Charent'euse - 150cl

Charent'euse is a geuze blended from lambics aged in cognac barrels from Charente, the French department where true cognac comes from. Other producers who have experimented with cognac barrel-aged lambics have already shown what this combination is capable of, so expectations are high for this one. 

Frothy, sparkling, audibly crackling, egg-white foam that slowly recedes and dissolves above a misty warm apricot-blonde liquid with a deeper ochre glow and small bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass. Noble and complex bouquet of unripe apricot, plenty of old oak wood (even wooden furniture), calamansi, distinctive cognac but drier than the more familiar leading brands, dried apple slices, wet leather, Sémillon grape pomace, acacia gum, old dry sherry, hints of red mold cheese, yellow plum, Poire William, the dry remnants of sparkling wine, crumbling dry earth.

Sparkling onset, high and minerally effervescence as befits the style, tart but rounded, with a lime-like acidity that eventually becomes lemony, enveloped by a milder touch of half-ripe apricot, yellow plum, and hard nectarine - sour and sharp enough to maintain crispness, but with a softer element inside that provides not only balance but also body; the mineral carbonation effects accompany a lean bready core, dried by a strong streak of lactic acidity, functioning as a sturdy backbone here and leading the flavors to a beautiful finale where all the essential elements come together: lingering sour fruits, tannic woodiness with even a hint of vanilla retronasally, and the actual cognac, with pomace and cream of tartar-like elements as well as a deep, aromatic 'autumnal' dried fruitiness, coming through time and time again.