"In Victot-Pontfol, a wisp of farmland and orchad just a few miles inland from Normandy's resort beaches, is the Domaine Familial L. Dupont, one of the truly great makers of calvados. Etienne Dupont follows his forebears in the artisanal tradition but is constantly innovating in little and big ways to improve his product" David E. Outerbridge - Bloomberg Personnal Finance Nov. 2000  

The apples of the Domaine Louis Dupont are handpicked and grinded before being pressed. The extracted juice ferments, under the action of yeasts, becomes cider. Then, the cider has to be distilled to produce Calvados. At last, the maturation of Calvados will take several years. 

The apples varieties are typical of the Pays d'Auge. Some are sweet (Rouge Duret), others are acid (Rambault) or bitter sweet (Argile rouge, Binet rouge, Saint Martin, Mettais and Frequin). It is necessary to mix them to obtain a well balanced cider. The secret of the flavour is in the fruit size.  The smaller the apples are, the greater the aromatic intensity is.

At the Domaine, everything is done to develop the aromatic quality of the apple and also to keep the fruit undamaged. The soils of the Pays d'Auge are marls and marl chalks. As those soils are very poor, they restrict the growth of the trees. Le Domaine bans the use of nitrates which can be used to increase the fruits. 

The apples are handpicked to avoid  damaging  the fruit, and forming storage in lofts where they were easily spoilt. The apples are now kept in open worked wooden boxes called pallox. They will rest, breathe, desiccate and ripe in ideal conditions for a three to four weeks period. 

Pressing

All the flavour of the apples comes from the skin and under the skin, and not from the pulp. Therefore all the stages of the apples transformation are aimed at extracting the maximum flavour from the skin.

Once grated, the apples will macerate for 2 hours. The fact that the skin softens, that leads to the extraction of the tannins and to the improvement of the aromas of the apple juice. 

A membrane press has been especially adapted to the apples. For over two hours, the juice is slowly extracted under low pressure and the crushed apples are rotated every ten minutes. The skin and the pulp are evenly pressed. The pressing is long and slowly to allow the mout to collect all the flavours. The membrane press achieves this, better than any other press. Furthermore, the hygiene of this stainless steel press is far superior to any other apple tray and linen process. 

Fermentation

The fermentation process of the cider, before it is distilled, lasts approximately 2 months. The cider will be kept in contact with its lees to prevent from any alteration of the flavour. Then the  cider is taken out of its lees and it ages at Le Domaine for about 1 year.

Destillation 

The cooper still of Le Domaine Familial Louis Dupont is a Chalvignac still. The automatic cleaning system of the coil avoids loading the distillate with cooper oxides. It is a sophisticated still that allows a flexible and precise distillation. This stage gives the softness and silkiness of this spirit.

From an ideal cider, the quality of the spirit will not only depends on the Master ship of the process and the heating but also on the quality of the still.

When the temperature of the cider reaches 80C°, the aromatic molecules and alcohols are carried by the steam flow. The shorter the swan neck, the more intense the heat is, the better the steam is for an optimal extraction.

The first distillation of the cider will produce the "petite eau". To get rid of the fatty alcohols and to increase the delicacy of the "petite eau", the distillate must flow out at a temperature of 13° C. It gives the light alcohols between 28° and 30° which already contains all the basic elements of our future Calvados.
The second distillation of the petite eau produces the final Calvados and is called the "bonne chauffe". The first part of this second distillation, called "tętes", is not kept because it contains too much alcohol. The last part of the distilled product is also rejected because of its fats and its lack of delicacy.  The only part of the distillate which is kept to become the final Calvados is called the "coeur de la bonne chauffe" and contains the alcohols between 60° and 78° . During this important stage of the distillation, the heat must be enough intense to allow the steam to carry all the aromatic compounds above the swan neck.

The richness of aromas in the final product and the quality which was gained through the ageing process rely on the choice of the barrels. Oak barrels are preferred, but not just any oak ! Oak which has grown up on sandy soils will give a fine vanilla taste to the Calvados. Oak which has grown up on rocky soils will not be selected because it gives a tar taste to the Calvados ! The lateral pieces of the barrel have to be burnt in order to be bent. We prefer the wood which was burnt slowly because the sap will keep its vanilla taste.

The maturation in young barrels is long enough to give the Calvados its vanilla taste. Moreover it is necessary that it is not too long, in order that the spirit keeps its original apple taste, strength and balance. The next stage of the maturation will then take place in older barrels. Being in contact with the air through the pores of the wood, the alcohol evaporates and the aromas get more intense, complex and concentrated. The Calvados slowly reaches his consumption degree.

Etienne Dupont avoids, as far as possible, the common practice of adding water, a practice which affects the Calvados' quality. Instead, the alcohol evaporation is encouraged by a thorough aeration. Some particularly chosen Calvados of the Domaine are not reduced.

Young Calvados with good quality is very much characterised by intense aromas of fresh young apples. When the Calvados gets older, these fruity aromas will turn into some more mature flavours of oak and minerals.

Just after the distillation, all spirits are colourless. One of the most important effects of the maturation process is the darkening of the colour, along with the increase in sweetness, essential oils and fatty acids. The combination of these factors gives the maximum roundness and intensity to aging Calvados.

Young Calvados, with its fruity aromas, is very pleasant as an aperitif, or to accompany some meals. it can also be well appreciated as a digestive. Old Calvados is the perfect way to end an elaborate meal that has been accompanied by fine wines. Their complexity and richness deserve attention and concentration ; one needs to take time to appreciate fully their subtle bouquets and rich intense aromas. The silkier calvados will be served plain, while a calvados with more intense aromas will be appreciated either plain or to accompany well selected coffee, chocolates with high cocoa content, or cigars.