This
is my fifth annual roundup of favorite ciders for the year. Wow!
That's 50 favorites recorded here, and my heart knows that there are
many more. 2017 was a challenging year; I don't want to understate
that. For me, though, it was also a healing and exploring year. I did
more with cider than ever before: volunteering, pouring, teaching,
writing, speaking, and consulting. I'm so grateful for all of those
opportunities.
But
one of my favorite at home cider activities each year has to be
compiling this list of my 10 favorite ciders of the previous blogging
year.
For
context, here are my lists for the previous four years:
And
I'll quote my own rules. “As
in earlier years, I have two rules: I'm not listing more than one
cider from any company, and I am going to limit myself to ciders that
have coverage in the blog. Beyond that, my only caveat is that these
are my personal favorites that I wrote about in 2016. These may or
may not be your favorites, but I encourage you to taste them and make
up your own mind.”
10.
Virtue Percheron
Virtue
Cider was started in 2011 by Greg Hall; This cidery is based out of
Fennville, Michigan. They use a lot of international inspiration for
their ciders and aren't afraid of a little funk.
My
tasting notes include leather, dried tropical fruits and raisins, all
as an overlay to overripe apples. The scents include something a
little floral and a little spicy. The
french oak barrel aging gently steers the flavors of the Percheron.
The definites are high acid, medium high tannins, with a low
intensity of bubble. What I especially like about this cider is the
mutually supportive spice and richness.
9.
Dunkertons Dry Organic Cider
Dunkerton's
Cider is the only English company to have made the list this year.
They make cider in Pembridge, Herefordshire and have done so since
1980. That has allowed them to see a lot of changes in the cider
market both in the UK and abroad in that time.
The
cider looks like dark tea but hazy; it had only a few visible
bubbles. Gorgeous. When I first tasted it, I said the drinking
experience like getting mildly whacked in the head, but assuredly in
a good way. This
is so dry and tannic that its level of bitterness was almost
provoking, but since it offered up medium acid to go with those
tannins, it brought me round. The aromas bring richness, and the
whole experience is heavenly but this one is not for beginners.
8.
E.Z. Orchards Poire
E.
Z. Orchards has been growing apples since the 1920s in Oregon. Now,
they make Cidre and Perry as well, in a style much inspired by French
ciders and perries. With the Cidre part of the business founded by
Edward Zielinski, E. Z. Orchards has made a name for itself in the
region for trees, fruit, Cidre, and shared knowledge.
The
first thing I noticed after pouring this cider, is how it was
ambiently sizzling with effervescence. The
Poire reminds me immediately of French ciders and perries in its
farmy yet fruity aromas. The keeving fermentation process can create
some reductive notes in the aromas like fallen leaves, warm wet wood,
and farmy scents. After the funky aromas, I was shocked by how cold
and clean tasting it was. Sweet and distinctly like fermented fruit
sweetness; its the only perry on this list, but it's here for a
reason.
7.
South Hill Prelude 3
I
know, perhaps it seems unfair for them to get the stop spot last year
and yet still appear on this year's list. I can't help it. I like
South Hill's ciders. These are simple apple-centric ciders that only
tweak or adjust in ways that I tend to enjoy. This cider is from a
single tree, yet it still tastes great.
The
Prelude #3 is dry and sparkling, but it's so much more. It smelled
honeyed and floral. Other
aromas include orange, but concentrated like Seville oranges or
tangerines. The
Prelude #3 offers up a strong tannic presence, but overall the cider
is round and soft. The tannins are beautifully balanced with bright
golden acidity. For flavors, I taste vanilla, citrus, ripe apples,
and just a bit of soft leather.
6.
2 Towns Ciderhouse Cidre Bouche
2
Towns Ciderhouse has been operating as a cidery in Oregon since 2010.
2 Towns was founded by Lee Larsen and Aaron Sarnoff-Wood, focusing on
local fruit and innovative cider processes and experiments.
This
is a French inspired cider through and through. Its semi-sweet,
smelling of overripe apples, lemons, leather, hay, and wood. I love
this ciders fine bubbles and full mouthfeel. It's my absolute
favorite from this producer!
