Just sit back and taste through the curious collection of beverages which include, in no particular order, over 15 varieties of apples, black currant, hops, granite soils and, oh yes, two pear trees.
These beverages are mouthwatering, saline, bright-as-the-sun-dancing-off-the-waves, immediate and tactile-as-if-the-fruit-was-right-there-in-front-of-your-face. They are cheerful, joyful and indescribably refreshing.
And, though it’s crude to say it, they are cheap – starting at about $15.
(See full lineup below and email us at orders@vomboden.com to buy!)
Clocking in at around 5.5% alcohol, they are natural and feel delicate and invigorating. And though the absurd cliché seems to demand cider drinking take place only in the fall, with the quickening nightfall and the smell of wood burning fires in the air, honestly spring has always seemed the more natural pairing.
Ciders with personality are fruity and floral; they are the aperitif of the spring air,fantastic with light al fresco fare and nearly all the flavors of the season. These curious ciders pair perfectly with the slower pace of this specific spring, when you may be eating at home more than normal, when a Wednesday lunch may blossom into a few courses and a bottle of…
You may be stuck at home; remember your palate is free to explore.
Most importantly, the ciders you’ve just found are not only delicious, they are a true and honest distillation of this very specific wild place.
So where the **** are we?
From Paris, take Route A81 if you wanna just get there: It’ll only cost you five and a half hours. We’d, however, recommend the more scenic route: A13 first northwesterly, then, following the coast, to Normandy, famed for the historic beaches, the copious amounts of cider made there and the corresponding copious amounts of cider-tourism.
To get to Cidrerie du Léguer you’ll have to keep going, nearly as far west as you can go, almost three more damn hours. THIS is Bretagne, or Brittany as we say in English. The landscape here is bit more rugged, perhaps rougher around the edges: colder temperatures, harsher, exposed granite and sea cliffs, that sort of thing.
This is where you’ll find Cédric Le Bloas and his tiny, four-hectare orchard. This is where, after your long drive, you’ll first tell Cédric you didn’t even know it was possible to drive six hours west of Paris and still be on dry land. Then you can have a drink.
Cédric was born and raised in Bretagne. His grandparents made a barrel of cider each year for personal consumption; obviously the land and the orchards are woven into the lives of the people who live here, who grow up here. Yet Cédric’s grandparents weren’t “cider makers” in any proper, official way. After spending time south and abroad, Cédric found his way back to Bretagne, specifically Lannion where he came upon an old cider house: Cidrerie du Léguer, in the town of Lannion, population 20,000.
And thus, Cidrerie du Léguer was born in 2015. Named after the river flowing through Lannion and under the cider mill, the orchard here is a mere two kilometers from the English Channel. Cédric farms a total of four hectares, with roughly 15 varieties including: Doux Moen, Douce Coet Lignée, Marie Ménard, Peau de Chien, Kermerrien, Petit Jaune, Locarvert, Rouget de Dol, Judor and Frich’elach. The oldest of the trees average around 30 years.
In fact, more than nearly any other cider we’ve ever had, these bottles explore the play of ferocious natural acidities, chewy tannins, bitterness. This is Cédric’s dance with these ciders, and it’s a delicate balance: tannin, bitterness and acid infused perfectly with the right dash of apple fruit and sweetness.
The terroir here is one of struggle, of the harsh maritime climate that gives these ciders a certain edge. This talk of tension, of acidity and cut, it feels familiar to someone accustomed to the language of cool climates, of Riesling. And so, while we are in an exotic place in certain ways, we are also very much at home.
As this estate is so new, and Cédric is both so curious and so honest, well, there is a lot of experimentation – with black currant for a heady floral “rosé,” with hops for an earthy, spice-laden cider.
The farming is certified biodynamic. Cédric makes little fuss here: “We mow and we prune, that’s it.” The fermentations are of course natural, nothing is added or taken away. Yes, these are zero-sulfur ciders yet they drink well on day two and three, except for the Poire which can get slightly mousey on day 2, though if somehow you don’t drink the entire bottle immediately you’re suspect as a person.
While the Poiré has a rich, lathery mousse, most of the ciders have a very fine, ever-so-slight effervescence from the bottle conditioning. That fine effervescence is achieved by slowing fermentation with a technique called “keeving,” a old school technique that is rarely employed, as it’s a pain in the ***. The technique uses the natural pectins in the cider apples to clarify the fermenting apple must of its yeast and nutrients needed for fermentation, while it’s fermenting. Thus, a slower fermentation occurs, one where filtering is not necessary, and one can bottle at the exact moment one wants to, with the right amount of residual sugars needed to finish fermenting in bottle for a most-delicate effervescence.
These ciders have only recently arrived; they are IN STOCK and delicious. For more information, please see our selections below.
To order, or with any questions, please reply to this email – orders@vomboden.com.
Thank you!
2018 Cidrerie du Léguer “Granit Rosé” ~$18
Produced from the “Granit,” Cédric harvests earlier in summer black currants which he ferments separately and adds just before bottling. This delicate dose of cassis adds a light, crushed-berry color and a tart edge to the palate, a touch of algae and anise, an added bounty of fruit to the nose. A wonderful spring and summer crusher.
2018 Cidrerie du Léguer “Brut Brut” ~$16
This is the driest and most biting of the ciders, though even this has a certain roundness and generosity. Slight reduction and barnyard upon opening, gentle effervescence and fine structure. Super drinkability.
2018 Cidrerie du Léguer “Granit” ~$16
This is a single-parcel cuvée comprised of an amalgamation of apples: sweet/fruity, crab, bitter-sweet and acidic. This is the first parcel from which Cédric ever produced a cider back in 2015. It is baroque and incredibly textural, rustic.
2018 Cidrerie du Léguer “Premium” ~$17
Cédric’s top cider is made with roughly three-quarters highly acidic and astringent apples. He crushes these, allowing them to macerate with the pomace overnight to quell the overt harshness. The other quarter of the cuvée is made up of fruity, sweeter apples to balance the intensity of the others. Powerful and wildly tannic with chewy, sinewy structure.
2018 Cidrerie du Léguer Poiré ~$20
Cédric makes this from the fruit of two pear trees. This is sunshine in a bottle; bracing, mouth-watering, nearly tactile – close your eyes, breathe in deep and you feel like someone is actually holding a pear just inches from your nose, with a vivid clarity that reminds me of the great Austrian eau de vies.