Van Aert Grape Lambic Merlot

The Van Aert brand (named after the brewer) by Belgoo was a welcome addition to the lambic world two years ago and has been quietly evolving since then, with two new grape lambics having been released recently, including this Merlot version - with grapes from the Hoenshof winery, one of the best known of its kind in Belgium. Egg-white, audibly fizzing, very dense, creamy, pillowy head on a misty deep and warm fiery amber robe with salmon-pinkish tinge and a whirlwind of champagne-like sparkling rushing through the entire glass - what a feast for the eyes. Alluring bouquet of sweet ripe Merlot grapes (and indeed even a glimpse of actual Merlot wine at first), stewed rhubarb, unripe mandarin, unsugared redcurrant jam, nectarine, wet leather, dry hay, hints of halfripe melon, sweet sherry, old oak wood, dusty attic, crumbled dry hazelnuts, dry sand, grape seed oil. Utterly fruity onset, tart all around but nowhere too acetic, some astringent unripe citrus fruit effects but also considerable grape juiciness (even an inkling of sweetness) and impressions of nectarine and gooseberry; crystalline, fine-bubbled, 'noble' effervescence in a vinous body, full yet smooth-edged. Lovely bread-crustiness mingles with juicy grape fruitiness and retronasal sweet summer wine effects, while connecting with a more 'wild', leathery and hayish Brett character and woody tannins, the latter reinforced by tannins from the grape skins and seeds - ending astringent, yet also very elegantly fruity, like a sparkling rosé wine of sorts, but more tart and complex, and carrying a very late and soft, but unmistakably 'beery' hop bitter touch in its tail. I think the effect of the Barolo barrels used for ageing the lambic, also in the other Van Aert lambics, is not to be underestimated here, but it proves impossible to untangle it from the Merlot grapes; if anything, it must have contributed to an even more intense 'vinification' of the lambic, because even this is likely not the grape lambic with the highest density of grapes (that record must be situated somewhere in 3 Fonteinen's vast "Twists of Fate" series if I would have to make an educated guess), it nevertheless conveys an above average wine grape-like personality even for a grape lambic. Graciously summery, fruity, juicy and vibrant, this is nothing short of brilliant in my book - my expectations of this newish brand are always rather high considering earlier experiences with it, but this one even surpasses them. Not to be missed if grape lambics are your thing.