Score
7.96
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17 February 2023. At Rose Red, Bruges. Cheers to Anke, mom & dad and massive thanks for sharing!
Bottled: 10/2021. Hazy yellow, thin, stable, white head. Aroma of unripe peach & plum, white grape, white wine, lemon peel, oak, vinegar, cheese rind, hay, flowers. Taste has sour peach stone, unripe plum & grape skin, some lemon acid surrounded by funky hay, leather & vinegar in a soft sourdough-like malt body. Old grassy hops in the finish, touch of hay, ongoing funky yellow fruit, bitter-sour grape skin, oak and a tannic white wine effect. Medium body, moussy texture, average carbonation. Amazing example of Belgian beer culture on a very high level, one to savour...
Cantillon’s original grape lambic and the first one in modern times, the influence of Vigneronne can hardly be overestimated. It was first experimentally created in the seventies as a recreation of the old ‘muscat’ that has existed in and around Hoeilaart until the 19the century, but only commercialized in the nineties, since which period I have enjoyed it on many different occasions; for most of its existence, it was made with Muscat grapes, just like the historical muscat lambic, but in 2019 Cantillon decided to change the variety to Viognier, because they insisted on using organic grapes (which of course matches their company policy) and apparently could not find organically grown Muscat grapes. Vigneronne therefore became a different white grape lambic that year, and changed label too, which justifies its two entries on this website; I have actually had the post-2019 version once before but did not yet take notes then, so I had to find another bottle for rating – enter the cellar of Gebrande Winning, one of the most magical places in Belgium for beer lovers… Moussy, snow white, open and dissolving ring of thin foam, warm pure yellow-golden robe, clear at first but misty later on. Aroma of white grape peel more than white grape flesh or juice, stale lemon juice, ‘horseblanket’ and other Brett notes (urine, sweaty leather), old dry cheese rind, a hint of peppered pâté, dandelion leaves, old dry wood, raw rhubarb, green gooseberries. Very fruity, tart onset, clear white grape in a tart and somewhat astringent way with sour side notes of lemon, rhubarb and gooseberry, dry from the start; softish to medium, ‘refined’ effervescence, vinous mouthfeel. Grape skin and sour but very fruity grape juice fill the middle, over a bread-crusty core and paired with lots of Brettanomyces-induced funkiness, hovering between old leather, stale urine and oxidized old dry sherry. Hay, green apple and something peppery as well as a light earthy note are added in the finish, where the sour-fruity grapes still rule, further dried by woody tannins. Highly elegant, vinous, sophisticated lambic – this new version is at least as gorgeous as the original one was, perhaps even more refined and less outspokenly fruit-sour. A must taste, this one, also in its new Viognier form.
How: Draught.
Where: Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri.
Appearance: Hazy golden colour with a white head.
Aroma: Acidic, fruit, yeast, funk, grapes.
Body: Medium body, low carbonation.
Flavour: Fruit, yeast, acidic, funk, grapes.
Blond colour with thin head. Amazing complexity in the aroma. Vanilla and old ripe apples followed by grape must. Flavour starts with the grape elements. Soft vanilla sweetness at first, fresh grapes. Then later a tartness akin to a sharp apple.
Bottle. Clear light amber pour with a white head. Mild vinous bouquet. Tasty with mild vinous, mellow funk and barnyard, and under-layers of subdued orange, caramel, oak, and barrel. Complex, subtle, and damn refreshing. Good body and mouthfeel.
75cl bottle (bottled 10 October 2019) from the brewery. F: medium, white, quick gone. C: shiny gold, milky hazy. A: sour fruity, peach, floral, grapes, funky, woody, lemon peels. T: sour fruity, woody, green plums, peach, funky, puckering, grapes, old lemon, bit Sulphur, long lasting tartness, soft carbonation, very good as I expected, fully enjoyed.
Draught Small white head over fully hazy yellow beer. Slight " putteke ", garden herbs and weeds, sulphur. Sharp in the mouth, almost acetic, lots of lactic acid, lemon, lemonpeel dried and left. Serious acidthinning and -burn, low carbonation. Not the most subtle, even for Cantillon. I remember Vigneronne however as once more mild, which is contradictory. The grape????
Delicious grape character with mellow suiting acidity. Always a treat to try this decently fresh. Great match with the crepes too.