I’m back in my happy place, friends.

As you read this, I am stirring from my tent in the Old Orchard at Ross on Wye, doubtless trying to make as little noise as possible with the zip, likely failing, and in all probability nursing gentle blear from the exertions of the tasting you are about to read about.

For Ross Fest is back again — my absolute, no-holds-barred, number one favourite time of the year; birthdays, Christmases and all the rest left trailing in its dust. James, Jack and I teamed up to extol its virtues after the 2022 edition and going back even further James was singing its praises in 2019. So if you’re not here with us, living what I can very much guarantee is your best life, you have as they say only yourself to blame.

Stalwarts of the festival will know that it kicks off in earnest with the Thursday Night Cider Club. Historically this involved a talk from an international maker— last year we were treated to The Netherlands’ excellent Elegast — but as the festival has evolved, a new central element, the launch of special release Ross on Wye ciders and perries, has emerged. So it makes sense that these be showcased to get festivities started in earnest — and increasingly that is the direction that the Cider Club has taken.

In 2021 James and I made a two-pronged assault on the festival releases here, with a little musing on the nature and potential importance of ‘outturns’ in cider. Indeed we ambitiously decided that it would be really fun to record our tasting notes at the event and publish them on Cider Review the very next day. And, always one to latch onto a new stupid tradition, I thought I’d do the same thing again.

The ciders and perries that Ross on Wye release at the festival account, generally speaking, for many of the most important bottlings of their year. They always feature their flagship, Raison d’Être, which having already reviewed it on 22nd August I shan’t write another identical tasting note for less than two weeks afterwards. But even the non-Raison festival releases are usually of special significance. Previous landmark releases have included a pét nat Dabinett-HMJ blend that stands as one of the best Ross on Wyes I’ve ever tasted, ‘Dancing Required – their collaboration with The Queer Brewing Project, and the 2020 ‘C1’ Foxwhelp that I loved so much I served it at my wedding. No pressure then!

The 2023 festival releases feature three perries and five ciders, as well as the Raison d’Être 2021 that I’ve already covered. If you’re at the festival you can buy them all directly (lucky you!) and all are also available on Ross on Wye’s online shop, as well as The Cat in the Glass where you can buy the full set of eight for £75. Individually each of them costs £10 for a 750ml bottle, except for Raison d’Être and Shall We Take A Walk Through Time? which are £12.

One last T&C which is that these were all served at natural barn temperature, being part of the tasting. Albert will tell you that this is the perfect temperature for all natural ciders and perries, and who am I to argue, given he made them? But in the circumstances, rather than the customary ‘how I served’ I have instead indicated how I would personally choose to serve them were I drinking at home. By all means ignore me and do as Albert tells you, if you prefer, which is likely the more sensible and correct option in any case.

Ross on Wye Handsome Norman 2022 – review

What: a blend of the apple varieties suffixed ‘Norman’ with a special fruit-forward flavour celebrating Norman the dog — Albert and Becky’s best friend. The ‘Handsome NBorman’ variety itself is a key part of the blend.

How I’d serve: Lightly chilled

Appearance: Bright gold with a light haze and a spritzy fizz.

On the nose: Fresh, green and apple forward. Lovely sherbety zing with crisp apple skins and a touch of grassiness. All very bright and zesty. A perfect summertime cider nose.

In the mouth: Fuller bodied than the nose implied but there’s still so much fresh vibrancy here. The sherbet lemon tones and green apples persist but there’s a ripe juiciness almost of melon and a fabulous tangfastic zing that dovetails delightfully with the spritz. Totally delicious and irresistible.

In a nutshell: This is a vibrant and joyful cider that’s an excellent liquid encapsulation of its namesake. Summertime. Sitting on grass. Sounds like a festival cider to me!

Ross on Wye ‘C1’ Foxwhelp 2022 – review

What: Foxwhelp is a biennial tree, and so every other year it has an ‘off year’, in which it produces little fruit. In Ross on Wye’s case, the ‘off years’ are the even-number vintages, in which they make their ‘C1’. What they’ve found is that in these years, fruit flavour takes on a particular concentration as the tree is able to give each apple a little more energy. In 2022 they had a surprisingly bountiful Foxwhelp harvest, though still less than would be expected in an ‘on year’. Combined with super-hot 2022’s extreme ripeness, I’m expecting something special here. 

How I’d serve: Lightly chilled

Appearance: Similar but a purer gold somehow.

On the nose: The last remnants of its conditioning float up in lightly reductive form for about five seconds before dissipating entirely and leaving the purest Foxwhelp aromatics you’re going to encounter. A scintillating spear of fizzy strawberry laces, fresh wild strawberries, sour cherries and lemon’n’lime. Coarsing with life; almost chiselled in its precision. An epic, epic Foxwhelp nose – even by my now-hefty mileage.

