Black Star Farms Carbonated Apple Hard Cider
Maker: Black Star Farms Winery (Traverse City, Michigan)
ABV: 7%
Is there anything Black Star Farms doesn’t do well? One may well ask. At the most recent Michigan Wine & Spirits competition they did fairly well: Best of Class Dry White: Black Star Farms – 2009 Arcturos Pinot Gris, Best of Class Semi-Dry White: Black Star Farms – 2009 Arcturos Riesling, Best of Class Sparkling Wine: Black Star Farms – 2008 Sparkling Wine, Double Gold: 2007 A Capella Pinot Noir. Not too shabby. They also have an aged apple brandy and numerous eaux de vie. Rumor has it that a 10 year old apple brandy will be hitting the shelves of their Traverse City tasting room soon. I’ve put my best dusty-hunting friends on the case.
Anyway, this apple cider, presumably the younger cousin to their brandies, is not exception. It is in the dry-ish British style (of the mass-produced ones we get here, anyway) but doesn’t go off the edge like the one I reviewed from Motor City.
The nose is light, almost like a Riesling, sweet apple blossoms and a bit of citrus. In the mouth, it’s all crisp, early season golden skinned “eating” apples, like Golden Delicious or Ginger Gold. The sweetness then comes in, but fades away quickly. The finish is light and sweet. This is one of the best ciders I’ve had since I’ve started this blog.
Sipology 