Pierre Huet Poire Demi-Sec

April 9, 2018April 9, 2018 cidersays Pierre Huet, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, French perry, French Poire, hard cider, perry, Pierre Huet, Poire, tasting notes

Review of Pierre Huet Poire Demi-Sec, a French perry. It is my first time trying this, but I have had their Cidre Bouche Brut and AOC Pays D’Auge.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Beauchamp Imports / French Cider Inc. 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:  Poire Demi-Sec
Cidery:  Pierre Huet
Cidery Location:  Pays d’Auge, Normandy, France
ABV: 2.0%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged bottle
Style: French poire (perry), from dessert & perry pears

Availability: In Washington, through Beauchamp Imports, plus online at their French Cider Inc. website. In addition to Poire Demi-Sec, they also offer Pierre Huet’s Cidre Bouche Brut, Pays D’Auge Cider, Calvados AOC Pays d’Auge VS, Calvados AOC Pays d’Auge XO, and Pommeau de Normandie AOC.

Cider Description: This delicious, demi-sec poiré is the perfect combination of four varieties of sweet and bitter pears. Slowly fermented for one to three months before being bottled, it achieves the perfect balance of semi-sweetness and roundness.

Cidery Description: Pierre Huet is a 5th generation family-owned cidery who has been producing cidre, Calvados, and Pommeau since the 1800s in the Pays d’Auge region of Normandy France. They grow 25 varieties of apples on 75 acres.

See here for more information on the cider, and here for more information on the cidery.

Price: n/a (retails for $19.99)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: the importer Joan Harkins contacted me (we met at Cider Summit Seattle 2017)

First Impression: Dark straw yellow hue. Low carbonation. Smells of canned pears.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet. Medium bodied with a fluffy texture. Moderate tartness. Low acidity. Hints of tannins and funk. No bitterness or sourness. Notes of canned pear, dried pear, lemon, and honey. Moderate length finish. High pear flavor and sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity and complexity.

My Opinion: Great! I enjoyed the texture most of all – so fluffy and frothy that it made it seem lighter bodied. It was a bit more tart than most other poires I’ve had, which balanced well with the sweetness. The pear flavor was really nice too; I like how French perries seem to capture the fruit more than just tasting like an alcoholic pear juice. I agree with their website that this would be a great mimosa alternative for brunch.

Most Similar to: Christian Drouin Poire and Cidrerie Daufresne Poire

Closing Notes: French Cider Inc. has a great lineup of French ciders, poires, calvados, and pommeaux; I look forward to trying more.

Cidrerie Daufresne Poire

October 26, 2017October 21, 2017 cidersays Cidrerie Daufresne, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, Cidrerie Daufresne, France, hard cider, perry, Poire, tasting notes

Review of Cidrerie Daufresne’s Poire, a French perry. It is my first time trying this, but I have had several other poires.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Winesellers, Ltd. 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: Poire
Cidery: Cidrerie Daufresne
Cidery Location: Normandy, France
ABV: 4.0%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged bottles
Style: Norman French poire (perry)

Availability: Semi wide release in the U.S. through Winesellers, Ltd. Their cider portfolio also includes Manoir de Grandouet, Domaine de la Minotiere, & Le Brun from France, Dunkertons from England, and Sidra Asturiana Mayador from Spain.

Cider Description: A perry pear is gritty, tannic and acidic, which makes it somewhat similar to acider apple. But that is where the similarities end. Perry pear tannins tend to be rounder than those found in cider apples, and the pears used for perry have less malic acid than cider apples, resulting in a beverage that is less tart and more delicate. The Daufresne Poiré offers clear, sparkling and persistent effervescence and aromas. Tastes of fresh pear fruit, hints of melon and citrus, natural sediments in glass, rustic with a clean pure sweetness, balanced by refreshing acidity.

Cidery Description: Located in the heart of the Pays d’Auge, at the gates of Lisieux, we can discover the area of 5 D, with its cider house at the foot of the orchards hills, formerly called the Pré des Vignes, in reference to the vines formerly exploited on this parcel. It is this beautiful south-facing exhibition that prompted Philippe Daufresne to plant his orchard in the 60s, instead of the old vines, for the production of his cider and calvados. For 4 years, retirement requires, the domain was taken over by Ghislaine Davy, who is resolutely committed to a quality and elegance approach. To develop the different cider products, 150 tons of apples are brewed each year on the estate.

The apples come from the orchards of the cider house but also from the different orchards around, which multiplies all the varieties used: Germaine, Blangy cemetery, red binet, bisquet, St Martin, Christmas fields, President descourt, windmill, mettais, rambault, and many others… In order to give each product a balanced aromatic bouquet, the varieties are carefully selected to find the right balance between the freshness of tart apples, the delicacy of sweet apples, and the corpus of bitter apples. The Daufrresne cider is a must at the tables of the Côte Fleurie. Well known to the Parisian resort clientele, he is regularly awarded at the Paris General Competition, with this latest gold medal at the Paris 2017 general competition.