In the mouth: This is as high-definition as Foxwhelp gets. Sweet perry levels of deliciousness, some might say. Though this is only off-dry. Very different to previous C1s; where they moved in a different direction of flavour, this has just amplified everything that Foxwhelp is – except the acidity. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of sharpness – but so full is the body (the mighty 2022 vintage producing those epic levels of alcohol) and pronounced in its flavour that it presents as less acidic than Ross Foxwhelp usually is, leaving us with those huge, fresh strawberry, sour cherry, lemon and fizzy laces flavours. Note perfect, super-intense. Epic.

In a nutshell: The Foxwhelpiest of Foxwhelps. Intensity, vibrancy, fullness of flavour all off the charts. Foxwhelpians assemble.

Ross on Wye Green Horse 2021 – review

What: Single variety perry from the Green Horse variety, one that I usually find green, citrusy, and evocative of the woodland. I’ve reviewed a couple of Green Horse perries before, including one or two from Ross on Wye themselves, but devastatingly, since they harvested the pears for this perry, the trees were so badly affected by fireblight that the team at Ross on Wye has had to pollard them (cut the tree right back down to its crown). So this is certainly the last Ross on Wye fruit Green Horse for years, possibly ever. As Albert said in our interview last year: fuck fireblight.

How I’d serve: Chilled to lightly chilled

Appearance: Hazy straw

On the nose: All about soft greens. Pear, petals, wet leaves. It’s perfumed in a rather subtle and beguiling way but this is less citrusy than many Green Horses, with more rounded pear and not-quite tropical fruit. Less herbal too – though there is a slight herbal touch offsetting the plump fruitiness. Honeydew melon. All rather soft and beguiling, with that slight wet rock note over the top of it that this variety invariably has.

In the mouth: Another obvious choice for a festival drink. Again off-dry, delightfully soft and juicy, with just nibbles of light acidity and tannin keeping things structural and fresh. Flavours are all meadowflowers, juicy pears, more honeydew, blossom and just a touch of lime fruit pastille. That hedgero and wet slate thing I always find in Green Horse is here too. Again, just super, super pleasant to drink.

In a nutshell: Transportive perry. The perfect fresh, juicy companion to a summer’s day – or the drink to put you in one if the weather doesn’t play ball. Just devastating about those trees.

Ross on Wye Thorn, Flakey and Friends 2022 – review

What: A blended perry made from zingy Thorn, iconic Flakey Bark and the ‘Red’ pears, Blakeney and Aylton. This has been a stable keg conditioned perry from Ross on Wye in the past, which I’ve always been a big fan of, but this is the first time they’ve bottled it. Let’s see if I like it as much.

How I’d serve: Lightly chilled

Appearance: Hazy lemon’n’lime

On the nose: Billows from the glass; big pillowy aromas that show off the varieties perfectly. Here the elderflower and lime of the Thorn, there some of the hefty, not-quite-earthy sense and huge, dense pear of the Flakey Bark. Over the top of it all the big melon note of the Reds, and the pear skin touch from Aylton too. And then we’re back to lime chewits. Really complex, inviting, sensitive to the distinct fruits and a complete original. No nose like it.

In the mouth: Carries through perfectly from the aroma and again shows all that is best of the varieties. The lime and elderflower vibrancy of the Thorn is here but the acidity is kept gentle; the body of the Flakey Bark is here, but the tannins offer structure rather than huge grippiness. There is juicy citrus, there are exotic flowers, there’s the heft and pear skin and slight savoury tone of Flakey, then there’s that juicy melon and pear again. A touch off-dry and the fizz is very gentle indeed, giving the flavours more room. I love this so much. Endlessly juicy and drinkable, yet super complex and intriguing. A perry to suit everyone and entirely its own thing.

In a nutshell: This is what blending is all about. Supremely juicy perry – has translated perfect from keg – that shows off all its constituents beautifully.

Ross on Wye Flakey Bark 2020 – review

What: The most iconic perry Ross on Wye bottle, whose story I’ve told before here. Only six mature trees remain of this variety, and they’re even more reluctant to yield than Foxwhelp is. There was no single variety Flakey Bark between 2017 and 2020. This is the second batch of 2020 that Ross on Wye has released (I reviewed the first here). Its ridiculous tannin structure makes it super-slow to ferment; there is apparently still some residual sugar left in this second batch, 3 years after pressing. For more evidence of its tannic ridiculousness see the photo of me trying to eat the fruit raw, below…)

How I’d serve: Barn temperature

Appearance: Deeper, richer brass. Perfectly conditioned.

On the nose: Smells like Flakey Bark. There’s no other pear like this and it has been perfectly encapsulated here. Deep, rich, earthy sweetness. Toffee waffles. Orchard floor and dried leaves. Bark. Honey. Almost syrup. Simultaneously almost meaty. Supremely mineral whilst at the same time full, intense, honeyed and succulent in its ripeness. That ever-confounding, unique Flakey Bark nose. A perry that rumbles and evokes.

