Bottle shared by Jtclockwork on 8/13/16.
Pours a violet-crimson-deep purple. Good clarity.
Big vinous berry nose shows tartness and strong pepper phenols signifying a probable dryness that seems promising. Lots of acidity and tart fruits. Phew, they’ve definitely extracted the deep essence of red berry without any of the mushy sweetness seemingly inherent in most rich meads. Speaking of richness, the honey is fairly succulent, with ample minerality and very low alcohol apparency for its size. Dare I say I’d like more rich honey softness in the nose?
In the mouth, it’s soft, moderately sweet and absolutely poignant to a T. Intense black pepper clings to very light alcohol dryness while red and black raspberry produce a load of tartness. I will say, it’s quite unique and very different than the jammy, sweet-juiciness and rich, vanilla-tinged honeys of Schramms. Boisterous acidity and heavily drying tannins almost overdry the palate, as soft, if not-quite-sweet-enough honey balances the finish. Peppery and incredibly fruity, in a light, wine-like way. Probably about as good an introduction to meads if you’re a wine-lover. It’s hard not to appreciate the dry, wine-like nature, but still elegant, well-extracted, authentic fruit flavors here. Very cool stuff, maybe my small sample wasn’t enough to appreciate it fully, as it seems quite complex and not the onslaught of flavors that most meads in the class produce (though certainly still very, very flavorful).

Bottle - pours purple pink head - nose and taste of black currant, dark cherry, blackberry, honey and raspberry - medium body

Bottle from the Meadery. Pours a dark purple-reddish color, almost grape juice-like. Pretty nice aroma and flavor that is dominated by the mix of black fruits. Not as much of the floral, honey notes come through as with most meads, this one is instead really all about the fruits. Feels almost juice-like on the mouth. Definitely leans sweet, but stays away from being cloying. Really nice.