Price: n/a (retails for $12)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: the importer contacted me

First Impression: Dark straw yellow. Moderate to high carbonation. Smells of canned pear, sulfur, and funk.

Tasting Notes: On the drier side of semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Low funk. Hints of tannins. No bitterness or sourness. Notes of canned pear, dried pear, green apple, and pineapple. Moderate length finish. High pear flavor and sessionability. Moderate complexity and flavor intensity.

My Opinion: I liked it. Very juicy and fizzy. The scent was off-putting at first, but it dissipated, and didn’t transfer to the flavor.

Most Similar to: Christian Drouin Poire, as it is of similar sweetness and flavor notes (although it is cleaner than Cidrerie Daufresne’s Poire, which has some funk).

Closing Notes: I also have a cider from Cidrerie Daufresne to try.

Have you tried French poire? What did you think?

Le Brun Poire

October 25, 2017October 21, 2017 cidersays Le Brun, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, France, French, hard cider, Le Brun, perry, Poire, tasting notes

Review of Le Brun Poire, a French perry. It is my first time trying this, but I have had Le Brun’s Brut and Organic cidres (and several other poires).

Cider: Poire
Cidery: Le Brun
Cidery Location: Brittany France
ABV: 4.0%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged bottles
Style: Breton French poire (perry)

Availability: Semi wide release in the U.S. through Winesellers, Ltd (new to their portfolio as of October 2017). Their cider portfolio also includes Manoir de Grandouet, Domaine de la Minotiere, & Cidrerie Daufresne from France, Dunkertons from England, and Sidra Asturiana Mayador from Spain.

Description: LeBrun Cidres have been produced in Brittany, France since 1955. Cidres are made using the traditional method of natural fermentation of pure pressed juices from handpicked pears. It all starts with the fruit. The cidery selects superior quality pears.

The orchards are carefully looked after until maturation of the fruits. The pears are picked by hand in order to prevent any damage. Preparing the fruit before cider making is always a process. The pears are collected and aged in special wooden cases for about 3 weeks in order to enable the fruit to slightly dehydrate and concentrate its aromas. The pears are then ready to be mashed. Once this is done, the result (pulp plus juice) is left to rest in a tank. This helps balance the taste profile of the future perry by sweetening possible harsh overtones. The pulp/juice is pressed again to get pure juice.

Price: n/a (retails for ~ $10)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: the importer/distributor contacted me

First Impression: Dark straw yellow hue. Low carbonation. Smells of candied dried pear and lemon.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Light bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. A hint of tannins. Notes of dried pear, candied pear, lemongrass, green apple, and honey. Moderate length finish with lingering lemon. Moderate pear flavor, complexity, and flavor intensity. High sessionability.

My Opinion: Great! I was surprised with the dryness, lightness, and sharpness, as I was expecting something that was sweeter, fuller bodied, and lower acidity, like the others I’ve tried. Perries are usually on the sweeter end as pear juice has unfermentable sugars (sorbitol). I liked it however, especially the complexity. This would be especially nice in summer, at only 4% ABV (and its really affordable too).

Most Similar to: Not anything I’ve tried. The other poires I can remember trying were semi-sweet, such as from Christian Drouin, Dan Armor (the sweetest of these), Domaine Pacory, and Eric Bordelet (the driest of these).

Closing Notes: This is a great addition to Le Brun’s U.S. lineup, which already has “Brut” and “Organic” varieties of cider. Winesellers also offers a French perry / poire from Daufresne, which I will be trying soon.

Have you tried Poire? What did you think?

Dan Armor Cuvée Spéciale Cidré Poire

April 24, 2017April 24, 2017 cidersays Dan Armor, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, french cider, French cidre, hard cider, perry, Poire, tasting notes

Review of Dan Armor Cuvée Spéciale Cidré Poire, a French perry (made entirely from pears, no apples). It is my first time trying this, although I’ve previously tried Dan Armor’s cidre. I’ve also sampled some other French poires: Christian Drouin Poire, Domaine Pacory Poire Domfront, and Eric Bordelet Poire Authentique (plus an American French-style poire, E.Z. Orchards Poire).

Cider:  Poire
Cidery:  Dan Armor Cuvée Spéciale Cidré
Cidery Location:  Brittany France
ABV: 4.5%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged champagne bottle
Style: French Poire (perry)

Availability: wide release at Trader Joe’s, since early 2017 (imported by Lattitude Wines, Danville CA)

Cider Description: Cider made from fresh pears grown in the northwest of France, slowly fermented to create refreshing aromas and sweet flavors. No sugar was added to this well-balanced cider and it is gluten-free.

Price: $4.99
Where Bought: Trader Joe’s
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I had previously tried Dan Armor’s cider, and saw this for the first time. At $5 it was an easy buy.

First Impression: Medium straw yellow hue. Moderate carbonation. Smells of syrupy sweet pear.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to sweet (15g sugar / 8oz). Medium to full bodied, with a smooth, creamy, and fizzy texture. Low tartness and acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of canned pear, dried pear, and hints of pineapple & floral. High pear flavor. High sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Low complexity.

