Cantillon Vigneronne

Sweet and sour pungent funky standard Cantillon-esque aroma, a hint of sweet green grapes and sour candy. Flavors were soft and gentle, a bit toned down for a Cantillon, but amazing. The grapes must have tempered the vicious sourness usually present, because this was very easy to drink, super refreshing and fresh-tasting. A tiny bit of bitterness and funky barrel woodiness but nothing like some other offerings from Cantillon. Crisp, dry, funky-tasting finish that leaves you hanging, wanting more and more... how do they do this? A great, unique, stand-out lambic. Expensive as always, but worth it!

750 ml bottle
This has been cellaring for about two years now. The cork says it was from 2006. Less sour and intense than I was expecting it was not tough to complete the bottle though it did take a few hours. I really enjoyed this and may have to open another Cantillon in the near future.

Aroma / Appearance - The carbonated golden body was livelier than I expected. Vinegar, white grapes, stale bread crumbs, and lemon floor polish gave it a sour but not particularly tart feel.

Flavor / Palate - The taste does not begin until the back of the throat where it takes on a dry lemony aspect. Kind of like old flat champagne it really takes some time to set in. Unlike the Lou Pepe this is not aggressive. Mellow and moderate this is my kind of lambic - one that I can finish alone without having to buy a pack of Tums soon after. Not quite a rare special occasion beer it is nonetheless just a hair too expensive to drink too frequently either.

Bottle @ The Trappist. Poured a hazy gold. Aroma was sour grapes, tart fruits, earthy hops and funky yum. Flavor was a wine like sour grape and unripe fruits. Mild vinegar and soft floral notes. Moderate sour notes fade quickly. Has a citrusy sour dry finish.

Bottle from Vendome Toluca Lake. Aroma was pretty Standard & Poor’s: tart strawberry, hay, mild funk. Flavor is complex but subtly: strawberry, mustard, funk, yeast, the merest trace of white wine grape ether on the center of tongue during the finish. I would drink this beer again for variation, but my first experience was not as good as hoped.

Bottle. Poured a ruddy gold like color with a smallish head. Aroma of barnyard/funk, yeast, grape, lemon, and spice. Flavor was heavy on the grape; not very sour and not overly complex. Some spice and fruit, with a dash of lemon and peach. Pretty tasty, but not amazing for me.

Green bottle, 750 ml, bottled in 2008, best before 12/2009, via Importations Privées Bièropholie, savoured on June 28 2009; eye: golden, slightly hazy, no effervescence, tiny ring of tan head, no lacing; nose: acidity, horse, fruity (grape); mouth: acidity, horse, fruity (grape), sourness, white wine mineral, acidic finale, average carbonation, no bitterness, medium body, mildly sour, rather acidic; overall: correct FRANÇAIS Bouteille verte, 750 ml, via Importations Privées Bièropholie, savourée le 28 juin 2009; œil : dorée, très légèrement voilée, pas d’effervescence, petit anneau de mousse fauve, pas de dentelle; nez : acidité, cheval, fruité (raisin); bouche : acidité, cheval, fruité (raisin), aigreur, minérale du vin blanc, finale acide, carbonatation moyenne, pas d’amertume, corps moyen, moyennement aigre, plutôt acide; en résumé : correct

The sourer the beer, the gooder the beer, I say. So, I love any Cantillon offering - and though this beer isn’t grandly sour, it does the trick. Appearance-wise, this is peach-juice colored ambrosia. It smells of fruit, funk, and tartness. The real pleasure of this beer, or any other sour, is the way the beer tickles the back of the tongue, gently, but persuasively, imploring the drinker to have another drink.

Draught at Malt and VIne. Beautiful soft rose color. Nicely balanced dry and sour. Wonderful hint of muscat, earthy, leather, with little fruit. More complex and wonderfully sour as it warms in the tulip. A real treat I will hope to enjoy again.