Calvados 50 ans non-réduit
A.O.C. Calvados du Pays d'Auge

Calvados 50 ans non réduit (= "50 years unreduced") is a strong calvados: it is bottled at cask strength, with neither dilution nor cold filtration. It has been treated in such a way as to maximise its concentration and complexity.

Terroir

Clay and Oxfordian marl soil.

Varieties

80% of bittersweet apples
20% of acid apples

Harvesting

from September to November

Alcohol cont.

52 % vol.

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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 1 month 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: Fifty years minimum. In toasted 1200 litre (264 imp gallon) and subsequently 400 litre (88 imp gallon) oak barrels. This Calvados was neither reduced (no water is added) nor filtered after cold stabilization. Bottled when ordered.

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Tasting notes

Eyes: Amber color, coppery reflections.
Nose: Intense and complex. Scents of caramelized apples and stone fruits (cherry, prunes, etc.), gingerbread and leather.
Mouth: Frank and powerful. Aromas of caramelized apples, notes of bitter oranges coated with sweet spices. Perfect balance between the woody concentration, the finesse of the alcohol and the deliciousness of the apple.

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(Read also: Tasting Calvados)

Suggestions

- Storage: very long, bottles upright, protected from light.
- As a Digestive: Drinking temperature 20-22°C (68 to 72°F). Very suitable for lovers of fine eaux-de-vie, fruit chocolate and powerful cigars. The lack of dilution gives it a unique intensity both on the nose and in the mouth. As this calvados was not cold filtered, a light deposit can appear.

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Press comments:

La Revue du Vin de France : "It takes generations of passion and sacrifice to produce such an eau-de-vie (...) You can spend hours swooning over its very subtle nose (...) a single centilitre on the tongue can be contemplated for long minutes (...)"

Bottle type: 70 cl