Domaine Pinnacle Cidre de Glace Petillant

Wow, what a cider. The sugar concentration from the ice-wine treatment make this a decadent yet light drinking aperitif. The effervescence lends a wonderful tickle to the end of the swallow. Simply beautiful drinking experience.

This pale golden liquid is my alternative to champagne. The taste is sweet but not overbearing The aroma is of apples of course but with this sweet aroma that resembles that of ice wine. This was my Christmas Eve drink and it was very merry.

2005 bottling consumed in 07. So pale is the golden pour, it seems to be glazed with a white sugarcoating of soft carbonation that trickles slowly to the top. Legs are thick and coverage is three quarters of the available space. This looks like a sleepy Champagne, sultry and elegant. The aroma is richer than I’ve yet experienced in ice cider or icewine, with the sole exception of the Inniskillen Pinot Noir icewine. Apples in the nose are so tightly crammed, so sugary and so deeply wound into complex microcosms of acids and earthy must. I feel like I can sense a tangible brix reading that’s on a new chart, a chart that had to be re-scaled to measure the ferocious intensity and high residual sugars this presents so effortlessly. Nectars of firmly pressed multiple varities of fruit skins parade across the palate with just a slight inhalation and beg a sip. Brown sugar and ultra-sweetened caramels coat the edge of each whiff. Alcohol only serves as a depthy addition to this bakery-in-the-morning aromatic composition. Each time I draw the flute to my nose I feel like I’m in the loft bar that is Redlight/Redlight and the apple pies and fritters encrusted with brown sugar have been left in the oven too long in the bakery below - the fire department is on the way and the flames will be extinguished when I finally give in and take the first sip. One taste and my mind is spinning and my heart is racing. The complexity throughout a small sip, the bold finish full of bready notes and glazed sugars, is terrific! Soft carbonation disperses mild must-coated apple skin notes that eventually release a candy and juice combination that is lightly tart and causes shuddering. Wild sweetness and complexity that skates past preconceived notions of the limits previously encountered is a beautiful feature. Buttery sweet pastry notes are monstrous and fit perfectly with the mild acidity. The mouthfeel is quite full for a sparkling beverage, sparse though the carbonation is. At the flavor pinnacle of each sip I feel as if I’m being trampled by an angry six foot croissant with icing and fangs. Monumental.

Robinvboyer hooked up big time!!! Nice "pop" when the cork was removed, with scant bubble formation in the bottle. That changes when poured. The yellow nectar is pierced by a steady yet ultimately elegant bead of bubbles, wafting effortlessly towards heaven. Glorious to gaze upon. The aroma is a melange of sweet apples, butter, light brown sugar, peach cobbler, some vanilla and even a hint of pie spices. The flavor is at first sweet, though not as syrupy as I expected. The bubbles tease the palate, almost causing me to pause, wondering what is next. Then the nectar is revealed. Waves of apple sweetness, crisp acidity, a nice yeastiness. A wonder to behold.

bottle as a gift. very very sweet, lots and lots of apples, some peach, extremely sweet in the finish. i haven’t hadmany good ciders but i can tell this is very good quality, and excellent stuff!