My Opinion: I enjoyed this. However, it was definitely on the commercial and easy to drink side, with less complexity than the other poires I’ve had (which admittedly have been from top cidermakers and high end prices to match).

Most Similar to: Christian Drouin Poire (also semi-sweet and very pear-forward, but slightly more refined tasting and complex)

Closing Notes / random thoughts: (1) Perry has significant unfermentable sugars, so even if completely fermented, it remains significant residual sugar (vs. cider, which with the right yeast will ferment to zero residual sugar). Therefore you won’t see a dry perry. Most are semi-sweet. (2) Here in the U.S., typically the word perry should only be used if the beverage is only made from pears, and the term pear cider if it is an apple cider with pear juice. However, often pear ciders are mistakenly called perries. (3) I typically prefer French-style Poire to American perry. Probably as many of the American perries I’ve had have been funky, and poire often has a really nice texture and complexity while remaining clean. There have been a handful of American perries I have enjoyed though, like Locust Seckel Perry, Snowdrift Seckel Perry, and fruity perries from Pear UP (formerly NV Cider).

Have you tried French perry (poire)? What did you think?

EZ Orchards Poire

May 10, 2016May 7, 2016 cidersays E.Z. Orchards, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, EZ Orchards, hard cider, oregon, perry, Poire

Review of EZ Orchards’ Poire, a French-style perry. Note that perry (made only from pears) varies from pear cider (made from apples & pears). I’ve tried a few varieties from them–Semi Dry, Roman Beauty, Hawk Haus.

Cider: Poire
Cidery: EZ Orchards
Cidery Location: Rickreall OR
ABV: 5.9%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle
Style: French-style perry made from heirloom & dessert pear varieties

Availability: As seasonally available / while supplies last, at least in OR, WA, IL, and NY.

Cider Description: Poire is named from the French word for “pear”, and is completely appropriate, natural and perfect for this uniquely delicious drink. EZ Orchards Poire is made entirely from estate-grown Forelle, Comice and Bosc winter pears—no apples. The fruit is carefully cleaned, milled and pressed. No yeast is added to the juice and no sulfites are added. Naturally-occurring yeasts are allowed to ferment over months at low temperatures. Finally, when the sugars are depleted—or nearly so—Poire is bottled and allowed to mature and condition. Like all EZ Orchards cider and cidre, it is never released until it is ready.

Cidery Description: The Pioneers who settled Oregon’s Willamette Valley in the 1850’s must have marveled at their good fortune. The soil was rich, the water plentiful, the winters mild, and summers ideal, crops seemed to burst from the ground. For more than 150 years small family farms have dominated the Willamette Valley – one of the most productive and diverse agricultural areas in the world. The Zielinski Family and E.Z. Orchards are part of this history and ongoing commitment to the land.

E.Z. Orchards Willamette Valley Cidre is the culmination of 10 years effort to develop our orchard and refine our fermentation technique. We grow a selection of French, English, and Early American apple varieties. The fruit contain essential characteristics, necessary to impart structure and aroma in our Cidre.

They use traditional French cider making methods–pressing their apples in a rack and cloth press, fermenting with wild yeast in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for 4-6 months, and bottling before fermentation is complete to allow secondary fermentation to take place in the glass.

Price: ~$9
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I remembered that although I haven’t had much luck with enjoying American perries, I have liked a couple French poires, so I thought I’d give it a try.

First Impression: Pale straw yellow hue. Low carbonation with tiny bubbles. Smells of juicy pear, mango, pineapple, lemon, mineral, and vanilla.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Medium bodied. Frothy and creamy texture. Moderate carbonation (more than visibly apparent). Mild tartness. Moderate acidity. A hint of tannins. A hint of bitterness. No sourness. No funk. Notes of juicy pear, mango, pineapple, lemon, mineral, and vanilla. Compared to the scent, the pear was less intense and the tropical & citrus were more intense. Moderate length finish. Mild pear intensity. Moderate sessionability.

My Opinion: Refreshing for summer, with subtle complexity, and wine-like qualities. I liked it, as did my husband. This is the first American perry I’ve truly enjoyed. Oddly enough I tend more towards pear ciders, as they typically are more flavorful (although less complex), although neither perry or pear cider is a favorite of mine.

Most Similar to: Nashi Orchards Chojuro Blend Asian Pear Perry (it was also complex, wine-like, and semi-dry, although it had some sourness & funk). The style of Poire seemed in between that of the American and French perries I’ve tried…the American Snowdrift Perry for example had a low flavor intensity, less complexity, and some bitterness…the French perry Domaine Pacory Poire Domfront for example was sweeter, richer, and higher carbonation. Although this perry remained fairly dry, it was complex.

Closing Notes: This was enjoyable. Roman Beauty (cider) remains my favorite from EZ Orchards though. I look forward to trying more from them–I think the only variety I haven’t tried is their Dry.

Have you tried EZ Orchards Poire? What did you think?

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