Review of Dunkertons Black Fox, an Organic medium dry sparkling cider from England. This is the last of three bottles I received from them (see my Dry and Perry reviews).
>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Dunkertons. Although I will take care to treat it the same as any other review, there is always the potential for bias as I received it for free. The only consideration I knowingly made was pushing this up in my cider review cue. I love free stuff, especially cider! Want your cider or cider-related product reviewed here? Contact me.<<
Cider: Black Fox
Cidery: Dunkertons
Cidery Location: Pembridge, Leominster, United Kingdom
ABV: 7.0%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles
Style: organic English cider from cider apple varieties
Availability: Dunkertons is just becoming available in the U.S. for the first time, so its probably not in stores quite yet, but look for it at finer bottle shops in the future (distributed through Winesellers, Ltd.).
Cider Description: From the earliest times, rural communities have told stories of fantastic and unusual creatures which have supposedly lived in their locality. The lush rolling countryside of North West Herefordshire is no exception. Here stories tell of an animal which has evaded capture by farmer and huntsman alike; a Black Fox. The red fox has always existed, but the belief grew that there was also a fox “as black as night, so that it might live in a man’s shadow and so never be seen”. A favored haunt of the BLACK FOX is………the Cider Orchard.
Translucent in color with light golden honey hues. Fragrant notes of apple pie fillings and honey aromas. This is a deliciously robust with a mouth full of lively sweet and sour flavors of green apples, honeycomb and fresh lemon.
Apple Varieties: Brown Snout, Foxwhelp, Kingston Black, Balls Bitter Sweet, Stoke Red, Dabinett
Cidery Description: We make premium award winning organic cider and perry at our Cider Mill in Herefordshire. Our success is down to our unique blending method using traditional varieties of organic cider apples and pears grown in our own orchards. We started making our ciders and perry in 1980. We only ever use the finest tasting traditional varieties of certified organic apples and pears. It is this careful selection of fruit that gives our drinks the delicate and aromatic characteristics required to be award winning.
Price: retails for $8
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a
First Impression: Dark straw yellow hue. Low carbonation. Smells tannic, slightly sour & funky, fruity, and of citrus.
Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Medium bodied. Moderate tannins. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness, sourness, and funk. Notes of cider apples, orange, yeast, honey, and stone fruit. Moderate to long warming finish. Moderate apple flavor. Low sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Moderate complexity.
My Opinion: Awesome! This is different but similar to their Dry. It is a bit more approachable than their Dry as it is slightly sweeter and lower in tannins, and has slightly more fruity than rich flavor notes.
Most Similar to: Medium dry moderately tannic English and English-style ciders such as Sheppy’s Somerset Draught.
Closing Notes: I highly recommend Dunkertons cider if you can find it in your area. They are high quality and affordable (and even Organic). I think the Dry and Black Fox are tied for my favorite; each is well suited for a different mood and/or menu.
Have you tried Dunkertons cider? What did you think?
Cider Says 