Once Upon A Tree Dabinett Cider (2010)

And so we move back to a trusted and respected apple variety, made by a producer whom I trust and respect - and who should know how to handle an apple like Dabinett... This cider, made by Once Upon A Tree comes in their standard 750ml bottle and can be expected to be flat, polished and expressive of the qualities that Dabinett has as an apple. OK, apart from the filtered bit I am good with that - although their USP is really presenting cider in a wine like way.

What is Dabinett then? Well, for starters I am a little confused by the spelling of its name: is it one 't' or two? Coming from Middle Lambrook in Somerset, the original Dabinett tree is said to have been  found by chance, growing in a hedge, at the beginning of the 20th century by William Dabinett. It is a moderate bittersweet fruit - in my experience the tree is a weak grower and the fruit can be a little fickle and not exactly generous. However, it's juice is regarded as vintage quality and I certainly agree with this.

There is an alternative to Dabinett called the Black Dabinett. This is meant to be very similar but more resistant to disease - though I haven't seen any SV ciders from this. What I can tell you is if you want to buy either a Dabinett or Black Dabinett tree to grow yourself, plan well ahead. I am not sure if it is short supply or whether these are very popular but as soon as planting season begins (generally November/December in the UK) they are all sold out!

On to the cider. I am expecting a soft tannin and very fruity flavour (as is Dabinetts want - did I mention I have worked with Dabinett for a few years now:-) And the aroma is very much that - lots of fruit with a soft tannic smell to it.

I do worry that the level of 'polish' that Once Upon A Tree give their ciders via filtering removes too much of the harsh edges of a cider - although it looks lovely. And sure enough, although the taste is really nice it has definitely lost much of the earthy feel of a Dabinett. Mind you, it is all there. Fruit, tannin and a really gentle background acid (almost non existent). Mmmm, this is the real deal though - loads of Dabinett flavour. The fruit is actually quite funky in a pleasant way. However, the level of filtering to produce such a clear and bright drink does risk the cider being a little one dimensional... after all, as much as cider isn't beer, it also isn't wine (I am currently re-reading Golden Fire, a history of cider written by CAMRA bod Ted Bruning... he is quite fond of drawing comparisons between beer, wine and cider and my response to this is that it isn't the same thing... though he is quite right to draw the comparison:-)

The aftertaste is of a medium length, although wanes fairly quickly from the fruitiness to the tannin and a slight petroleum flavour of the apple. Incidentally, petroleum is probably a bad choice of words - its not really a bad thing.

This cider scores 73/100, which is a bronze apple. It is nicely presented and tastes lovely, but I do just wonder if less filtering would have been more of a benefit.

Once Upon A Tree Michelin Oak

Having now got the latest batch of French ciders out of the way, I would now like to get going on my 'Autumn' project – OK, its fast turning into a Winter project. This will give a slightly different slant to the reviews; the idea being explore the taste and profile of specific single varieties to see how the apples come across.

I start this project with the humble Michelin… Once Upon a Tree’s version of it (well, there are not many producing a single variety Michelin cider!). Michelin is an apple I am familiar with and have used before. It’s also a variety that I have heard other cider makers like and dislike in equal amounts. Its a bold choice for a single variety though, so worth a shot to start with.

I have labelled these reviews as both reviews and as 'Cider101'. This is so that I can easily pull them out and look at them more than anything else. I do want to emphasise right at the start that this is a ‘Master Class’ in apple varieties... if you want an expert on apples then there are several others who are far more qualified! This just a bit of fun and experimentation!

OK. Michelin is a mild bittersweet cider apple was imported into the UK from France in the 19th century. It has become a popular variety to grow for cider making, although not because of its vintage qualities but rather its reliability and cropping tendencies. Andrew Lea, in his ‘cider.org’, describes Michelin as the ‘Golden Delicious’ of the cider world – a pale green fruit that adds bulk to a cider bit not an awful lot else. It might be used to also balance out some wildly sharp fruit or heavy tannins.

So, what can it bring to a cider (and why has Once Upon a Tree taken the bold step of making a single variety cider out of it?) The 750ml bottle stands before me. Clear glass means I can see the brightly filtered and golden liquid inside. Knowing Once Upon a Tree I am expecting to find it non sparkling and vineous. Let’s not make assumptions though.

Sure enough, it is a flat cider. Boy, can you smell wood off this cider. I confess that I rarely, if ever, get the oak in a cider - although smelling this its clear what oak smells like now so perhaps (thinking back) it does come through. It is a woody smell (surprise!) but could also be 'earthy' too. This cider is heavy with it in its aroma while the fruit smell falls into the background.

The taste confirms that the main dominating feature is the oak. The Michelin is very subtle and in the background just too far. There is a reasonable acidity too which I doubt comes just from Michelin - so its heavily oaked and adjusted a little. But is not a bad cider when you get in to it. At 8%, this is another cider meant to be taken considerately - a wine cider rather than a quaffing cider.

I am fairly impressed with the Michelin, although I can see why its a bulking fruit. It has a gentle complexion of its own that is fruit, mildly tannic and interesting in its own right. Its simply far too delicate and soft. It is easy to see how it does get dominated easily though (as it has been with the wood). I am not entirely sure its worked as a single variety (though well worth trying for the experience).

The aftertaste is all oak; fruit and cider having died away fairly quickly. I am not sure if this is a shame. The oak is reasonably pleasant, although there is just too much of it.

Once Upon A Tree Tumpy Ground (GBBF)

Feeling that I should go for something with a better reputation next (well, something I had at least heard of!), I turned to a cider that I had underlined in bold on my 'to try' list; Once Upon A Tree's Tumpy Ground. This cider has won several awards this year and seems to be very highly rated by all who have tried it.

