Zenne Y Frontera. Whispering its name alone causes shakes and shivers among lambic aficionados. This lambic beer, brewed, aged, blended and bottled by 3 Fonteinen quickly rose up to stardom after its release in 2015. The limited production, one bottle per person sale limit, high end price and distribution to dedicated bars and restaurants surely contributed to this status but it’s simply a magnificent lambic as well.

The sherry doesn’t overpower but lends a mild spicy, nutty and fragrant element to the base lambic. Fenugreek comes to mind. Sotolon aromas, Google that! Letting the lambic open up in a decanter accentuates this even more and gives way to a tasting satisfaction guaranteed!

Zenne Y Frontera is a blend of one year old(young?) lambic that was aged for about one year on sherry barrels, part Pedro Ximenez barrels and part(most) Oloroso barrels. An extra long maturation in the bottle ensures a perfect end product. The delicate spice and nuttiness of the Olorso, the sheer dark and sweet power of the Ximenez combined with the elegant acidity, fruity scent and dryness of 3 Fonteinen’s terroir lambic…pure beauty! The idea for this barrel aged blend was concocted by Armand Debelder from 3Fonteinen and Andy De Brouwer, owner and sommelier of restaurant ‘Les Eleveurs‘ in Halle.

All good products need time. ‘Le temps ne respecte pas ce qui est fait sans lui’, a catchy phrase found at Cantillon but appropriate for every traditional lambic beer. Three to four years to make this excellent Zenne Y Frontera. Luckily 2017 is the year where we’ll see a new release.