9

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

1998 375mL bottle sampled 3/24/04 Kick ass, a 6 year old lambic! Wonderful light pink, like a blush wine yet hazier. As more sediment gets mixed in, it darkens in to a muddy cherry-brown. A good bubbly off-white head perches atop throughout. Immediately upon decorking, it smells of sulfur!!! Interesting. Quickly develops in to some dry band-aid phenols, some light tart cherries and a big yeast kick. Vinegar and fruitiness not dominant in the smell. The cherries allow for huge complexity in the nose, combining fruit esters and acid with the normal funkiness of cantillon products. Amazingly dry, but even more amazing, is the medium-full body. For something so dry, tart and seemingly light, this has a wonderful chewy mouthfeel and big flavors. Yeast is huge, and the cherries are there, but it is a complement to the gueze-like flavors, not the main show. Tart, no artificial/syrupy flavors, and wonderfully complex. Blue cheese on the finish, and a big bite of balsamic vinegar. The flavors just wrap around your palate and stick in a delightfully flavorful way. Cracked, old dry leather comes to mind. I wish I had tried more lambics before sampling this, and I will admit to it being extremely dry, but still, it’s so much better than sugary, syrupy and cloying. This stuff just screams with quality and in all, I didn’t find it too dry. Definitely a big fan of cantillon after trying this. Can’t wait to try the lou pepe kriek.