Calvados

Producer Description 

An elegant bouquet featuring pear and baking spice, underpinned by nuances of honey, cedar, and lemon peel, alongside a subtle almond backdrop.

A lighter expression of Calvados, presenting a dry palate that gracefully marries the sweet notes of honey with the earthiness of cedar, the zesty character of lemon peel, and the nuttiness of almond.

The finish introduces a delicate interplay of lavender, nutmeg, and a hint of cayenne.

Producer Description 

Two years of an aging in oaks casks give a gold color to the fruity taste of its youth. Vigorous and fresh on the palate, it’s a product carrying the “Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée Pays d’Auge”. All the fragrances of Normandy. 

Expert Review

94 points, Great Value Ultimate Wine Challenge | This luscious, incredibly complex aperitif is bursting with notes of dates, raisins roasted walnuts and iodine. The palate is viscous but not syrupy, with flavors of poached pear, burned sugar and sweet spice. The finish lasts for minutes after the sip.

Winemaker Description 

Pommeau de Normandie won its AOC status in 1991. It consists of a blend of approximately 1/4 Calvados and 3/4 apple juice, aged for a minimum of fourteen months and with a residual sugar content greater than 69 grams per litre.

Claque-Pepin’s Pommeau de Normandie is a deliciously sweet blend of apple must and Calvados brandy . To make this liqueur, often served as an aperitif, producers in the Pays d'Auge blend unfermented apple juice (apple must) that has been clarified with high-quality Calvados containing at least 65% alcohol. Claque-Pépin uses 70% bitter and bittersweet apple varieties from locally grown orchards.

Claque-Pépin officially began in 2005. However, owner Benoît Louvet has been immersed in the world of distilling and ageing for many years. He began his "apprenticeship" fairly young with his grandfather Vital.

After working for a few other Calvados producers as cellar master, he decided to start his own artisanal production and perpetuate the art of making calvados, cider, and local Normand apéritifs, while respecting the Normand tradition and the environment.

With an ABV of 17%, it is closely related to Pineau des Charentes. It can be drunk as an aperitif, or served with melon and any chocolate or apple-based dessert.

The name Claque-Pépin comes from a type of apple variety, which when ripe, rattles when shaken. The name translates to the seeds (pépin) which rattle (claque). The property is located in the Normandie region, nestled between the Domfrontais and the Pays d’Auge, in the 17th century farm next to the ancient château of Serans, formerly the family estate of the Louvet family.

Claque-Pépin officially began 13 years ago. However, current owner Benoit Louvet has been immersed in the world of distilling and aging for many years. He began his “apprenticeship” fairly young with his grandfather Vital. After working for a few other Calvados producers as cellar master, he decided to start his own artisanal production and perpetuate the art of making calvados and cider, while respecting the Normand tradition and the environment. They farm 20 hectares of apple orchards.

Calvados is made from cider. Those farmers who are licensed to “boil,” travel from farm to farm with their vintage stills (alambics), distilling the cider into calvados. Operation of the Alambic: The cider enters the still through the heat exchanger in the upper region and descends tray by tray. The heat transforms the most volatile elements in the cider (water and esters) into vapor. This vapor then travels in the opposite direction, where it is concentrated with the alcohols, esters, and flavors. This is then concentrated in the smallest column from which the eau de vie emerges at 72%.

Appellation: The property and orchards are ideally situated in the Calvados AOC, just in between Pays d’Auge and the Domfrontais, producing cider and Calvados with the round and refined flavors of Calvados of the Pays d’Auge and the spicier notes typical of Calvados of the Domfrontais.

Memo Summary Notes

The Claque-Pépin Pommeau de Normandie (crafted by winemaker Benoît Louvet) is a traditional French mistelle—a fortified apéritif made by blending unfermented apple juice with young apple brandy (Calvados).

Benoît Louvet (Claque-Pépin). The name "Claque-Pépin" refers to a specific apple variety whose seeds (pépins) rattle (claquent) when the fruit is ripe.

Expert Reviews

The Wine Enthusiast 97 Points | Hitting all the right notes, this shows fresh apple and vanilla aromas that lead into a rich ­butterscotch and honey palate. The feather-light finish shows salted caramel, roasted nuts and a flurry of cinnamon and clove.

92 points. Excellent. Highly Recommended Ultimate Spirits Challenge | Deep aromas of poached pear, apples and cinnamon. Clean and pure flavors of peach, brown sugar, caramel, and baked pineapple all intermingle on the smooth and full texture creating an overall indulgent effect.

