Cantillon Vigneronne - Brasserie Cantillon

gyllstromk

Belgium

4.95/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Another offering from Cantillon. This is a lambic to which white grapes are added. This Vigneronne has a nice peach color, with mild carbonation. Actually, the person at Cantillon told us it might be flatter as it is young in the bottle, and to wait, but a lambic lover can only wait so long.

The aroma is an explosion of tropical and citrus fruit with slight buttery notes. The palette has one of the best deliveries of any lambic i've ever had. It starts with nice pineapple and cantalope, transitions into orange and grapefruit, with a sharp acidic finish. So refreshing! But the grapes are not obvious; this is the least apparent fruit from any fruit lambic I've had. Still, a delight!

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2010 16:48:35 | More by gyllstromk

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

4.93/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I had this a few weeks ago at the Linwood Grill in Boston. It was only 12 dollars for a big bottle. I couldnt believe it. This review is from notes I wrote later that night.

It pours a hazed straw color with a long lasting frothy head. An extensive network of lace trails and ridges drape the glass. The aroma is pure unadulterated lambic funk. Ive never had a lambic with such a 'banyardy' nose, complete with wet horse hair and uric acid. The taste is equally funky with all the same farm characteristics. An intense sourness builds from the beginning and leads to a Death Valley dry finish. The mouthfeel is medium with mellow carbonation.

This is a stellar beer. While I couldnt detect the Muscat grapes, the extra funk more than made up for it. Try this beer if you like Cantillon.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2006 23:29:33 | More by CAMRAhardliner

craytonic

District of Columbia

4.88/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Golden yellow pour with a decent head

Smell: Good does of vinegar with a nice earthy must with some hay / lemon grass. Very nice vinous element with some lemon citrus as well

Taste: Incredible wine-like quality, I can't pin the grape. Also a great acidity and signature cantillon funk. Bit of green apple.

Mouthfeel: Just perfect with the grapes and perhaps some tannins, medium body in heft

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 03:56:16 | More by craytonic

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.88/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Slight white head over an inviting warm golden amber coloured cloudy liquid.

S: Sour funk, yeast, grassy hops and white grapes.

T: Sweet white grapes and grassy hops followed by yeast and sour funk. Indescribably beautiful.

M: Refreshing medium viscosity and a low level of carbonation. Perfect.

O: Unbelievable, it is beers such as this that give Cantillon the reputation that it deserves.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 02:28:53 | More by DaftCaskBC

rowingbrewer

Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +12%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

750ml bottle capped and corked bottled in 2004. generously opened at an awesome tasting that John hosted, thanks John

Pours a hazy (Like Cantillon always does) light straw color with a white head, very carbonated.

Very sour nose with a very slight vinegar scent. there is also a hint of the grapes used in this, no doubt they are contributing to the acidic sourness. a small amount of funk and wood can be detected

Extremely sour, very puckering. can only take very small sips at a time. the acidity is present and helped along by the addition of the grapes. funk is very mild and almost undetectable because of the nearly overwhelming sourness.

Very light bodied and extremely well carbonated. this mouth is very puckering. this is supremely drinkable as every sip left me wanting and craving another.

A+ definitely indulge in one if you have the chance

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2011 21:52:36 | More by rowingbrewer

pmcadamis

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A - This one pours a cloudy bronze-marigold with a brief one finger head that disappears quickly like champagne. The beer is a rich alluring gold that reminds me of spring flowers.

S - White vinegar, malt vinegar, sweet and sour sauce, dandelions, green leafy salad with bitter greens and drizzles of red wine vinegar and oil. Acidic, complex, sweet, and extremely sour and salty.

T - Again, white wine vinegar and oil drizzled over a salad of mixed greens, hearts of palm, artichokes, dried tomatoes, and onions. Wonderfully complex and deep...this might be off putting for many, but I love vinegar and all things bitter so this is my cup of tea.

M - This is so sour and acidic! This could rip the enamel from your teeth and leave your fillings lying on your tongue! Amazingly bitter, sour, acidic, and biting but yet somehow seet and fresh like delicate flowers.

