Etienne Dupont Cidre Bouché Brut de Normandie

Brewed by Domaine Familial Louis Dupont
Style: Cider
Victot-Pontfol, France

2002 vintage. Pours a hazy pale golden, no head to speak of. Aroma is dry, apples, and a rich oak, maybe some ceder as well. Taste begins with sweet apples, quickly moves into a more dark, oaky, almost smokey flavor. Yes, certainly a smoke tinge. Finish is bitter, dry. Very light mouthfeel, but I find it appropriate. Very interesting stuff.

2002 vintage. Tastes like a combination of champagne and natural apple juice. Aggressively carbonated like champagne. Had little floaties in the body. Over a excellent cider.

750 ml Bottle. 2004. Hazy golden hue with small ring of head. Nose is of barnyard and grass/hay, must and flowers, apricot, cedar and of course, a slight apple note. Effervescent and full in the mouth with a definite sugary sweetness. Flavors of tart apples, acidic citrus, sugary peach juice, yeasty chalkiness and a bitter twinge in the finish. Nice and dry! This was my first rated cider and the cork damn near took my eye out! Great lively cider.

2003 750mL bottle shared with Walt and Eyedrinkale on 9/30/2005. Actually I ended up drinking most of the bottle because no one else liked it enough to finish it at 4 in the morning. Pours a glassy, white peach and chardonnay colored golden-yellow, light bubbles forming a pinch of white head that vanishes immediately. Does not leave thick legs on the glass. Aroma of sweet, almost nutty, or barny-like notes, a moderate amount of acidity is foretold from the aroma. Lightly tannic, oily and dry, with a definite blue cheese-like note. Hints of dry, funky yeast in there too. Flavor is initially lightly sweet, moderately acidic/tannic and full of strong yeast. Tastes similar to chardonnay in that the oak character mixed with the yeast imparts a woody-peachy character. Finish dries out significantly, completely leaving any of this meaty/peachy yeast and wood character. Instead there is a prominent lacto flavor, a lovely tartness and a lingering apple-champagne-like quality, very rustic and wonderfully flavorful as it lingers on the palate. Couldnt stop drinking this stuff, even the next morning, after sitting out in the glass it was splendid. Couldnt help but make the connection with lambic. It’s like an apple lambic in some ways, not nearly as dry and tart, but the lactic character and rustic farmhouse nature, with the natural carbonation and tight mouthfeel all provide similarities. Wonderful stuff and at $10 for a bottle at my local store, I will certainly be picking some up.

2003: Pour is golden yellow...smell is yeast, apples, bright aroma...nice lactic flavor along with some nice apples...finished nice and dry...delicious...

2004 Bottle @ the weekly RB Poker Gathering
Golden plate color, no retentiveness in the head, but very fizzy and carbonated (like champagne). The nose is funky with some bretty and dry dusty hay mixed with apples. The flavor is a touch sweeter with a bit more crisp tart apple taste. The fail is funky and barny. Nice.

2003 Vintage. I haven’t tasted quality cider in awhile, and one should expect good things from the makers of Calvados. I was not disappointed. I think the last quality apple product I enjoyed was New Glarus Apple Ale, and this reminded me of its more refined sibling. Some nice tartness and sweetness together. The acidity somewhat takes me aback. I prefered this much more as it warmed to about room temperature, I’m not sure why RB would recommend serving this one at 46.5, which was far too cold to enjoy the nuances of the flavors. Although not a huge cider drinker, this one was one of the better ones I’ve tasted. If I were rating according to style, this would be close to a 5.0

My first cider rating. I passed a professional degree class tonight, so I thought I would celebrate. 2000 Vintage. 375ml bottle. Served in a flute, per ratebeer reccomendation @ 46.5°. It warmed up to 59° on the third, and last, glass. No "pop" like I expected after pulling the cork. Really hazy gold color with a light fizzy, quick lasting "head" that dies down to a ring of off-white bubbles. There is visible particulate matter in the bottom of the glass, it is finely groud pepper sized. The aroma is sour with a brett-like wool blanket funkiness. The taste is tart, acidic, wool horseblanket, orange peel, with some mild apple flavor. A bit of sugary sweetness evens out the tart midtatste and prepares you for a bracing, tart finish of sour apples, and lemon. The mouthfeel is moderate at times with some chewiness to it, but finishes very refreshing. This is certainly different than the hombrew ciders I have had. The last pour is filled with bigger sediment. I also get a distinct aroma of Stilton or Gogonzola and a taste that follows that aroma pretty closely, must be the sediment.