Calvados Dupont Fine, Pays D’Auge 40% 70cl

Description

Calvados Dupont Fine is the youngest Calvados in Dupont’s range. It is aged for a minimum of 2 years in oak barrels, 50% of which are new.

Calvados Dupont was founded in 1916 when Jules Dupont bought it at a “candle auction. In 1980, Etienne Dupont took over from his father Louis and worked extremely hard to improve the old orchards, quality of cider production and distillation methods. Etienne Dupont was responsible for the creation of the appellation contrôlée A.O.C. Pays d’Auge. Since 2002, Jerome Dupont, Etienne’s son, has run the estate in partnership with his sister Anne-Pamy and continues to modernise and improve.

Calvados Dupont is situated in the heart of the Pays d’Auge Calvados in the commune of Victot-Pontfol. The Pays d’Auge region has become known for the extra finesse and delicacy of the Calvados partly because it only permits the use of apples (other regions, like Domfront, can use pears as well) and insists on double pot distillation.

The estate comprises over 35 hectares of orchards planted on clay soils which combine small standard trees and older taller trees. It has been organically certified since 2021. Apple varieties such as Saint Martin, Doux Normandie and Noël des Champs are specially cultivated to provide the maximum aromatic qualities from their small fruits. Domaine Dupont uses three types of apples in a set formula: 30% sweet, 30% bitter and 40% apples with high acidity to give the perfect balance of flavour. All the apples are cropped manually and stored in open wooden crates to allow them to rest and mature for up to a month before fermentation.

Next, the apples are mixed, crushed and pressed. The apple juice is fermented right out to dryness to produce the cider to be distilled. A double distillation (as per the AOC rules) is carried out one month after the fermentation takes place. The first distillation produces the “petite eau” which comes off the still at 30% ABV. It is the second distillation the “petite eau” which gives the spirit destined to be turned into Calvados by maturation in oak barrels.

To perfect the estate’s distilling techniques, Etienne went to Cognac and studied their methods. This, combined with the knowledge he inherited, produces a spirit that represents the flavour and ripeness of the apple alongside the mellowness and warmth of a well-aged spirit. He also experiments with ageing in different-sized casks and oak types to ensure the flavours extracted through distillation are further enhanced during maturation. Aged for at least 2 years in 400 litre oak barrels, 50% of which are new. No sugar or caramel is added.

Dupont is one of the best producers in the Pays d’Auge region and Calvados Dupont Fine is a wonderful example of a fresher, fruitier style of Calvados.