D - I love this stuff. The addicting sour cheek-pulling tartness is like crack. I wouldn't want to drink this all night during a serious session, but I can't think of a more wonderful ber to sip during this wonderfully warm spring-like January weather we are having. After a Sunday spent with my fiance tooling around the countryside in the Miata....this is the perfect brew to end a gloriously warm and bright day.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2008 03:44:42 | More by pmcadamis

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.78/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap at Church Key last night. Pricey, but absolutely worth it, much better than any bottle of this I've had.

The pour is a hazy, murky yellow with no real head. I've had better looking beers, but few have smelled better. Just a massive white grape character, fresh, juicy and vinous. The sourness is quite pronounced too with a sharp acidity, mostly lemony, and this works brilliantly with the fruit, making for a vinous beer. Funk is modest with a bit of musty basement and dank earth.
The flavors on the palate are through the roof. There's so much juicy, fruity, white grape character that it's incredible. Like a dry white wine, the fruit character is explosive, but the lack of sweetness makes for a very refreshing beverage. The sourness is quite prominent, surprisingly so, with a big lemon character along with a touch of funk. Medium-light in body with a low level of carbonation, this beer finishes dry and pucking, palate cleansingly so, with a lingering lemon juice and white grape character. Truly phenomenal.

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2010 13:25:45 | More by DefenCorps

jlenik

New Jersey

4.78/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

bottled: December 24, 2008

a: golden and hazy. no head retention but there is an obscene amount of lacing.

s: there is a dry white wine feeling coming off from the smell. sweetness from apricot notes subtle.

t: tart and lime like. sweetness from the grapes helps balance the beer. yet it still stay sour which I won't complain about.

m: dry and sour. the sweetness is there but it stays subtle and compliments the overall feel.

o: a great offering from Cantillon. I would love to have the chance to have this beer on tap one day.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 00:26:56 | More by jlenik

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.78/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a hazy light straw with a creamy white head that stuck around for a while.

Classic Cantillon aromas. Lots of funk and acidity. Loads of tart white grape and oak above and beyond this.

Lots of good mustiness along with heavy sourness and drying oak. Lots of white grape flavor and finishes very dry. Fantastic all the way through.

Lighter bodied with high carbonation levels.

One of the best Cantillons I've ever had. The extra acidity and grape presence is great. Will definitely seek out again!

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 20:35:14 | More by jmarsh123

goodbyeohio

Oregon

4.75/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

vintage 1997

golden orange, body design of the glass changes the opacity of the beer from seethru to hazy in different spots. no head, vinous. aroma is mild bacteria with a big blast of grappa and licorice. lots of creamy oaky age encircles the flavor experience. tart and rich overall with definite moments of muscat and a satisfying, dry mouthfeel after swallowing. perfect evening sipper. would drink this nightly if i could.

love the almond hints that this lambic leaves with warmth.. overall a very special brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2005 16:05:47 | More by goodbyeohio

hawks10

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml green corked & capped bottle - Bottled on November 5th, 2009 - Enjoyed on November 5th, 2010 - Poured into my Cantillon stemware...

Pours a slightly hazy, pale golden orange. Even with a vigorous pour, barely any head forms, and what little does form fades away quickly leaving just a white ring around the top...

Sour and acidic, sweet and fruity with white grapes and sour apples being the focus. Swirling the beer in the glass really opens up the funk. Strong barnyard presence with some pungent baby diaper when you stick your nose in the glass. Earthy, dry and oaky. Beautiful...

Puckering tartness to start, sour apples and tart white grapes. Lemony astringency makes my teeth dry and my tongue feel hairy. Definitely still retained a ton of fruit presence over the year it aged in the bottle, as this one is still very fruity and delicious. Tart and puckering throughout with an intense oaky dryness taking over in the middle and carrying long through the finish. When the dryness starts to come out, so does the funk. Intensely earthy, leathery and barnyard/musty flavors are everywhere. This beer is simply delicious, still intensely fruity while being mouth puckering sour at the same time. Tons of the typical Cantillon funk adds to the complexity and tremendous balance of this beer...

Medium bodied with low carbonation. This one sits pretty still on the tongue and has an oily/greasy feel going down. Tart and dry...

Wow, was blown away by this one. Have had it on tap multiple times (unknown ages) and really enjoyed it, but this one year old bottle really outshines the times I have had it on tap...

