Carrere Montebello Blanc Ovation

Montebello is a traditional Basse-Terre agricole house run by the Marsolle family in Guadeloupe. Blanc Ovation is a limited bottling built around yellow cane from the R570 variety, made from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice rather than molasses and slowly brought down to its bottling strength rather than cut quickly.

The creole column keeps the green, aromatic congeners in the spirit, so the nose is floral, fresh and hay-like, the palate lively with mango, white pepper and a floral, slightly creamy edge, the finish carrying pineapple and more mango. At 50% the spirit is well integrated rather than hot, the alcohol folded into the fruit. Unaged and unsweetened, it shows the snap and freshness that define a good agricole blanc, made for a Ti Punch or sipped chilled when the fruit is the point.