Meet the winemaker behind Eye Cyder

Eric Sussman has a fondness for apples.

A New York native, the Sonoma County winemaker has been around apples all his life, from picking them as a child to studying fruit science (along with viticulture) at Cornell University. So it makes sense that he was drawn to the 50-year-old Gravenstein apple trees on his Occidental property, with their venerable, mature stature and bushels of crisp, sweet-tart fruit.

Widely recognized for the captivating, coastal-influenced wines he produces for Radio-Coteau and County Line Vineyards, Sussman, it turns out, makes a mean hard cider, too.

In 2015, the winemaker gathered fruit from his Gravenstein apple trees and produced his first batch of hard cider. Soon after, he launched Eye Cyder Works & Co., a brand of small-batch hard ciders fermented with native yeast and no added sulfites. Dry and unfiltered, they exude a wild rusticity that speaks of west Sonoma County.

“Wine is truly the engine of our business and our primary focus,” said Sussman, whose limited-production wines remain highly sought-after. “But our story goes beyond wine. It’s about biodiversity and regenerative farming. Grapes are just one component of what we do.”

Nestled on a ridge just 8 miles from the sea, Sussman’s historic 42-acre property dates back to 1892, when Joseph Morelli & Sons planted their first grapevines on the land. After Sussman purchased the property in 2012, he transformed the vineyard and farm with a devout commitment to sustainability, biodiversity and regenerative farming practices.

Accompanying the coastal property’s 22 acres of grapevines is a paradise for pollinators, beneficial insects, farm animals and felines. Two organic vegetable gardens provide food for staff and select businesses, while 10% of the land remains untouched to protect wildlife and preserve migratory corridors. In 2018, the vineyard and organic farm were certified biodynamic.

For Sussman, Eye Cyder is a testament to seasonality. The early-ripening Gravenstein doesn’t interfere with the grape harvest. Neither does the late-ripening Braeburn, his other choice of apple. Cider flavors vary from year to year and are dictated by which additional ingredients are at their peak: fresh redwood fir tips in the spring, wild blackberries and ruby satsuma plums in the summer, oro blanco citrus in the winter — all hand-foraged on Sussman’s property or sourced from neighbors nearby.

But it’s also a tribute to the Gravenstein apple’s agricultural heritage in Sonoma County, where many believe it was first planted by Russians at Fort Ross in the early 19th century. Others suspect the apple tree arrived in Sonoma County via a shipment of imported trees in Monterey. Yet another proposition is that the apple was introduced into California by a nurseryman named Henderson Lewelling, who brought it west from the East Coast.

Regardless of how the Gravenstein ended up in Sonoma County, it became a widely planted crop, especially in Sebastopol, where Eye Cyder shares a production facility with Radio-Coteau. The building was an apple processing facility in its past life.

“Apples are a part of our history in Sebastopol, and Eye Cyder is an extension of that,” said Sussman, who appreciates the ease of cider-making.

“Making cider is great because it just does its own thing,” he said. “The juice ferments very well with native yeast, and it’s stable without adding sulfites. You end up with a natural, pure expression of the fruit.”

Currently, Eye Cyder is available on the brand’s website (eyecyder.com), at Radio-Coteau’s winery in Sebastopol and at select restaurants and stores across Sonoma County, including Little Saint, Fern Bar, Handline and Andy’s Market. A 750-ml bottle is $20.

As for the name Eye Cyder, Sussman said it’s a tribute to his former one-eyed cat, Number One, who used to rule a roost of 25 cats on his property.

“We adopted the cats with the land,” Sussman said. “But they are an important part of our gopher-control team. Eye Cyder is like a tribute to the cats.”

You can reach Staff Writer Sarah Doyle at 707-521-5478 or sarah.doyle@pressdemocrat.com.