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 23:05:12 | More by hawks10

beerloverofbham

Washington

4.73/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Enjoyed at Brouwer's Sour Fest. Served in a snifter.
I'll have to apologize in advance for any verbosity and poetic musings. This was my first taste of anything from Cantillon.
Color of unfiltered apple juice, with a small, pure white head. Smells like melted rubber in a wet basement. Tastes incredibly complex--I might have to say a wine snob's beer if that makes sense--lots of layers here: dark fruit, red wine, a little barnyard funk, with a slight hop flavor here and there. Very drinkable. Strong harmony of flavors lingers before fading off the tongue, like an orchestra's perfect decrescendo. Alright, enough bullshit; this was just a great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2013 08:37:53 | More by beerloverofbham

kmpitz2

Tennessee

4.72/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks Don.

Poured a golden yellow color with no head nd rather still. The nose was intense. Super funkey, insane sour, acrid, pungent. The closest I can recall is when I worked at a zoo (yes, I really did) and had to clean the donkey stalls. That was the ost acrid smell I have ever encountered. This beer was very close. Wow. Just wow. The flavor was wesome. First, it pulled all moisture from my mouth. The sourness was intense, but not puckering. I got a small hint of hte vinous grape nd grape rind. It was an intense flavor, but not lingering and offensive. It finished a bit grainey even. Just beautiful. The feel was moderate with a very light carbonation. Drinkability was as good as it gets. I thought it was going to kick my ass whe I first smelled it, but the flavor was very refined and mellow. Everything was in harmony. Awesome beer. Don, you are a champ.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2005 04:38:40 | More by kmpitz2

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.72/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

biegaman shared this one. thanks jan!

750ml bottle, corked and capped. 2004 vintage. sampled jan 19/08.

pours crystal clear golden yellow until the end of the bottle when a bit of haze comes through. a small dense white head forms, dropping fast with just a few spots of lace.

aroma is intense. white wine. oak. vanilla. malt vinegar. lemon. bread and cracker. bit of alcohol. barnyard funk. bit of horse blanket. touch of orange zest. green grapes. kiwi.

taste is excellent. bit of lemon and malt vinegar. vanilla and oak. white wine and green grapes. touch of orange zest. horse blanket. touch of funk. crackers and white bread.

mouthfeel is great. medium-low carbonation level. medium-light body. nice drying finish.

drinkability is great. not overly acidic. nice level of funk. great balanced. this holds up well against its sister beer, st lamvimus. you can definitely tell they're related, but each stands well on its own.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2008 18:14:55 | More by grub

Realale

Missouri

4.7/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy medium gold. Raspy head is quickly gone.

Nose is white grapey over crackery malt. Nice lemon/lime citrus notes. Some earthiness, and a bit of a floral dimension as well.

Wonderfully round and full in the mouth, particularly for a Cantillon. Plenty of lovely Muscat flavors melding with the earth and funk. The acidity is there to provide backbone, but it doesn't dominate. Finish just goes on forever.

Well-balanced level of carbonation provides an excellent mouthfeel. Great drinkability, and fantastic with food.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2004 18:31:09 | More by Realale

mzwolinski

California

4.7/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Mmmm... Another beer from Cantillon -- always a treat!
This one's a hazy copper in appearance, with a thin, wispy white head. The aroma is lip puckering at arm's length. The flavor, too, is incredibly tart, a bit sweet mid-palate with hints of grape-skin, vinegar, and oak. Very, very dry in the finish. Let this one sit a while, if you can, as it develops some nice funky, earthier cork and barnyard notes as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2006 19:22:17 | More by mzwolinski

northernbrews

Michigan

4.7/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle purchased from Merchant's in Dearborn.

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden orange in my snifter. There is a minimal white head that hangs around for the party.

Smell: Hole-hearted barnyard, barrel-aged funk. Little bit of spices and tropical fruits. I could smell this for hours. It lets you know that you are in for something special. Mouthpuckering sourness awaits....

Taste: Yep...Damn this is tart and funky. Taste follows the aroma. Lots of sourness upfront followed by slight grape skin dryness. Nice dry and tart finish. Simply amazing.

Mouthfeel: This coats the mouth with puckering sourness. It's like sucking on 20 sour patch kids at once. Nice...

Drinkability: For a true Lambic, this is one of the most drinkable. I could easily down a 750 of this. Definitely makes you want more and more.

