Saint Lamvinus
Brasserie Cantillon

Saint LamvinusSaint Lamvinus
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From:
Brasserie Cantillon
 
Belgium
Style:
Fruit Lambic
Ranked #4
ABV:
7%
Score:
100
Ranked #122
Avg:
4.54 | pDev: 7.49%
Reviews:
513
Ratings:
2,313
Status:
Active
Rated:
Tuesday at 06:29 PM
Added:
Mar 20, 2003
Wants:
  1,423
Gots:
  467
Everyone knows some of our best friends are wine growers from the Libourne region in France, more specifically those who make Saint Emillion and Pomerol. They respect the tradition and let their wine ferment in a natural way.

Fermentation, origin and vintage are still kept up.

Our collaboration resulted in a product uniting the best of their wine and of our beer : the Saint-Lamvinus.

The grapes, of the merlot and cabernet-franc varieties, are soaked in Bordeaux barrels containing two to three years old lambic. The beer is not blended before the bottling. The foam is caused by the addition of a liquor which starts the fermentation.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by biegaman:
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

4.9/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
It's been said that in conceiving Florence's breathtakingly beautiful Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral no one had ever seen a building that looked like the one they wanted to build - its design was a matter of ambition and of idea. Likewise, before the masterful artistry of Cantillon's Jean Van Roy I doubt anyone had ever tasted a beer like the one he wanted to brew.

But I doubt even he could envision what would come of this experiment - using Bordeaux barrels to age Merlot and Cabernet-Franc grapes with 2-3 year-old lambic. Indeed, its result is something of a beer marvel...

375ml bottle found at the Bier Circus in Brussels. Bottled October 25, 2006 and list a "consumer avant fin 12/2009". Beautiful bottle art. How I savoured this...

Saint Lamvinus is graced by a most pristine colour, the beauty of which I can't easily describe. Something of a dark violet or eggplant purple. It has a strong, bright ruby shine and such pristine clarity. My eyes widen as I think to myself in French: "sa brille!" A short, only occasional stream of bubbles float up and contribute to a bold - but minimal - outlining ring of head.

The aroma is enchanting, ambrosial, downright divine. Lightly acidic and plenty full of tartness. The grapes cut sharply through the lambic. The merlot is so fresh and fruity! There is a certain softness imparted from the grape that plays so well with the underlying tartness of the lambic. This is not only incredibly balanced but also incredibly interesting as well as delightful. It easily elevates itself above even the best of malty barleywines, roasty Imperial stouts or fresh and hop filled double IPA's.

The mouthfeel is very sour but very graceful too. If one could only stop themselves from slowly savouring they would also realize it is quite refreshing! Every sip coats the mouth in sour grapes, a sensation which lasts all throughout. It is both soft and tart, dry but juicy, both sour and sweet - no part of the palate goes overlooked. It's also lightly acidic and slightly sugary, causing a real pucker. The blend, however, is perfect - a character of sharp tartness in the lambic and a fruity, luscious bouquet of wine grapes in the taste.

The taste, by the way, is out of this world. The merlot grape I found most predominant. It is very fruity. The grapes tend to impart flavours of other fruits also: grapefruit, passion fruit, lemon/lime, berry, plum and currant. Chalk full of fruity phenols. The flavours linger so gracefully, allowing them to truly be savored with every sip. They have lasting power.

It is incredible what flavours are captured from these grapes. The taste falls somewhere between the tasty "purple" flavoured grape candy/juice for children and the "Chateau OhLala" Grand Cru Vintage of a fine Bordeaux. Even experienced wine connoisseurs might wonder at how such flavour could come from a grape.

For me, I myself marveled at how such beauty could come of a beer. It is more than any hype, rarity or price tag that makes this special. This, to me, is the summer sun. When the cold, dark nights and never ending, harsh months of Canadian winter become relentless I will think of the Saint Lamvinus. I will remember the rare occasion I had of trying this beer, under an (equally rare) pristine blue Bruxelles sky in August. I will remember and smile.

At the conclusion of my notes there is a small part that reads:
"I'm in Love,
I'm in love,
I'm in love"
Aug 21, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by rare_bird from Michigan

Tuesday at 06:29 PM
Photo of ThisWangsChung
Reviewed by ThisWangsChung from Maryland

4.29/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2023 vintage.

4.29/5: The first few sips didn't bowl me over, but it got so much better after half the glass; beautifully nuanced funk, light tartness (at best), and the delicately vinous nature make this an absolute winner
Sunday at 12:00 AM
 
Rated: 4.09 by LunchMoney from Minnesota

Mar 11, 2024
Photo of moysauce
Rated by moysauce from Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Only had the 2015 vintage in 2023. Don't know what this tastes like fresh.
Mar 06, 2024
 
Rated: 4.5 by Juggerr from New York

Feb 11, 2024
 
Rated: 4.6 by smi69 from New York

Jan 24, 2024
 
Rated: 4.29 by Ox8840bo from Illinois

Dec 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by Rkitchen from Michigan

Dec 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.68 by pdonovan16 from Massachusetts

Dec 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by BSW from California

Dec 14, 2023
 
Rated: 4.78 by notchucknorris from California

Dec 12, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by jschott75 from Illinois

Oct 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.62 by Jcoleman4 from Ohio

Aug 31, 2023
Photo of joaopmgoncalves
Reviewed by joaopmgoncalves from Portugal

5/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This was drank almost a week ago, at Vítor Claro's home - the winemaker from Portalegre, behind the Dominó and Claro & Ferreira brands.

Trying to review this from the top of my mind.

Poured from the bottle to a stemmed wine glass.

A: The body is dark purple with a light purple, almost pinkish head. Created a generous foam quantity that lasted quite a while before jumping in.
S: The aroma is actually perfect without any overpowering acidity. It's balanced as it is sweet, savory, and acidic to the right point. It's a great beer only by smelling it.
T: It's the taste of heaven. I think that after Fou'Foune, this might be my favorite Cantillon beer. It's perfectly balanced with the sweet notes from the grain and the grapes embracing quite well the light fruitiness, and very light bitterness of aged hops combined with just the right amount of acidity incoming from Brettanomyces. It's really great with nothing to point to as a downside.
M: Body has just the right feel, being light with the cool effervescence and silky tones from the sweetness you can find in this beer. Bitterness is low. Acidity is mild.
O: As said before, this ranks at the top of my favorite beers. Unbelievably good.
Aug 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.48 by dan_amdg from Illinois

Aug 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by Dgman8053 from New York

Aug 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by PprBurke from Virginia

Jul 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.92 by CAcker from California

May 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4.52 by Catalinmunteanu from Romania

May 06, 2023
Saint Lamvinus from Brasserie Cantillon
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 2313 ratings