Medovina Classic Mead - Semi Sweet

Brewed by Medovina Meadery
Style: Mead
Niwot, Colorado USA

Orange blossom, floral, nutty, musty, honey aroma. Hazy blonde body is still and quite viscous. Nice legs on the glass. Nutty, floral, musty flavour has some notes of cinnamon. Alcohol is surprisingly apparent with strong warming. Somewhat aqueous in texture. Bottle (Bottled in Nov-04) sampled with MartinT, Rastacouere and Siroy.

Bottled in November 2004:
Again, that flowery, bubblegummy, soapy honey that Medovina uses emerging from a very pale translucence...Heated alcohol shows through the dusty finish...Watery at times, a good mead for dry white wine lovers perhaps...No match for the Cuvée du Diable which was had before...

2003 bottling: Bleached pear. Thin filming on the glass yields scarce, quickly diminishing legs. Zingy, estery nose of cinnamon, white grapes, rosewater, and crystallized sugar. Light lavender and dried herb elements. Uncannily clean. Slippery yet crisp and grainy body. Assertive tannic acidity buckles the inner cheeks and numbs the tip of the tongue. Immaculately clean and well-attenuated, with a nearly nonexistent honey flavor, other than a smidgen of honeycomb and crystallized sugar sweetness, which also lends more firmness to the body. Tart apples and white grape acidity displaces the alcohol, which is already very well managed. Delightfully soft, flowery, toasty, and lightly herbal, as well. Persistent graininess and harsh herb aspects bolster the dryness in the finish, but gain a bit of softness from muted notes of lavender and rosewater. Appetizing and delicious. Thanks, ecrvich.

My second try at this rating. The first was a disaster, when the fruit flies invaded. (The fruit flies have been especially bad this fall). I was still enjoying the aroma when I went to swat a fruit fly, tipped the glass and sending it to the floor. My Christoffel glass broke into two pieces, right at the top of the stem. I should be able to epoxy the pieces back together but the first four ounces of this nectar have know been cleaned off the floor and rinsed into the sink. I digress. Yellow straw color with tall thin legs. Now this is truly honey wine! Aromas are elegant, but a bit overpowering at times. Nose of white grapes, well really more like a light fruit salad with a touch of alcohol. Thicker feel on the front, but really thins out pleasantly. Sweeter start, again with a fortified white wine quality. This dries out as the fermented honey flavors merge with a mild oak flavor. Mild acidic finish. As I reach the end of the snifter, I see pink elephants, oh wait, I have my Delirium Tremens glass, but it does start to have a warming feel in the back of the throat and stomach. Linger is long with mild oak and champagne grape flavors. Excellent choice! Thanks.

2002 vintage (bottled in 2003). No head (still). Body is hazy light yellow. Aroma is notes of honey, flowers, orange, vanilla, hints of lime, grass, and oak. Flavor is heavily sweet, moderately acidic. Finish is moderately sweet, moderately acidic. Full body, watery/syrupy texture, flat carbonation, lightly/moderately astringent. Some people who notice I was not wild about Jadwiga will look at this rating, look where it's made, and say "bah, he's just rooting for Colorado". Those folks don't know me very well. If you like an ultra-sweet oxidized-scented mead, Jadwiga will work for you. If you want something with a flavor balance that will make you nearly unable to stop drinking it, and a bright, fresh, floral, lovely honey-rich aroma, this is it. Jadwiga smells more like cognac/sherry/brandy than mead. This smells like a honey wine. And it's almost as expensive as Jadwiga, which should tell you something. But hey, it boils down to personal preference in the end, right? No matter where this was made, this is the one I'd buy again before any other. And I dare say this is one meadery whose dessert wine I could tolerate...I look forward to trying Sweet Melissa, as it's called.