This is my favorite of the Cantillon offerings I've had so far. Another excellent lambic out of this wonderful brewery. I am becoming more and more amazed with every Cantillon I have. This is another one to be savored. If you like your beers sour, this one is for you. Go in with an open mind, and lets you senses get abused. Worth every penny of the $14.99.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2006 19:59:06 | More by northernbrews

WYVYRN527

Minnesota

4.7/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

750 ml. bottle, split with a co-worker.

A: Hazy golden hue with a white head that settles quickly. Lacing and retention are low, as to be expected with this style.

S: Aromas consist of sour grapes, green apple, with a bit lof citrus zest. Barnyardy funk lingers in the backround with just a hint of wood.

T: Much like the smell, but way more intense. Green apple and green grape tartness makes it's presence known. Lemon and grassy notes are also quite strong. The bretty characters and wood aging are mild, but still stand out in the finish.

M: Light to medium-bodied, yet very full-flavored and smooth.

D: This beer is exceptionally easy to drink. Flavors are complex and very pleasant. Unique like many of Cantillon's fine Lambics. This is another shining star.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2010 06:21:53 | More by WYVYRN527

ausonius

New York

4.7/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cantillon Vigneronne with Italian Muscat Grapes

From 750 bottled Christmas Eve, 2008 into a big Riedel Bordeaux.

Rich, bright yellow w/hint of orange.
Very light, patchy (barely) head which quickly fades away entirely except for the slightest lacing possible left on the glass.

Aroma: Big sweaty, spicy key-lime, lemon, lactic & Brett. Earthy oak. Piquant yet round. Tangerine & the most subtle hint of butterscotch.

Palate: Big beautiful, round lactic sourness hits you first.
Just a hint of prickly/spritzy carbonation.
Earthy lemon, blood-orange, key-lime , oak, Brett, & a heavy but bright creamy texture. Spicy w/some fresh earthy grapyness - hard to identify as Muscat, though the grapes definitely add a lot of vinosity.

So big, intense, complex, long & all of an (almost) perfect piece!

Amazing stuff!

96 Points

I taste miracle after brewing miracle from Cantillon, & it never gets tired! Thank God I AM worthy!

BRAVO! and Big Cheers, as usual to Cantillon!

P.S. Not bad (read: Amazing!) w/cream cheese on Russsian rye & chicken stew!

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 01:00:30 | More by ausonius

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.65/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A 750ml green glass bottle that comes with a cork/crown cap configuration, all enveloped in a thick black foil that covers the upper 3” of the slender proboscis like neck. Has a single obverse label which depicts a picture of a brewing melange, better explained on the Cantillon Website than here.

The extracted Cork is dated 2001 – tasted end 2003 – just right!

Poured firstly into a Jug, the contents of the 750ml bottle violently effervesce with an audible “space dust” whistle; the dregs of the bottle fill my Cantillon Tumbler. A marvellous tangerine peach fuzz body reverberates with a Satsuma orange hue punctuated with a matt honey-lemon finish. Flat, yet incredibly lively, this beer continually replenishes itself with vertical rising streamers

Strong retching muscle-bound malt-vinegary arms pump & then pull your nasal hairs out with a single-tingle and an acetic yank that cleanly removes the follicles. Damn, this is good. Farmyard funk & some sharp biting lambic tones flow uphill with a benevolent attitude akin to pissing your pants on a cold day – once you start it feels warm & good – so why stop? It starts with an enamel stripping sharp sourness that licks at your teeth and attacks the tongue and inner cheeks with a saliva-scavenging astringency that causes an involuntary pucker – you just know it’s going to happen – but it still shocks! Meanwhile, it grabs the tonsils like a well paid Sports personality that threatens a “star-rape”, you want to give in - but somehow can't. The Muscat Grapes break through in the back end, patiently waiting to get their 15 minutes of fame. They do, and rightly so. The Mouthfeel is incredibly lively, it has a vino-fruitiness that relaxes yet invites. The Juxta-posed qualities of the incredibly searing dryness and the thirst quenching qualities remain a bloody mystery. It strips the saliva then somehow replaces it, very slowly – How the fuck do they do that? Massive astringency in the back end. A desert beer, as opposed to a dessert beer!!

