Cantillon Vigneronne

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Brussels, Belgium

Bottle. 2007. Pours a hazy golden color with very little head. Sour aroma, with a hint of wood and green grapes. Taste was much of a suprise considering this was my first ’true’ Lambic. Starts VERY sour, then progresses into a hint of wood and white wine. Ends with a lasting sour bite. Will take more tastings to aquire a taste. But overall not bad.

Courtesy TheCheeseMan. Dark straw color, sparse off-white head. Sharp lactic funk, lighter grape notes, fruity background. Real sour start, then white grape, then a real sharp punch of sour. The fruit comes out a bit, but it’s mostly a show of the classic Cantillon sourness.

(Draught) Dark golden colored with little white head. Sweet peach in fruity and sour aroma, slight spices and sugar also present. Medium bodied, smooth palated. Flavor has same peach here, aftertaste turns to sour and carbonated with some hints of dry white wine.

Draft at Publican. Hazy golden pour. Slighty funky and sour aroma. Yeast, wood, and light grapes. Soft flavor, with a sharp citrus finish. Microscopic bubbles. A really well balanced and approachable lambic.

(Bottle, 2005 vintage, at Pikkulintu, Helsinki, on 2009-02-27) Golden and hazy. Small white head. Sour and fruity aroma ; also some manure in there. Full bodied and dry palate with medium carbonation. Sourness, acidiness, berries, some wine like flavours and bitterness in taste. Well balanced. Long lasting aftertaste containg sourness and berries.

Big expensive bottle at Zeno’s. Pours golden with thin white head. The aroma is orange, lots of muscadine, oak, plenty of funk, swiss cheese, and some light spice. The flavor is sour muscadine, swiss cheese, dry oaky notes, mild farmy funk, and lemon rind. The finish is dry and clean and leaves a tart, musky aftertaste. Clean and sour all around, and an excellent use of fruit.

chiara poca schiuma poco peristente le note sono vinose moscato leggero legno un po di acidulo cantina in bocca si ripetono gli aromi il moscato smorza un poco l’acidità comunque ben presente

The Cantillon which blesses my glass today is the Vigneronne. Raw, ripe, and divine, the Vigneronne is a Lambic and sweet Muscat grapes blend. I am immediately smitten with her murky dishwasher hues which hints of straw, hay, and lingers with a small head. While what I just described may not sound all that appealing, once you know, you know, and my tastebuds are already watering as I partake of her tart, funky nose dancing with hints of spice, wood, crisp apples, sour plums, pears, Muscat grapes and tons of Brett. Brettanomyces is a one sided love affair; while this amazing bug has captured my heart and soul, I don’t think Brett cares whether she is loved or not. My first quaff is clean, crisp, and mouth-puckering tart with a one-two sour punch and a Sahara-inspiring dryness that requires another quaff to quench my growing thirst. Spice notes mix with the tart for some sweetness in the color of Muscat grapes, apples and pears. Not to be outdone, wonderfully aromatic and palatable oak and leather carries my Cantillon Vigneronne from my lips to my throat and lingers long into the finish. As I unfortunately reach the end of my glass, a perfectly balanced mix of oak, leather, spice, and Muscat grapes round out our time together.

Again, Cantillon reinforces my love for Lambics and my ever staunch support of this old Belgian brewing tradition. Created in Belgium and still brewed best, if not exclusively in Belgium, as far as Lambics go, the Cantillon Vigneronne is magic. Magic in my glass, on my tastebuds, and throughout my senses.