By Barnaby Eales
My search for artisanal Calvados producers in Normandy leads me down a rural, tree-lined avenue flanked by orchards, and into a spacious courtyard. Stepping out of my car, I stare up at an exceedingly tall Cedar tree, a fine specimen and symbol of the singularity and longevity of Domaine de La Touche, a secluded 17th century estate and manor house in Montabard, where natural Calvados has been made for four generations.
They’re natural in the sense that no pesticide sprays are used in the organically grown orchards, nor is sulphur employed in production.
Owner and Calvados maker Marie-Laure Leplatsays she does not use additives in the production of Calvados. During barrel ageing there is no use of boisé, a liquid derivative of wood used to make Calvados appear older; nor caramel, to darken the colour; nor sugar, which softens and rounds any harshness in younger Calvados.
Only handpicked apples grown in the estate’s orchards are used here to make cider, (which through distillation, become Calvados), Mme Leplat tells me. I learn that apple trees can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and that Calvados, which is made from distilled cider, can use lower amounts of water than other spirits.
Prior to their release, Mme Leplat’s pure Calvados brandies are aged for at least 10 years; they all combine power and finesse on the palate. An evolving panoply of flavours and aromas show just how sensuous and age-worthy natural Calvados can be. My host invites me to taste her range of Calvados brandies seated beside an open roaring fire, where we indulge in a selection of fine cheese, cornichons, and cold meats.
Indeed, Calvados is no longer drunk only by men of a certain age as a digestif. It’s used in cocktails and found on the lists of contemporary restaurants across France. My go to aperitif is now Domaine de La Touche’s Pommeau, a blend of pure apple juice and unfiltered amber Calvados. In contrast to Calvados, Pommeau is sweet, and apple peel flavours and a hint of cinnamon and liquorice linger. Try it with Tarte Tatin, or Tarte Normande and whipped Normandy cream.
Domaine de la Touche is conveniently situated just a few kms from the A88 road, which leads to Caen and the port of Ouistreham. Ahead of my Brittany Ferries sailing, I find myself enjoying the quietude of this green oasis and its old white stone manor house and granite stone outer buildings. If Mme Leplat’s drinks are singular, so too is the location. I am standing above the geological crossroads of Normandy, where the granite and schist rocks of the Armorican Massif meet the rocky limestone soils of the Paris Basin, which all have an impact on the properties of apples grown here.
Mme Leplat, who was born here in the house, learnt about Calvados production just across the courtyard, where Navi, the family horse, once rolled the old granite stone wheel through a circular channel to press the apples.
During tours (reservations required) Mme Leplat explains the whole process, from the orchards to barrel ageing.
She describes Domaine de La Touche as “the world’s smallest Calvados producer”. It may be small in terms of volumes produced, but it’s certainly big qualitatively.
Calvados Michel Huard
Quality production is also the ethos at Calvados Michel Huard, whose coveted vintage Calvados brandies are made in the commune of Caligny, located on the edge of the Suisse Normande area, south of Falaise, and home to sweeping vistas of rolling green hills.
The Calvados Michel Huard estate is run by producer Jean-François Guillouet-Huard, who has retained his grandfather’s name, Michel Huard, for the company since taking up the reins in 2004. Instead of converting land into corn production, Michel took his Calvados to restaurants and merchants in Paris, and maintained the family heritage of artisanal Calvados production, which now goes back seven generations.
Interestingly, the estate’s Calvados book says that it was the Basques of Biscay who first brought cider apple trees to Normandy in the 13th century. Who knew?
On a tour of the estate, where as many as 30 apple varieties are grown, Guillouet-Huard shows me how cider fermentation is controlled with tanks built underground. We enter his newly acquired Protestant stone church just next door, which he is now restoring. Guillouet-Huard tells me the church will house Calvados barrels and be used for concerts and tastings. Musician Pete Doherty, a Normandy resident, who is a fan of Michel Huard Calvados, recently gave an impromptu performance here. Doherty even has his name chalked onto one of the vast oak barrels used to age Calvados. Hardly surprising, given the quality of Calvados revealed in my comparative tasting of the 1994 and 2016 vintages. If the relatively young 2016 is still fresh and exuberant, the 1994 has a wonderous unctuosity and depth, with toffee, cacao, and spicy flavours.
With a memory of the taste of artisanal Calvados brandies still lingering long, I have a feeling that I’ll be soon returning to Normandy to learn more about its apple culture; especially, Calvados.
Photo credits: Domaine de la Touche
Foodie Blog 