Cider Review: Haykin Family Cider's Methode Ancestral Jonathan 2018

Trick or treat! I decided that treat was the only way to go for my Halloween cider review this year. I bought a mixed shipment of Haykin Family Cider back in the lockdown days of 2020, working with the owner to choose bottles that would age well or be awesome for vertical tastings.  

Haykin Family Cider comes to us from Aurora, Colorado. They’ve won basically every award you can shake a stick at, and I’ve loved all of the Haykin family ciders’ I’ve ever tried. That’s why I’m pinning some high hopes on the Jonathan 2018.

Here are my earlier reviews for Haykin Family Ciders.

Reserve Niedzwetzkyana (my #3 favorite cider of 2021): https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/11/cider-review-haykin-family-ciders.html

2018 Method Ancestrale Ela Family Farms Cuvee: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/09/cider-review-haykin-family-ciders-2018.html

Harrow Pear: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/06/perry-reviews-haykin-family-ciders.htm

Finding Haykin Family Cider online is an awesome way to see all of the current releases: https://www.haykinfamilycider.com/.

Here’s how the cidery describes this particular cider.

The Jonathan apple is one of America's classic heirlooms, discovered in 1826 in Woodstock, NY. This sparkling cider has the aroma and flavor of plum and fresh rain. With light caramel notes, well-integrated acid and tannin, the creamy mouthfeel compliments flavors of brioche and spice. 100% Jonathan apples grown at Masonville Orchards, CO and bottled in 2018. This cider is dry. Aged 12 months sur lees and disgorged by hand. ABV of 8.1%

Appearance: super bubbly, warm straw, transparent

This cider bubbles with verve and excitement. I’ve never seen such a towering mousse on a cider. Yes, it dissipates but a show! The color is a gentle warm straw with clean transparency. 

Aromas: citrus, honey, pineapple, cherry

My gracious, the Jonathan smells astonishingly good. Everything about it just sings to me of sweet citrus and honey. Secondary notes rush in with cherry, pear, pineapple and powdered sugar. This is a fruit party of aromas!

Dryness/sweetness: Semi-sweet

I wondered if this cider would have a touch of sweetness based on all of its delectable juicy fruit notes, and it does! The sweetness is very natural and beguiling perfect for this holiday of dessert treats!

Flavors and drinking experience: floral, high acid, bubbly, cinnamon

The Jonathan is a floral and acidic dance. All of those fruity aromas primarily translate into blood orange on the palate. The sweetness helps the cider achieve a satisfying body while the bubble help lift and elevate the experience. The cider is semi-sweet and absolutely beautiful with notes of creamy custard and maple syrup. It’s not just simple though, the cinnamon finish turns leathery just at the end. 

I reached for a cider I expected to be good, and it still managed to surprise me by being even better and more complex that I hoped. What a treat! Happy Halloween!

Cider Review: Haykin Family Ciders' 2018 Method Ancestrale Ela Family Farms Cuvee

This week’s cider was part of a small birthday dinner for a dear friend. It still feels new to me to host little parties again, but it’s the most delicious kind of new. This time of year is perfect for it. I have more tomatoes than I’ve ever had access to in my life, and bread baking is very dinner-party friendly. Plus, my cider stores are rather brimming from all of the dinner parties I haven’t hosted for the past 18 months. This meal got accidentally planned around focaccia bread, the birthday lady’s caprese salad, and my desire to break into a bottle of Haykin Family Cider.

Haykin Family Cider comes to us from Colorado. The cidery is extremely well-decorated from many GLINTCAP wins over the years. The cidery was founded by Talia and Daniel Haykin in Aurora, Colorado. You can visit a tasting room, order Haykin Family Cider online or join the cider club. This cider was shared with me for review, but as always my opinions are my own.  

I’ve only ever reviewed Haykin Family Cider’s Harrow Pear before: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/06/perry-reviews-haykin-family-ciders.html

You can visit the cidery online: https://www.haykinfamilycider.com/

Here’s Haykin Family Ciders’ official description for the 2018 Method Ancestrale Ela Family Farms Cuvee.

A blend from Ela Family Farms, a fourth generation Colorado fruit grower, including Cox's Orange Pippin, Ashmead's Kernel, Jonathan, Golden Delicious and others. This sparkling cider boasts the character of pear, banana, cardamom, lime, and substantial minerality. This bottle was aged 15 months sur lees and disgorged by hand. This cider is semi-dry. 5% of sales of this cider goes back to Steve Ela and Ela Family Farms to help rebuild their orchard after a devastating frost. 7.9% ABV.

Appearance: Slightly hazy, gentle warm straw, bubbly

The Ela Family Farms Cuvée looks decidedly bubbly. I had to pour a second time to make sure we got enough cider and not just lovely frothy bubbles in our glasses. The color is gently warm straw; it isn’t intense. The cider is just a bit hazy and gets more so towards the end of the bottle.

Aromas: Mellow mineral, spices, ripe apple, lemon, honey

I’m expecting something mellow and structured based on what I smell in this cider. Immediately, I get notes of minerals, spices, ripe apples, lemon, and honey. My appetite is most decidedly whetted.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry/semi-sweet

The level of sweetness on this cider surprised me. I thought it would be drier, but while this is semi-dry it’s nearly semi-sweet. Lots of fruit flavors are accessed through the cider’s sweetness. 

Flavors and drinking experience: high tannins, medium high acid, woody, minerals, creamy

What a heavenly journey. This cider rolls across my palate with lushness and surprises. At first I was surprised by how near to a semi-sweet cider this tastes. The Ela Family Farms Cuvee follows that surprise with high tannins and medium acidity. I love the excellent sparkle that can only be obtained with the laborious Method Ancestrale. This cider gifts us notes of wood, minerals orange peel, banana, and ripe apple. I love little touches of bitterness that layer between the fruit flavors. The finish is creamy and perfumed. All in all, this cider is such a neat mix of gentleness and firm structure.

We paired this cider with herbed focaccia bread, caprese salad, sauteed zucchini and cauliflower, and veggieful pasta dish with feta. It was a full-flavored summery meal with a cider pairing well matched for the zesty bright garden flavors. What a treat!