SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Mirror Finish from Enlightenment Wines 3 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8
Clear bottle from their mail club. Several months in the basement, a couple months in the fridge. Mostly settled, but it got a little disturbed carrying it to the kitchen. Nearly still, lemon honey, slightly foggy at times. Lemon candy, un-fermented honey, melon, Sidra, wax, veg. Sidra, mostly sweet & sour lemonade, Sweet Tarts, liden honey, white grape tannins, touch of wax as it dries out. It dries out the same way tart lemonade does. Just as sweet as it is sour. Crazy acidic. Crazy tart. Lush, light to low carbonation. Dangerous abv. Not as refined as their other bottles, but unique. Drank this really fast.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 7
Clear, sharpied bottle payed for through the mead club; 4-18. Mojito glass @home. Sharp, apple, very warming nose. Taste is apple acidic, light lemon, somewhat floral, coated in chocolate & a little oxidation & lacquer. Lingering lemon oil & honey essence. Just a bit of wax. Thin, not quite dry. Acidity helps, but it's so boozy. Okay, but crazy harsh.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Floralia from Enlightenment Wines 4 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 10 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5
Clear, tall, slender 375ml ice wine bottle. 2020 batch from their online club. I've avoided this one for too long. Baby Duvel glass @home. Clear, still honey gold; leggy. Smell is sweet, acidic, fruit-y honey. Or it could be the citrus forward juniper. Delicate lavender that isn't soapy. Marjoram that might be the dominate sweet/savory thyme-mint punch, or just a note in the backdrop. All together, it doesn't come off soapy, astringent or evergreen. 12/10 if I could. Taste is acidic, dry, & gin botanical dominate. Orange peel, rosewater, lemon thyme, sweet onion, black pepper, chardonnay. Super thin, maybe too acidic, but still somewhat hearty. Strong for the abv. Very good.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Rosé Real Cider from Enlightenment Wines 4 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6
375ml bottle from their mead club. Purple on brown, somewhat cloudy, very frothy. Super astringent nose, leafy, tea-infused, herbal, somewhat woody/smokey, very bold. Taste is massively tart, not sour. Bitter, tannic, grape skins. Leafy, bitter greens. Sharp, crabby, lingering apples. Oxidation. Very strong flavors. Very carbonated, frothy, full but absolutely dry. Okay in small amounts.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Nought White Mead from Enlightenment Wines 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 9
Bottle from their CSA. Glass cork, sometimes it's finicky. Two years on the shelf, two weeks in the fridge. Drank one last year, can't tell what vintage this is. Lo-ball glass @home. Mostly settled/clear, still, dusty gold body. Big scent: Sour, lacto, wax, salt water, fresh cut grass, gas fumes. Taste is sharp. Apples, apricot, wax, lemon, wild fermented wine, licking envelopes, lingering rounded linden honey finish. Definite sipper. They make a very similar sparkler, but this is also tasty. There has been less lacto in other years. Thin, acidic, very sharp, wet, intentionally flat, warming, still a little difficult, want more. Yum.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Night Eyes from Enlightenment Wines 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
I get a bottle of this every few months, not sure why I haven't rated it. Gone from cork to cap 2-3yrs ago, latest vintage upped the fruit, but I think this rate is an older but not too old bottle. I actually took this one to Thanksgiving dinner as a backup, but the cider was okay. 12% ABV, no cranberry this vintage. Lo-ball glass @home. Bubbly neck doesn't quite want to foam over. Not perfectly clear cherry on brown brew. Could be a Snapple, could be booze. Smell is sharp, oxidized, subtly smokey & infused. Mellow lemony, sorta sumac, macerated apples, tea & old cherries. Taste is brandied cherries with a very sharp & demanding blend of tart hibiscus, twangy apple, with lingering sumac & wood pulp. Rose hips could be in there, I'm just not that familiar. Hibiscus has that sweet-tart almost candy thing that's pretty good though, add it to your lemonade. Honey is just about all gone, or it now tastes like brandy. Finish is dry & pleasantly oxidized. Good carb, not too thin. Yes, it's boozy, but tart, dry & drinkable. Good fuel to give you confidence when writing passive aggressive Christmas cards.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Cherry from Enlightenment Wines 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
One off bottle from their spring 2021 CSA. Lowball glass @home. Murky velvet red & black cherry color. Not super bubbly. Concentrated dry & sour black cherry scent; orange peel, booze. It's Manhattan-ish. Sour cherry, cigar, bitter macerated orange peel, spice, the concentrated botanicals in good vermouth. Dry & unfiltered. Bits of body. Very low carbonation(it's there, just subtle. Thought it be plenty prickly by now). A little hot. Lingering acidic cherry skin that stays with you forever. Reminds me of the other cherry brew they make, Dagger. Perhaps this is a base for that taken in another direction. Excellent.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Memento Mori from Enlightenment Wines 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4
Bottle from the CSA club. Baby Duvel glass @ home. Chill hazed, still, amber pour. Really potent wildflower honey, honeysuckle, & salty taffy nose. I'm not familiar with what a dandelion smells like. Taste is lightly sharp wildflower, clay, maybe a touch of maple, browned apple sweetness, muted pepper, unidentifiable citrus, bitter greens, bark. Initially syrupy, thinning out with a little sharpness. Intentionally still, a little heat, but surprisingly smooth. I think the current batches of everything are all down to 12%. I just don't get it. It's a bit too herbal/dirty or something for me. Love his other stuff.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Raise the Roof from Enlightenment Wines 5 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9.5
Batch 1 bottle from the meadery. Basement storage for 2-ish years. Fridge for a bit less than a month. Baby Duvel glass @ home. Golden & mostly settled with just a bit of haze. Intense wildflower honey nose with a seltzer-ish mineral quality. The flavors are confusing for a dry mead. Bold lime & bright florals, lightly creamy yeast, black tea tannins, lingering honey comb & lime pith. Really great. Something this dry should be more muted, less full. Carbonation is ample yet succulent, feel is mostly thin aside from residual yeast. Alcohol is all there but doesn't bite. Excellent. Top 3 of everything I've had here.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Real Cider from Enlightenment Wines 5 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle from their CSA. Baby Allagash glass @ home. Unfiltered, creamy, faded golden color. Inviting smell of yeast, young spirits & salt water. Pithy, rindy, unripe green berry flavor. Very fruity. Plum-y, grassy finish that ends on sharp peach pits. Apples are playing defense against all the esters. Spirited, tiny bubbles. Yeasty mass as it warms. Tart, yeast, tasty.