal veers unconventional, or brings complex, savory, fermented flavors, this is perfect. For your friends who embrace the natural flavors in life, the ones who can’t abide the monochromatic experience of factory food and drink, pour this in their glass and ponder the magic of spontaneous fermentation and hand crafted wine.
2021 Rosé Sparkling Wine, Mount Airy, Shenandoah Valley
We love long lees aging. We left this wine longer in barrel (18 months) and in bottle (48 months) which deepens the flavor and texture. Notably this is the first year that we have added dosage, 4 g/L, to balance the acidity. There are few examples of wines that age for this long before release, but we love what it does, so we do it. As always, we’re saving a bottle 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.