5.
Champlain Heirloom
The
Heirloom comes from Champlain Orchards out of Shoreham, Vermont. This
cidery is truly a fruit farm that happens to make really great cider,
among other things, on stunning land. All of the stages--growing,
milling, pressing, fermenting and bottling--happen right there. They
grow many fruits and more than 100 varieties of apples.
This
semi-dry cider smells bready and
tart but tastes stony and grassy with notes of green grapes. It
absolutely wowed me. I love the light and vivacious body on the
Heirloom. The esters from the smell remain as pleasant and clean
flavors, and I find the acidity bright and high without ever being
sharp or pointed. This is fruity sort of acid, balanced with medium
tannins. Such a pleasurable and drinkable cider.
4.
Blue Bee Charred Ordinary
Blue
Bee is Richmond's first urban cider--in fact, it's Virginia's first.
They focus on heritage fruit, incorporating varieties that can bring
both acidity and tannin to their finished ciders. You can visit their
tasting room year round.
The
Charred Ordinary's aromas
remind me of barn wood, barrel, and overripe cider apples. This aroma
is extraordinarily rich: frankly outstanding. There's definitely
something citrusy going on, specifically lemon. Once I
tasted it, I could tell that the Charred Ordinary is
100% New World in style and not old. This cider is defined by high
acid, mid-level tannins, and almost no sweetness. This cider ZINGs
and keeps on zinging. And that's a very good thing.
3.
Quebrada del Chucao Sidra Espumante Brut Nature
The
company, Quebrada del Chucao, has been around since 2010 in Chile. It
is a collaboration between a fruit-producing family and a
university-trained winemaker. The back of the bottle describes the
orchards from which the apples came as being more than 60 years old.
Though
I expected sweeter, this cider is on the dry side of off dry with
7.5%ABV. I love how bubbly it is, and we can thank bottle
conditioning for that natural sparkle. I'd expected it to be sweet
because the
sidra smelled both sweet and briney reminding me a little bit of both
French and English ciders.
2.
Black Diamond Solstice
Another
strong cider maker from the Finger Lakes Region, Black Diamond is the
small family cidery of Ian and Jackie Merwin. They have had a cidery
since 2003, and a 150+ variety strong orchard near Trumansburg, New
York since long before then. Cider is a natural focus for Ian Merwin
as a Pomology Professor Emeritus at Cornell.
In
this cider, the aroma notes included overripe apples, sun-warmed
rocks, late-summer dust, and caramel. The Solstice tastes
fruity, beautiful, and complex while
also being uncompromisingly dry. The mouthfeel is fully and boozy.
The Solstice's high acids are balanced with high tannins, making the
Solstice come across as astonishing and rich. This is a mature and
balanced cider, an absolute favorite.
1.
Eden's Imperial 11 Degree Rose
Their
logo reads “Unique expressions of extraordinary apples,” and Eden
Specialty Ciders certainly supports that by making some of the finest
cider I have ever tasted. It's astonishing to me that this is their
first appearance in a top 3, but it wasn't hard to choose this cider
as my absolute favorite of the year. Eleanor and Albert Leger have
been helming their cidery since 2007. But for this year, I have to
pay homage to the Imperial 11 Degree Rose, which is a blend of
heritage apples and red currants.
This
cider is off dry, dripping with fruit, and 11% ABV, making the
Imperial 11 Degree Rose a big big cider. It's zesty, sprightly, tart
and extremely bubbly. I love its flavorful intensity, and I know I'm
a sucker for really good bubbles. High acid ciders with lots of fruit
and some tannic structure are often among my favorites, so my love
for this cider should come as no surprise. I could drink this all the
time and never be sad about it.
But
most of all, I want to end this post with gratitude for the cider
experiences and people. From farmers to restauranteurs and every
flavor of cider maker, cider writer, cider seller, and cider fan in
between, you all enrich my life so much with your ciders and your
stories. Here's to even more in the coming year! Cheers!