In the mouth: Huge. Deep, rich sonorous intertwining of sweet caramels and honeys with intense savoury woodland, bark, earth. An utterly baffling and always mesmerising confluence. Immensely full bodied, with the huge, grippy tannins that gnash through the off-dry fatness of the drink. This is to tannin what Foxwhelp is to acid. (Beautiful with a proper sausage roll or – I imagine – some firm cheddar). There’s massive juiciness to this, even with those drying tannins. You don’t drink this; you experience it. And what a glorious experience it is too. 

In a nutshell: Proper Flakey Bark. Burly, tannic, full-bodied, full-throttle. Earthy yet juicy. Shifting. Unique.

Ross on Wye ‘Shall We Take A Walk Through Time?’ 2017-2019-2021 – review

What: The most complicated and intriguing of the lineup. Inspired by creations from Little Pomona such as their Solera Foxwhelpsand Brut Zero, this is a multi-vintage blend of 2017 Foxwhelp with super-tannic Ashton Bitter from 2019 and juicier Somerset Redstreak from 2021. The idea being to make a super-complex cuvée of varieties, with each one having been separately given its ideal ageing time before being layered together. As a professional aside, I absolutely love this approach, since it’s what we’re trying to do with our own Cuvée Concepts at Waterford Distillery. But this is a cider tasting, so let’s stay on track!

How I’d serve: Barn to room temperature

Appearance: Burnished gold. Vibrant mousse.

On the nose: Beautiful blending. Every apple and its stage of life is on show. Foxwhelp is to the fore – strawberries and pink grapefruit, but those fruits have started to dry and deepen. That’s augmented by the stony, austere phenolic of Ashton Bitter lending a curl of petrichor which itself is softened by the red apple and light tropical fruit of Somerset Redstreak. Some blends – like the Thorn, Flakey and Friends above – meld their fruits into something entirely new. To my mind this is a procession of its three constituents – a march from Foxwhelp to Ashton Bitter by way of Somerset Redstreak. It’s fascinating. A superb aroma. 

In the mouth: Bristling intensity. With all that Foxwhelp and Ashton Bitter there’s a taut firmness, but the ballast of Somerset Redstreak – whilst its flavours are certainly secondary to those other varieties, has lent ripeness of body and texture making the whole thing sinewy and full. The texture is epic, as you’d expect with the extemities of Foxwhelp and Ashton Bitter. But time, companionship and Somerset Redstreak has brought them to heel such that nothing is to excess. Red strawberries, big petrichor, a little hoppy-esque bitterness, dried grapefruit, apple skins and peach. There’s freshness and dried fruit. It twists and turns. Refined, complex, considered cider. Magnificent – even better if you pair it with fine, rich food I’d wager.

In a nutshell: Again: what blending is all about. Each apple individually given its perfect ageing time, then brought into the most harmonious confluence. Textural, cerebral, compelling. Superb.

Ross on Wye Yarlington Mill 2021 – review

What: Another fearsomely biennial variety – one they only get much of in odd-years – and possibly my favourite bittersweet apple. I’ve been particularly fond of oak cask Yarlington Mills from Ross historically, but as my very early multi-variety tasting showed, Yarlington often gives off almost oak-cask notes even when it hasn’t been in barrels. This one is an unoaked expression — a pure encapsulation of the apple.

How I’d serve: Barn to room temperature

Appearance: Rich, deep bronze. Spritzy fizz

On the nose: Very red. Red apples, dried red berries. There’s a little reduction here – just a touch of farmyardiness, which does smudge things aromatically a tiny bit, but this being Yarlington Mill the rich crackling spices – cloves, nutmeg – almost subsume it. Surprisingly mineral and taut by Yarlington nose standards – this isn’t one of your big, blowsy, fulsome YMs and the alcohol, at 6.2% suggests something tighter and fresher, which is what’s delivered. It’s a slightly different take on a classic Ross variety but it’s a nose I can spend a lot of time with.

In the mouth: Great delivery. Remains atypically taut, elegant and fresh, rather than a massiv-bodied blockbuster but there are some nice grippy tannins and the body is still fuller than the average bittersweet. Very mineral; that almost ‘walk by a riverside’ sense of wet stones alongside vibrant red berries and clove spices. It’s got a good few years of ageing in it, this one. Another that blossoms with some proteiny food. 

In a nutshell: A slightly different look at Ross Yarlington that will age beautifully. The elegant face of this apple.

Conclusions

The best quality outturn that I can remember from Ross on Wye. I’m genuinely so, so impressed by the across-the-board quality here. I’d very happily buy repeat bottles of every single one of these; not only is there not a duff note amongst them, they’re all actively excellent.

I can’t restrict myself to a top three; I’d come back for fifth helpings of the Foxwhelp, the Thorn, Flakey and Friends, the Flakey Bark, the Shall I Take a Walk Through Time, and the Raison. Oh and probably the Handsome Norman and the Green Horse, too. And the Yarlington, go on.

They’re such a fantastically diverse bunch – in terms of vintage, varieties and mindset. As an advert for this particular cidery they are perfect. Actually, make that for cider and perry full stop.

Thanks to Nicky Kong for the photos!