Sundström Cider 'Sponti' 2020

Leif Sundström is a true Hudson Valley cider craftsman. Having worked in the wine industry, both in the US and in Germany, he brings to cidermaking the sensibility of a winemaker evaluating the match between fruit variety, terroir, and process. He takes inspiration not only from German winemakers and cidermakers drawing on regional traditions unbroken for centuries, but also on the more recent revival of apple growing and cidermaking in the northeastern US. Leif generally sources apples from three distinct New York regions: Columbia County in the Hudson Valley, the Cayuga-Seneca Lakes area of the Finger Lakes, and Wayne County to the north (closer to Lake Ontario). The 2020 edition of his ‘Sponti’ (short for “spontaneous cuvée”) combines 43% northern spy, 25% margil, 14% golden russet, 12% baldwin, and 6% wickson, from just two orchards in the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario regions. 60% of the harvest macerated for up to 48 hours before pressing and fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts. After six months’ aging on the lees, this sparkling cider was bottled in the traditional method without disgorgement. Clean, dry, and eminently drinkable, it presents pleasant, light tannins on the finish.