The highest quality vino-lambic that dearly endeared itself to me when I first tried it at the Gans in Huise (East Flanders) on a Cantillon night of immense proportions way back in Easter 1995. It is still as good now I see.

The Bastard Cousin of many a fine Italian Wine, this is a stupendously marvellous ‘DruivenLambik’ that merits some serious attention.

The “White” to the St.Lamvinus “Red”. This stuff is to die for. I could write a fucking Thesis on Cantillon. WORLD CLASS. Am I biased – Oh YES.

If Jean-Pierre Van Roy made Wine – believe me, he would be on every “trendy” Wine drinkers lips from here to Mars. BUT - as it is, he “just” makes unswervingly traditional authentic lambics (a.k.a. ‘funny’ beers) of the highest quality - so he barely warrants a mention outside of geeky beer circles.

It truly is a fucked up World. Go Figure!?!

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2003 05:29:00 | More by TheLongBeachBum

marburg

Michigan

4.65/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Reasonably full white head, bubbly brew. Quite literally, this beer is cloudy -- lots of fluffy pockets of yeast and/or other sediment are drifting throughout this mazie/orange beer. Orange peel, green grapes, vanilla-less oak, and nasty barnyard funk are all notable undertones to a dominant sourness. Mouth-puckering goodness is defined by some orange and other citrus flavors as well as the typical Cantillon lactic acidity. Some brief hints of more refined sourness with very clear citrus flavors. The orange really pops and keeps coming to mind. Addictive like crack; I need more.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2004 21:22:34 | More by marburg

santoslhalper

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearence: Poured a simple golden yellow without no head,

Smell: The smell is of grapes and some hints of spices. A hint of oak is also detectable.

Taste and Mouthfeel: The taste is such a simple, beautiful grape taste. The simplicity of this beer is what makes it so wonderful. There are subtle coimplexities, but they aren't the focus. The focus is on the wonderful grape flavor that is full and incredibly thirst quenching.

Drinkability and Overall: This is easily the best lambic I've ever had. It's absolutely brilliant. The grape flavor is so real and so damn tasty. I'm in love with this beer, and I wish I could drink it all night. One of the best.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2005 03:30:15 | More by santoslhalper

twelvsies

Maine

4.65/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This bottle is about a year old I'm guessing, maybe more. A mellow golden straw color, barely cloudy and traces of the slightest carbonation. Smells of lemon, hay fields, and wet funk. Sourness is there but very subdued and mellow, allowing lots of flavor to flood the senses. A tart apple and grapeskin main character, juicy citrus and rind, and a load of barn funk. Real nice and funky, wild. This is technically a fruit lambic and the white grape is surely there, but this is an awful lot like a nice gueuze, just mellower. The mouthfeel is so, so soft. Not bold and brash at all like some Cantillon can be, really unique in that way. I would love to see what a bit more age would do for this beer. A real standout even in the already top notch line of beers from Cantillon.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2009 14:50:39 | More by twelvsies

cfrances33

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2011 bottle, shared at Prohibition Pig in Waterbury. Poured into a snifter.

Pour: A mostly clear yellow orange, with a finger of fizzy white head. The head somehow manages to hang around for most of the glass, and leaves a little lacing.

Smell: Big funky Cantillon lambic base up front, followed by some white grape must and oak. Lots of lactic character, and some light breadyness.

Taste: Big lactic white grapes up front, and some sour lemon juice. Quite a bit of barnyard funk, and some bready sweetness. Finishes sour with lactic lemons and grapes.

Mouthfeel: Really nice prickly sourness, and the carb is perfect. Not puckering at all. Really drinkable.

Overall: I didn't think I'd like this more than St. Lam, and I definitely do. Fantastic beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 17:49:47 | More by cfrances33

mynie

Indiana

4.63/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Wine glass at the Map Room, all full-up.

Pours a variegation of gold and grapeblue along with hues of white wine. Not exactly beery, no head, but very pretty for a lambic.

Smells awful funky. Wild, mashed up grapes and yeast and weeds.

Tastes like GOD DAMN. It's like Hitler is hosting a party in my mouth. Vinous grapes, juicy grapes, sweet grapes, effervescent vinegar, sunshine hay, cantaloupe.

Quite the lambic, right here.

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2009 16:17:52 | More by mynie