Absinthe La Maison Fontaine Blanche - 70cl

Still being in my first twenties of absinthe and that thanks to your exellent absinthexplore I would so far say La Maison Fontaine Blanche is by far my favorite. It's smooth with perfect touch of wormwood and still very rich in taste. It is an absinthe I would serve to someone I would like to introduce into what absinthes all are about, to give that person a sound foundation in the world of absinthe.

This blanche is a true masterpiece. One of those few, that I had to hide eaven from myself from drinking it all too soon. Taste is perfectly balanced and smooth, louche is beautifull and thick. simpy perfect

This absinthe was a delightful surprise. The flavor isn't particularly big and bold, but not at all disappointing. It's quite candied with a really nice wormwood punch. Very fresh and cool, almost like a mint-free mouthwash. I'm really pleased with this one. Generally, I'm not super excited about blanches but this one is fairly complex and it's hard to find anything to complain about.

Once again, a masterpiece from Emile Pernot's repertoire. An excellent choice for those who won't enjoy the bitterness of a regular absinthe.

Flavor: Excellent botanical mix of herbs, removing the "old-fashioned" taste of a bootleg french absinthe (like most of bleue absinthes are, except those from Artemisa-Bugnon Destillery or Blanchette de Combier).

Palate: Like honey syrup... no words to describe it: 10/10

Finish: Like heaven... a delicate and sophisticated sweet finish with a hint of savory bitterness from Pontarlier wormwood. The amount of alcohol is so precise. I was trying to compare it against Roquette 1792 or Perroquete. This absinthe is great for mixing too. 10/10

Louche: Not the best, 7/10 for this one, considering it is a Blue
A must to try, but a little to soft for hardcore absintheurs out there. Thanks absinthes.com!!

I've provided my background and experience at the end of this review, so you might weigh my comments to others on the site.


REVIEW:
I know I know, Pernot produced bottles are supposed to be fantastic and flawless, and there's 5 comments granting 5 stars to the Fontaine already...but alas, I can't join them! I tried my damndest to enjoy this, but it just didn't happen.

Eyes: The Louche was moderate, and the blue hint was cool, but the cloudiness came to quickly.
Nose: The floral bouqet was thin and bitter with overwhelming anise that smelled sun-dried
Mouth-feel: thin and rough...a wine drinker would say it had a rough tannic feel to it.
Palette: Bitter, anise driven, with little complexity.

The bitter to the bottle presented some unique cooking challenges and allowed me to create a unique dish that was extremely sweet but not a desert....I called it "Pizza Verte con Jamon y Courdonts". It was a thin crust pizza using a homemade dough. The sauce was 1/3Pesto and 2/3Alfredo blended together with some cilantro to boost the sweetness. The Italian Sausage actually had some fennel in it adding to the sweetness, and Shallots were first caramelized - along with super-sweet baby bell-peppers, further contributing to the sweetness. A moderate Parmigiano cheese topped the whole thing off.

Why put the food? Because this bottle DOES pair well. If you want to access it for that purpose, it'll allow for some serious kitchen-risk-taking and non-traditional recipes. If however you're looking for a bottle to stand on it's own? I can't recommend the Fontaine in that capacity.


MY BACKGROUND:
2006 - Tasted my 1st Absinthe (All European)
2007 - Tasted 6 Absinthes new to me (All European)
2008 - Tasted 6 Absinthes new to me (All European)
2009 - Tasted 2 Absinthes new to me (US Only)
2010 - Tasted 5 Absinthes new to me (4 Euro, 1US)
2011 - Tasted 12 Absinthes new to me (All European)
I'm also a level-1 graduate from the Mastercourt of Sommeliers, worked in the wine industry from 2001-2008, and run an independent cellar-stocking business, where my palette is trusted by high-end clients to purchase wines matching their tastes and expectations of quality. Additionally, since 2010 I've hosted a semi-annual Absinthe Dinner for party sizes of 35-70 guests. Each course is paired with a dish developed uniquely to match the absinthe ordered for the event. Each event usually fills up more quickly with reservations than the previous one, due to the patrons enjoying the pairings and bottle choices to such a significant degree.

I would say that is one of the best absinthes there!

Clearly among the best, if not the best. Balanced taste and stylish presentation. A serious product made to re-establish Absinthe as a drink of our times, and nicely distancing itself from the sticky green fairy juices through a distrinct balanced taste inviting to be mixed as well as served in the classic way. A welcome addition to the world Absinthe.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a new and quality absinthe on the market (nice modern design but also expressed intention to honor tradition), and just had to try it. And in my opinion it is quite superb! I tend to enjoy the floral and herbal notes more than bitterness, so this was a great choice for me. But aside from my personal preferences, this is definitely a winner. I would compare it to the Clandestine (blue bottle), and having tried both back-to-back, I waver between whether this is equal or just shy of matching that quality. It has a similarly heavenly aroma and taste, a refreshing natural sweetness that's just delicious. The only drawback: the louche is just a bit light. I use a little less spring water with Fontaine than with other absinthes.

In my humble opinion, i find this the perfect absinthe for somone who does not like absinthe. It lacks that bitter after taste that i love. It is very smooth and needs no more sugar, a little water and your ready to go...

I am paying attention to a novel concept for the dawning era of “La Maison Fontaine". It is clear that specs of colorless, transparent alcoholic frequency 56 degrees consider Switzerland. However, “La Maison Fontaine" did overcoming of making to uniformity of the taste that was the weak point of La Bleue. In it, perhaps, a licorice element is a cause. The herb composition is brought into relief connecting being done masking in a suppressive thing to the minimum of the green anise. But, beautiful LOUCHE ACTION is not lost yet. I felt the possibility of the new generation absinthe that made them unite the conflicting element at a high level.
In feasts of herbs who talk happily, it is sense of existence of the anise to stop quietly. Is if the fresh tasting is compared, it a novel cuisine? Comfortable reverberations remain in the mind, too.