Calvados VSOP
A.O.C. Calvados du Pays d'Auge
Calvados VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) has aged 5 years in oak barrels, with 25% of new oak.
- Terroir
- Clay and Oxfordian marl soil.
- Varieties
- 80% of bittersweet apples
20% of acid apples - Harvesting
- from September to November
- Alcohol cont.
- 42 % vol.
Techniques used
The apples are mixed, crushed and pressed. The apple juice is fermented right out to give cider to be distilled. Double distillation is carried out 6 months after the fermentation has taken place. The first distillation gives the "petite eau" at 30% by volume and it is the second distillation, that of the "petite eau" which gives the Calvados.
Aging:
Five years minimum. In toasted 400 L
(88 imperial gallon) oak barrels, 25% of
which are new. Bottled when ordered.
Tasting notes
Eyes: Gold color. Bright and clear.
Nose: Intense and soft. Notes of toasted oak and liquorice, vanilla sugar, and white fresh fruit.
Mouth: First sensation is sweet and soft
with notes of apple juicy. Empty glass offers notes of vanilla, soft almond and hay.
(Read also: Tasting Calvados)
Suggestions
- Storage: very long, bottles upright without special precautions.
- As an Aperitif: on its own, over ice, or with a drop or two of water to let it release its aromas.
- For cooking: to flambé, and for sorbets and granités.
- As a digestive: drinking temperature 20-22°C (68 to 72°F).
Press comments
Daily Telegraph:
"Pure pleasure."
(Dec. 2015)
Sunday Times Magazine:
"rich on the nose and pleasantly biting on the finish."
(Feb. 2019)
Bottle types: 70 cl - 50 cl - 35
cl