Cider Review: Aspall Cider's Grand Cru

Aspall Cider has been in the news this past week or so because the company was just sold to Molson(http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42595870). I have a few bottles of Aspall in my cupboard already, and I've been a fan since I discovered the brand in 2010. I found them when traveling to the Cambridge to present a paper. This blog was not yet a gleam in my eye because I thought I was going to be a literature professor who just happened to spend her evenings drinking cider when grading papers and thinking about Oscar Wilde. A lot has changed in eight years.

I don't know what will happen to the 300 plus year old brand under Molson's ownership. But I certainly feel motivated to review what I have by them now, in case things do change.

I've reviewed one other Aspall previously, the Imperial English Cider:http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/11/cider-review-aspall-imperial-english.html

That one made it to my 2^nd favorite cider slot in 2015. It was wonderful. http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2015.html

Once before I reviewed a previous release of the Grand Cru. It was part of a roundup based on a Bellwether staff party tasting. http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/02/cider-review-roundup-virtue-slyboro.html

But since that bottle was years old in 2015, I'm really curious what this fresher bottle and newer release will be like.

Here's the Aspall official description of the Grand Cru:

Rich, golden colour. Traditional bittersweet cyder-apple aroma with orchard fruit and floral notes. 

Palate initially slightly sweet, then mouthfilling and full bodied.Complex array of fruit flavours balanced by gorgeous soft tannins, producing a bone dry finish. 

Very long aftertaste, a true sign of a classic cyder of the highest quality”. An ideal partner for highly flavoured meat dishes, especially duck confit and exotic food from Asia and North African with a hint of sweetness.

Appearance: brilliant, squash, some bubbles

The Grand Cru forms a delicate ring of bubbles at the borders of the glass, and a small nest of them seem to pool and wait at the bottom as well. I'll call the color somewhere between mango and pumpkin or squash flesh. The cider is totally brilliant

Aromas: overripe apples, leather, tea, orange

This cider smells as lovely as it looks. Notes in the aromas include overripe apples, soft leather, spicy tea, and orange. These notes play together harmoniously more than strike out on their own in any intense way. I also get a background blend of wet grass and leaves. Its a very pleasantly earthy set of aromas.

Sweetness/dryness: semi-sweet

This cider is what I think gets called medium sweet in English cider terminology (If I'm wrong, please let me know). I'd call it a semi-sweet for my palate and labelling conventions that the North American cider industry is headed toward. What's notable though is the type of sweetness; its mellow and fruity and very natural.

Flavors and drinking experience: very tannic, medium acid, chalky, soft

Like all of my favorite English ciders, this cider is very tannic and rich. It has apple flavors all over the place. Between the sweetness and the tannins, this mouthfeel is absolute dream. The cider is more than just that though. Its a touch chalky and a little more acidic than most english ciders. I'd say the chalkiness is easily attributable to the moderate levels of oxidation that are part of the regional maturation process for Aspall ciders.

That same process is what makes the cider taste mature, woody, and well balanced. The soft leather notes apparent in the aroma persist pleasantly in the drinking experience. I can also get some floral and spice notes. Guys, this is so yummy. I can describe the balance and the notes at length, but my overall impression is love. This cider pleases me to no end. I hope I can get this experience again and again for years to come.

I had my cider with a veggie casserole, affectionate dogs, and the best possible company. The Grand Cru was an integral element in lovely winter night.

Thank you, Aspall for making something special that delights me so much.

Cider Review: Aspall Imperial English Cider

 Finally November! This has to be one of my favorite months because it means my birthday and Thanksgiving and all this nesting! Right now, it gets dark just before 5pm, and I'm so ready to be at home with my darling cats and goofy husband. Yes, I am a hobbity nesting type and not at all ashamed of it. 

In fact, I'm celebrating with some warming and extra luscious ciders, at least I hope so.

You've not heard much about Aspall cider here, though they've been around since 1728. Yes, that's not a typo. 1728.This is the year James Cook was born and Cotton Mather died. The world was a very different place, and the original Aspall family is still making cider and running the business eight generations later. Let that blow your mind for a moment.

While you're contemplating all of that, load up the website with all of its lovely photographs and enticing recipes: http://www.aspall.co.uk

All of this cider love happens in Suffolk, starting with Clement Chevallier and continuing today. Aspall ciders deserve more time and attention from this blog, as they is one of the core cidermakers in my cider history, and one I still like frequently. On my first trip to England as a devoted cider fan, I was in the midlands and Aspall was the cider most often on tap. So, I spent a lot of time with it early on.

My brief review of the Aspall Grand Cru appears in this roundup along with a few other ciders: 

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/02/cider-review-roundup-virtue-slyboro.html

Tonight I'm reviewing the Aspall Imperial English Cider, but I cannot explain that name. Sometimes Imperial means higher ABV, but I associate that with beer and not cider. Mind you what confuses me is to see the words Imperial and English right next to each other without really meaning that the cider has anything to with England's empire either now or in the past.  But that's me have a lit major digression on a cider blog, so my apologies!

Anyhow, The Imperial English Cider is call the Imperial Vintage on the website and has a subtly different label, but it is clearly the same product. My info all comes from the Aspall website.

This cider has won many awards in the UK between 2013 and the present. Here's how Aspall describes it.

Taste descriptor

Rich fudgy, tantalising flavour enhanced by bitter-sweet apples from a single year’s crop. Notes of raisins, dates and prunes. Sweet mellow finish. 

Serving suggestion

Delightful with lamb & casserole dumplings, pheasant, and strong cheeses such as Brie de Meaux, Stinking Bishop and Blue Stilton.

 

Appearance: dark topaz, visible bubbles, brilliant 

This dark color color represents higher alcohol, higher tannin, barrel aged UK ciders very well. I'd call it dark topaz. The cider shows visible bubbles because it is totally brilliant.

Aromas: mellow, caramel, yet piquant

What tantalizes me in the Imperial English Cider's aromas is the dual presence of both piquant notes that make me anticipate a reasonable level of acidity, but also the dark caramel and mellow scents that I associate with rich tannic ciders. It has some raisiny, boozy dark notes as well.

Sweetness/dryness: semi sweet 

This cider would be called a semi-dry in a pub in England, but I call it a semi-sweet. The subtle bitter and astringent notes only complement that. These flavors are so much more than just the level of sweetness though; its dark and rich and well balanced.

Flavors and drinking experience: semi sweet, naturally sparkling, intense mouth coat

The Aspall Imperial English Cider offers up some coffee bitterness right at the start. But then it expands, becoming so rich and big. A lot of this comes from both the high tannins and higher than typical ABV. It warms the mouth and the tummy. I find this cider extremely well balanced, truly something to write home about. It tastes like cider first and foremost but there are notes of toffee and popcorn and barrel. The profile is just so classic. A dessert cider for sure. That higher alcohol of ABV 8.1 numbs the tip of the tongue. 

Not very fruity; it tastes more of fermentation than fresh apple, which I appreciate so much right now. The Imperial English Cider is a mature cider for those who still want some sweetness. It has medium low levels of acidity but still enough to stimulate the salivary glands. What I simply cannot get over is this amazing texture. It's so creamy! That creaminess reminds me of brie with a teeny bit of chalky finish.

This is more than good with nuts, or a very late waffle breakfast in winter. Or creme brûlée, but it already practically *IS* creme brûlée.