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Farmhouse Cider 2017,
Florian Bourrienne makes ciders for aging, intended to evolve over the years, and this sets him apart from most other producers. His orchard is located in the heart of Calvados, in the Pays d'Auge, but outside the AOC (Protected Designation of Origin) in order to preserve the freedom and uniqueness of his ciders. We can, without hesitation, call it natural cider, because the cider maker goes beyond organic to respect the traditional production method, which is delicate, patient, and requires a tremendous amount of work. From his fifteen-hectare orchard planted with tall stems, he produces ciders for aging, excellent to drink in their youth but sumptuous after several years. The blend is carefully measured according to the characteristics of each vintage. The fruit production is entirely organic and the fermentation processes—there are two for traditional cider—are slow and patient, so that the cider is made the right way, using natural yeasts. These are preserved in the cider thanks to a light filtration that respects all the living elements capable of polishing the taste and aromas, but also facilitates the formation of foam, which must be just right: neither too strong nor too weak. It's difficult to manage, but the result is well worth it. These are mastered ciders, eminently delicious, marked by an extraordinary sweetness and roundness of apple. Over time, they acquire notes of acidity and astringency that gracefully reinforce their beautiful aromatic palette. These are ciders of taste and pleasure, as delicious at the table as they are as an aperitif.
Obviously more evolved than the 2018, this 2017 vintage has a more sustained acidity in an overall still very marked by sweetness. Round, full-bodied, slightly astringent, it is approaching adulthood and you can drink it now or keep it for three to five years. The apple flavor is enhanced with a remarkable freshness. A sunny cider that puts you in a good mood.
Farmhouse Cider 2020,
This 2020 vintage farmhouse cider from Florian Bourrienne still bears the sweetness of its youth, but it is perfectly ripe for drinking. It already offers ample, evolved, and roundly fruity notes, which are the distinctive mark of this producer. You can let it age for at least another four or five years; it will gradually acquire airier, even fuller, and more vegetal notes evoking hay, flowers, and meadow, as well as flavors of ripe candied apple that we love to find in Florian's farmhouse ciders. The bubble is soft and fine, the aromatic palette asks to unfold, and in this regard, we advise you to decant this cider. Its faithful companions will be fresh, smoked or dried seafood, cooked, as well as charcuterie cooked the old-fashioned way and buckwheat pancakes.
To find out more
What mainly differentiates Florian Bourrienne from other cider producers is that he makes ciders for laying down, intended to evolve over the years. His orchard is in the heart of Calvados, in the Pays d'Auge, but outside the AOC in order to preserve the freedom and singularity of his ciders. We can speak, without hesitation, of natural cider, because the cider maker goes beyond organic to respect the traditional production method, delicate, patient and demanding enormous work. From his fifteen-hectare orchard planted with tall stems, he produces ciders for ageing, excellent to drink in their youth but sumptuous after several years. The blend is carefully measured according to the characteristics of each vintage. The fruit production is entirely organic and the fermentation processes—there are two for traditional cider—are slow and patient, so that the cider is made in the right way, using natural yeasts. These are preserved in the cider thanks to a light filtration that respects all the living elements capable of polishing the taste and aromas, but also facilitates the formation of foam, which must be just right: neither too strong nor too weak. It's difficult to manage, but the result is well worth it. These are mastered ciders, eminently delicious, marked by an extraordinary sweetness and roundness of apple. Over time, they acquire notes of acidity and astringency that gracefully reinforce their beautiful aromatic palette. Ciders of taste and pleasure, as delicious at the table as as an aperitif.
Where?
Florian Bourrienne's orchard is located in Montviette, near Livarot. Although this orchard is in the heart of the Pays d'Auge, his cider does not have an AOC (Protected Designation of Origin) label: Florian wants freedom, he avoids uniformity, and the AOC specifications are too restrictive for him: each orchard offers a different taste.
Terroir, plots, and varieties
The fifteen-hectare orchard, entirely organic, was planted by Florian and his family in 1995. The siliceous-clayey soils benefit from an excellent southeastern exposure. The orchard is composed of demarcated plots, each planted with a mixture of varieties and capable of producing a unique cider. All apples are categorized into three flavors, which are measured to create cider: sweet, bitter, or sour.
Production
Cider production is a complex process. It requires careful observation of the conditions of each vintage in order to achieve the right blend. Florian doesn't seek to achieve strict consistency of flavor every year, but he makes batches: each cider is unique. The blend depends on the alternation of fruits and varieties. Depending on the year, some produce little, others more, and this further complicates the process: dry or wet year, more or less sweet apples... Different proportions of each variety are therefore blended from one year to the next to achieve the desired taste.
The flavor also depends on the fermentation conditions. In difficult years, for example, apple harvesting may be delayed. Once the juice is pressed, a first fermentation takes place, called defecation, followed by a second in a vat, during which the sugar level drops and the cider is made quietly. Fermentations are extremely slow and patient when you want to make cider for ageing, and if they become too active, Florian can temporarily block them. Some bottlings are sometimes done until May or June. The notion of natural fermentation is extremely important in the production of a cider for ageing. When the cider reaches the desired density, some producers carry out a very tight filtration which removes the native yeasts, and they add just enough yeasts at the bottling to obtain a secondary fermentation. In other words, they change the nature of the yeasts. For industrial cider, we pasteurize and obtain secondary fermentation with CO2. Florian, on the contrary, does a very light filtration in order to leave a little sediment: these are the original yeasts. This achieves a natural fermentation, which is becoming rare in cider making. Working with indigenous yeasts is difficult to manage, especially since fermentation takes place at room temperature (Florian speaks of "anxiety about fermentation"), but the result is well worth it. We can call it "natural cider" without hesitation.
Ciders
Florian's production methods, closely linked to the nature of each vintage, produce ciders that are highly individualized from one year to the next. It's a colossal and uncompromising undertaking: if Florian doesn't like the vintage, he removes it. The goal is to make a cider "that's moving in the right direction." This demand for a product that remains natural and vibrant runs counter to modern methods, which are gradually eliminating what makes cider unique. Unlike most producers who sell each vintage within the year, Florian Bourrienne makes ciders for ageing, which have a beautiful sweet balance during their youth and develop in the right way years later. They therefore have a very soft, very rounded profile, with a beautiful candied apple flavor and acidic and astringent notes that become more pronounced over time. This sweetness seems important to those who are used to mainstream cider, but we must consider that we are on a path, on the way to somewhere. It is important to raise awareness of cider for ageing and to accept the patience it requires, like a great wine.
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