Having covered the whole 'wine maker come cider maker who makes ciders along the ethos of wine', I won't bang on about Once Upon A Tree (although I am a bit of a fan). They seem to be spreading their wings a bit now though and I am finding their ciders are available from further afield (although, lets face it, GBBF isn't a typical outlet).

I love the third pint measures at the Great British Beer Festival. I really do think that other festivals should adopt this as cider is nearly always much stronger than beer (well, usually- unless its been fiddled with). Normally, this would probably be the last cider I would be in a fit state to review. Not with this option available... well, third of a pint and the fantastic pie kiosk!

Right, Tumpy Ground. Well, it turns up as a clear/bright cider. That must have caused a few murmurs in the CAMRA ranks! But, it is really golden and the smell is very good - very Herefordshire! I do wonder why its filtered though... is it really necessary? My instinct tells me its not necessary, though there are some rather cloudy ciders here this year (a well presented cider should be hazy at most - cider does naturally drop fairly clear).

The smell is light and tannic. And clean. The taste is precisely that; clean, tannic and vineous. This is surely what Once Upon a Tree are really good at. Its meant to be supped rather than gulped. There are some great full tannins going on in my mouth - coupled with equally balanced acid which makes the whole thing more fruity.

It has a long aftertaste that seems to just sit in your mouth and throat... really good.

As I stood at the bar with this cider, a couple of lads came up to demand 'cloudy cider'. After having a few that were probably horrible (judging by their faces) I suggested the Tumpy Ground. "It aint cloudy" came the protest. "It doesn't have to be" says I. Needless to say they were both very happy with their pints. At 7.1% I would be shocked if they managed more than a couple of these!

A silver apple for Mr Day and co. with 87/100. Very nicely done!

Once Upon A Tree Putley Gold

 

And now for another medium cider. Not exactly my tipple of choice but I guess in the middle of winter you get what you can (this bottle was bought in the middle of January 2012).

I have plenty of time for Once Upon a Tree. Apart from being in the cider makers mold of 'nice people', they strive to produce something that is full juice and also different - Simon Day is a wine maker. Well, I guess the phrase is more accurately used to be a wine maker (though I am sure this could be wrong and doesn't really matter in any case). What does this do for the cider though? Well, he approached cider making in a very similar way. I have always found that his ciders are fairly vineous (not a bad thing) and still. They are also always very smartly presented in 750ml bottles with clean labels that appear very similar in style to wine labels. I ought to note that making cider in this way does not detract from their high juice, heritage status (in my mind). It is usually of extremely high quality and is made with a firm eye on the heritage roots.

On pouring a glass of this cider, its a fairly light golden colour, which is odd considering the medium tannin eminating from the cider. Lots of tannin so often means a darker golden cider (although maybe I have just tried too many ciders recently!!)

And what to say about the taste? Smoooooooth! Nice tannin to it with a good dose of bittersharp to counter and balance things out. Whilst it is a medium,  you don't get that so up front or in the face as it is done very sensitively. The sweetness is there, but it doesn't take over the taste at all and almost feels like a medium dry in the mouth. Very well done.

There is some wonderful fruit in here. Looking at the label Putley Gold is produced from a small number of varieties. Generally, my assumption has always been the more the merrier, although I cannot deny that this cider is very well created - measured tannin and acid. And they say great cider making is all in the blending.

The aftertaste is is a little vineous and does go onto a little bit thin. That is not really a terrible thing though - and I am really picking hairs to be honest. It is a lingering taste and not just sweetness too.

A beautifully made cider - well blended and cared for. This really does put the crafted into crafted cider. A deserved gold apple for Putley Gold with a score of 90/100.

Once Upon a Tree Kingston Redstreak (2009)

This is a full juice cider made by one of the UK's award winning cidermakers, Once Upon a Tree. Their ethos is very much to market cider as a wine (note 75cl bottle and generally not a sparkling product). They are based in deepest Herefordshire, although (judging from being able to get hold of this bottle) they are fairly available in the region.

This particular cider is the first I have tried from them since starting to review ciders. Why choose this as opposed to a more ubiquitous cider? Well, I have to say it is because it is made from very interesting cider varieties: Kingston Black and Redstreak. I have said before that I believe that Kingston Black is not strong enough to make a great cider on its own. Well, the idea of blending back with another vintage apple variety is the kind of thing that I much prefer.

So, it should score really well then eh... hang on. Lets have a go at it first!

As expected, it is a still cider. A lovely colour although the aroma is a bit light and a little watery. How can a cider smell watery??? Well, I guess its a bit thin thats all. To taste, it is a good fruity cider - gentle tannins coming through, but with rather a lot of sweetness coming in.

I guess this reduction in aroma could be due to being a still cider, though the taste is not exactly what I expected either. The sweetening of this cider reduces the tannin dramatically - plus there is only a little acid, which is actually balanced out with the tannin. Lots of fruit though.

As a wine-cider, it is first rate - more cider makers should aim their cider in that direction (although the nation compares beer and cider, not wine and cider...). A good combination of KB and Redstreak. Unfortunately there is a problem in the sweetness - I figured that it would balance in with the tannin, acid, fruit and depth but it seems to take over a little too much and detracts from the taste. and character that I was expecting to come through.

Overall I expected more from this blend of two very distinguished apples. As a wine the drink works well and as a cider it works even better. It tastes refined (as in a quality drink as opposed to being processed like oil!!) but does fall a little short for me on the sweetness and balance. It scored 74/100 - OK, I had hoped for more, but its still a Bronze Apple.