effervescent refractions

Saint Lamvinus had long lurked in the shadows of my cellar, creeping out of its lambic corner from time to time, titillating but never convincing as I remained impervious to its charm, waiting for time work its metamorphosing dexterity. Finally on a winter eve, it was uncorked and of its bright cardinal body spewed a bubbly white foam. Cherry appeared strongly upon the nose alongside Cantillon’s classic sourness and a woody complexity. Sweet tonalities of white wine, brown sugar and raisin accompanied the delicate balance of vanilla and raspberry, along with a slightly cheesy note. Flowing organically onto the palate, it seemed the nose was reflected with accented sourness, red currant, white pepper and the slightest hint of grape. The rubbery and somewhat unpleasant acerbity that I often associate with Cantillon was present again, which combined with the surprisingly minimal vinous aspect felt rather underwhelming. The long sticky and fruity sour aftertaste is vaguely redeeming but I found that I would much rather a simple bottle of Cantillon’s Kriek than go through the trouble of acquiring and caring for such an esoteric yet uninspiring bottle.