7

Hapu, ploomine, funky, nisune, nats mineraalne, kerge viinamarjane. Ok.

7

At the source, scherp, wat aan de zure kant, fris en fruitig, maar door die 🐕ben ik gelijk weer 🤧

8.3

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

New(ish) fruit lambic by Boerenerf combining, as Boerenerf often does, two different fruit species, namely mirabelle plums and muscatel grapes. From a 37.5 cl bottle with cork and crown cap, under high pressure with some gushing during opening, so keep a glass nearby. Thick, foamy, very dense, small-bubbled, egg-white, very stable and firm head sitting on a hazy, warm peach blonde robe with pale orangey tinge and masses of bubbles enthusiastically rushing through the haze. Strong, utterly fruity nose of recognisable sweet muscatel grape (or wine) and somewhat less strong but also clearly present ripe mirabelle plum, dusty attic, old dry wood, lemon zest and lemon juice, unripe orange, green gooseberry, crumbling dry earth, cracked leather, plum kernels, freshly cut green apple, dry hay, cucumber, raspberry vinegar. Brightly fruity onset, lots of unexpectedly citric sourness, as in lemon or unripe orange, engulfing more 'hidden' but balancing sweet notes of the muscatel grapes and mirabelle plums, the first very juicy and the latter more astringent, but both at their 'fleshiest' - feeling like a fruit cocktail involving both white grapes and yellow plums drenched in lemon juice. Lively, sparkling wine-like, very minerally effervescence, accentuating the crispness and vibrance of the fruit even more. Lactic acidity as well, yoghurty in a sharpishly tart, fruity way, in its turn reinforcing the brightness and radiance of the fruit itself - layers of 'additional' fruitiness from the lambic's acids and esters are built up on top of the actual fruit and nothing here plays a false note in this beautiful harmony of radiant yellow fruitiness. The lemon juice acidity too, continues unabated over a smoothly bready core, while the tannins of the wood (and, no doubt, the fruit's skins and seeds) accentuate astringency and dryness already established by the acids. Well-measured 'wild' funkiness is retronasally added near the end, as in wet leather, damp hay and sweat, but these effects only add complexity without overpowering the radiance of the fruit and the lambic's own fruity acids. Long, lemony but also grapey and 'stonefruity', brightly 'summery', dry and elegantly astringent finish, in which all the flavour elements are retained - and kept in this perfect harmony. Both the grapes and the plums are given a starring role but they do not overplay each other, instead they only amplify each other's sharp and vibrant 'yellow summer fruit' effects. The sourness is sharp and lemony, overall, but in a deliciously fresh and crisp way... This is one of those beautiful fruit lambics I could sniff for hours. A true gem, even within Boerenerf's already impressive range of unorthodox, elegant and radiant fruit lambics (and blends of lambics with other things, I hasten to add). Absolutely delicious.