Oliver Winery Beanblossom Hard Cider

**Aroma:** “Light and bright on the nose with hints of red and green apple, moderate pear and pineapple, and a light lavender perfume. A touch of cooked apple adds a darker note.” **Flavor:** “Strong white grape flavors with red apple skin astringency and some green apple tartness in the finish. Strong acidity and moderately high carbonation with a very light lingering sweetness. Fairly dry with nice apple depth and maybe a hint of spicy phenol in there, too—a very light wine-like bite.” **Overall:** “An aggressive, tannic and tart cider with a touch of sweet-tart-like flavor tinged with strong green apple. Would pair well with a more luscious triple crème cheese or chocolate truffle. After a few sips the acidity becomes less noticeable, and the individual flavors come to the forefront. It’s not overly complex, and a crisper finish wouldn’t hurt, but it has an interesting apple character with enough depth to appeal to discerning drinkers without offending less-experienced palates.”

**Aroma:** “Rustic, earthy complexity in the aroma, almost sweaty. Apple character isn’t cleanly expressed. Apple juice: sweet and simple. Over-ripe apple notes with some spiciness. A touch of acidity.” **Flavor:** “Medium-sweet red ripe apples. Some brown turbinado sugar notes. Acidity nicely balances the residual sugar. Under-attenuated. Tastes more like apple juice than cider. Light buttery diacetyl. Very soft palate. Finish even seems malty. Spiced candy-like sweetness.” **Overall:** “Soft apple flavor expresses much better in the flavor than in the aroma. Lovely complexity in the flavor, earthy and rich. Cloudy. Were it not for the light hint of fermented apple, I would assume this is raw apple cider. A bit too sweet.”

**Aroma:** “Rich aroma with notes of dark fruit (plums and dates), a touch of lic- orice, a hint of green apple, and a light lavender perfume aspect. Cider vinegar and champagne yeast notes add depth. Clean with very low sulfur.” **Flavor:** “Red Delicious apple flavor comes through sweet with a touch of dark honey. Very light saltiness in the finish adds complexity. A touch of cinnamon and clove in the yeast profile becomes evident as it warms. On the sweet side, but the tartness keeps it from being cloying. Moderately strong malic acidity and bitterness with a very green apple aftertaste.” **Overall:** “Very fun cider—much more contemplative than many. Would hold up well paired with some chicken curry. Despite the slight banana ester and the light hit of vinegar up front, this had some interesting complexity and depth. Aftertaste is very Jolly Rancher.”