Winemaker Description

The first certified organic calvados available in the U.S. Average 5 years old.

A pale yellow amber with a floral, fruity nose with aromas of iris and nuts. Herbaceous and vegetal on the palate. 

Memo Summary Notes

Claque-Pépin officially began in 2005. However, owner Benoît Louvet has been immersed in the world of distilling and ageing for many years. He began his "apprenticeship" fairly young with his grandfather Vital. After working for a few other Calvados producers as cellar master, he decided to start his own artisanal production and perpetuate the art of making calvados, cider, and local Normand apéritifs, while respecting the Normand tradition and the environment.

The Claque-Pépin Organic "Vieille Réserve" Calvados, produced by Benoît Louvet, is a distinguished artisanal spirit that holds the title of being the first USDA-certified organic Calvados available in the United States.

Memo Summary Notes

The Calvados Lelouvier Vintage 1988 is a rare, single-harvest apple brandy from one of Normandy's most respected "négociant-éleveur" houses. Lelouvier is famous for sourcing exceptional small-batch distillations from the Domfrontais and South Normandy regions and aging them to perfection in their own cellars.

Pairing: This is a classic "digestif." It pairs beautifully with aged Camembert or Pont-l'Évêque cheese, or a high-quality dark chocolate tart.

Producer Description 

This Appellation Pays d’Auge Contrôlée” Calvados is a blending of Calvados that have aged a minimum of 12 years in the oak casks of the Château du Breuil under the attentive care of the Cellar Master. It titrates 41%.It is characterized by an exceptional roundness that let aromas of apple, wood and almond express all their intensity in a refined and complex blend. It is a very well-balanced Calvados, a perfect harmony between the fruit and the wood.

Colour: Dark amber

Nose: Fruity and spicy with notes of dry apricot, citrus and nutmeg and then hints of leather appear

Mouth: Mild and well-rounded attack with notes of cocoa, wood to finish with liquorice. The length in mouth is persistent and then hints of pit appear

Producer Description 

Since the 1800s, the Camut family has grown 46.5 hectares of apple trees in the Pays d'Auge, the finest growing region for Calvados. In Normandy, 800 types of apples are grown; the Camut family grow about 25 of these, all of which are hand-harvested at optimum maturity between October and mid-December. While pears are allowed in Calvados (actually mandatory in the Domfrontais region with a minimum of 30%), only apples grown on the Camut property are used in Camut calvados.

Amber color. Melted toffee along with subdued notes of spiced apple and honey. Lovely round mouthfeel, with just a finishing touch of smoke and floral notes. 86 proof.

Producer Description 

Chateau du Breuil 20 years XO XL from France, is the extra large variant with a capacity of no less than 2 liters! It is a soft calvados that is rich in full aromas. Chateau du Breuil 20 years XO is a mixture of different Calvados varieties, which are at least 20 years old. This combination makes the taste of the calvados sublimely soft with a nice sweet aspect. 

Producer Description 

Orchard fruit notes are common to both Calvados and Scotch malt whisky. Many Calvados producers double-distil in pot stills, just like their Scottish cousins. Maturation in French oak is another aspect of their shared DNA.

These two spirits share richness, sweetness and complexity; the Calvados lends an intensity and length to the finish which enhances the character of the Scotch whiskies.

Serve over ice, mix with amari and vermouth into a unique twist on a boulevardier, or pair with a deliciously sweet tarte tatin. 

We think you’ll agree that these two spirits really do have an affinity for one another. 

Producer Description 

The mild and damp weather and clayed soil of the Pays d'Auge give the ideal growing conditions for its 22,000 apple trees which surround the Chateau du Breuil.

Light amber-colored. Fruity and complex aromas with hints of ripe apple, fresh almond, light citrus (orange peel-lime), and quince. Mild and well-rounded on the palate with notes of ripe fruits and quince with a long finish and a light bitterness of almond. Four years of ageing allows the calvados to develop suppleness and roundness.

Producer Description 

Normandy distillate made from apples and aged for a minimum of two years in oak barrels. It exudes a crisp and very fruity aroma, as well as a refreshing, slightly spicy, but slender taste.

Multiple medalist of the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, which confirms the prestige and unusual quality that the distillery manages to regularly keep in its bottles. Producer Description.