West County
Ciders hail from Colrain, Massachusetts where they have been made by cidermaker
Judith Maloney and her family since 1984. They mention hailing previously from
California’s wine making traditions which they have blended with New England
cider making and blending techniques. They only use pressed apples and no
concentrate. Their website has much more information.
As a varietal
intro I mostly want to share what West County says about their own cider. The
story comes from their discovery of “a classic French bittersweet apple”
described as having strong tannins, complexity, a note of iron. Their blurb
says, “Reine de Pomme is an archaic
French Apple. We found it in the Geneva Reference Orchard. In 1987, in France,
the only reference to it we found was a listing in a nursery catalog from the
1920’s at an apple museum in Normandy.” And this is just the apple. When described the cider as they
have created, cellared, and blended it, they say, “As a cider it has a deep,
dark-fruit, honeyed taste. We blended it with our Dabinet to round out the
tannins, and Redfield to add bright fruit and to balance the bitter-sweets. Though
blended, Reine de Pomme leads the taste, and the Dabinet and Redfield fall in
nicely as supports. It is the fullest-bodied cider we have made. And the
closest in taste to a French Cider.”
ABV: 7.3%
Color and
appearance: Deep glowing apricot
The appearance
of this cider is truly unique. Its color is glorious. When we cannot stand a
moment more of grey winter, pouring a glass of the Reine de Pomme can
temporarily transport us to sunnier days. This cider also shows tremendous
levels of bubbles. So many active
bubbles. A bright white head formed when I poured my first glass, and then
vanished quickly.
Aroma: candied citrus, nectarine, and dusty granite?
As crazy as this
may sound, the end of the each sniff of this cider brought strong grey rock in
the sun to my mind. As an inveterate basker and lounger who would always prefer
to sit or lay on the ground, I’ve smelled rocks aplenty and the Reine de Pomme
smells like a sun-warmed rock. It also smells like fruit and sugar with a
citrus pinch.
Sweet to dry: Off
dry
The bottle
describes the cider as dry, and for many cider drinkers it would be quite dry.
For those more attuned to independent, small-batch ciders though, the range is
wider and dryer than that made up only of more widely available ciders, making
the Reine de Pomme a very pleasant off dry. This an ideal level of sweetness
and dryness in my mind.
Flavors and
drinking experience: tannic, heavy, creamy mouthfeel,
The citrus from
the scent develops fully when I taste this cider. I can taste the mineral
element from the smell also, but it fuses with the fruit notes more, almost
adding a shadow of depth behind the brighter notes.
Finish: slow but still creamy with residual flavors
of lemon
The finish is
luscious, less dry than the initial taste. It dallies and gives a second
impression of creaminess united with lemon or sweetish citrus.
Pairs with: a
full meal with strong flavors, maybe a risotto or shepherd’s pie.
The unusual
mouthfeel would allow drinkers to pair this with something usually less
available for cider pairings. Maybe even something with more than a hint of
spiciness. Alternately, the cider drinkly beautifully on its own. I’d take this
particular drink sunbathing, maybe because of the aroma. Still, I think the
Reine de Pomme would be a lovely companion for unwinding in the out of doors. Quite a fascinating cider, especially for one so drinkable.