Medovina Classic Mead - Off Dry

Brewed by Medovina Meadery
Style: Mead
Niwot, Colorado USA

RBSG DC 2006: Pours to a straw-very pale yellow colored body, totally clear. The aroma is honey, an almost sour honey note (that seems to be different from "honey" so I’m noting it as such), mild spices, and straw. Taste is very lightly sour, or maybe acidic, with some light pepper, sour apples, with the alcohol definitely showing through. Wish I had better notes on the body here...

Sampled at RBSG 2006 grand tasting. in bottle. scent: honey. yummy flavor, with alcohol making an imprint on the tongue. an amazing mead.

Thanks to Mjames for sharing this at the RBSG ’06. Bottle Nov. 2004 Slightly hazy pale yellow. Lightly petillant. Honey aroma. The flavor is a restrained sweetness. Slightly acidic, light palate. Not a bad mead and definitely one for those who find the dessert meads to be too sweet and cloying.

Bottled 9/03: Whitened yellow. Thin film of liquid quickly falls from the glass. Alluring nose of lavender, cinnamon, almonds, oak, apple must, and honeyed pears. Only the faintest whisper of alcohol. “Still,” though semi-crunchy. Very gritty and thin. Bright tannic acidity buckles the cheeks before the palate is dusted with powdery lavender and oak. Inordinate amount of alcohol heats the throat as the tannins trigger more dryness. Lack of body and plush honey depth fails to nurture the sharp tannic sting. Body is riddled with hard mineral flavors and textures that intensify the dryness and enliven the crunchy, albeit muted, sparkle. Sweetness comes at trace levels, and anything other than sprinkles of cinnamon and crystallized sugar remains suppressed by the robust oak spine. Delayed emergence of assorted melon. Finishes persistently tannic, herbal, and dry as alcohol pummels the more-elegant notes of lavender and fruity acidity. Good, but this definitely lacks the extravagance and depth of their Semi-Sweet and Sweet Melissa. Thanks, brother Ern.

Purchased at Liquor Mart in Boulder. Clear soft yellow... sweet honey and candy-like aroma of white grapes, vanilla, pears and sugar. Mouthfeel is slightly prickly, certainly dry, and it affects my mouth in the same manner than wine does, something which I don’t entirely like. Thin palate, it leaves a nice residual sweet honey and pear coating in the mouth but also leaves the mouth parched. I like the dry characteristics of this mead but I’m not as impressed with the flavor.

Evenly hazy; pale yellow hue. Sweet and vinous nose was very inviting. Mouthfeel was delicate and lightly carbonated. Sweet and sugar-water-like base (but not too sweet) complemented by a strong alcohol center (but definitely not too alcoholic). Notes of honey, spicy flowers, subtle wood … and a curious note of lime (as Ernest suggested) in the finish. I haven’t had too many meads before, but this one seems very nice, and it’s very drinkable (not overly sweet and/or cloying). It has a white wine-like element for sure, but it’s very different from white wine. I found it very enjoyable to drink.

2002 vintage (bottled in 2003). No head (still). Body is hazy light yellow. Aroma is notes of honey, flowers, orange, vanilla, caramel, hints of lime, grass, alcohol, and oak. Flavor is heavily sweet, moderately acidic. Finish is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Medium to full body, watery/syrupy texture, flat carbonation, lightly/moderately astringent. Very similar to the Semi Sweet, but (as expected) a tiny bit less sweetness and body. And just as similarly, one of the most insanely drinkable and delicious meads I’ve ever had. The aroma is relaxed and gentle, but very attractive and clean (no gasoline or other off notes). But it’s in the mouth where it really shines...nice tannic grip, like wine, and an excellent balance of sweet and tart (and maybe a hair of bitterness). Not sticky, like many meads, this is more like wine than a honey/syrup concoction. This meadery’s products are my girlfriend’s favorite as well, and she has sampled virtually all the meads that I have (including Apis Jadwiga). Recommend serving at about 55F and letting it breathe (and warm)...like wine, aeration and gradual warming (up to about 70F or so) improve the nose. Unfiltered, natural, and something I’m seriously threatening to buy a full case of (the Semi Sweet) to let age and further evolve.