Calvados Michel Huard Hors D'age...

Calvados Michel Huard Hors D'age (48.0%): According to AOC to be able to be called Calvados the spirit must be distilled from apples and/or pears in one of the three appellations in Lower Normandy (Basse-Normandie).  These appellations are "Pays d'Auge" which requires double distilling and usually made from only apples, "Calvados Domfrontais" which is distilled only once and must contain at least 30% pears and "AOC Calvados" again single distilled but only from apples. AOC Calvados makes up for over 70 percent of the overall production in the region. Huard family is producing Calvados for seven generations. After letting their cider ferment for eight months in different orchards they distill it using a mobile column still. This Hors d'Age is a blend of 1990, 1992 and 1999 vintages. Color: Polished copper. Crystal clear amber color. Nose: It's a good idea to allow it air a little first. Tart granny smith apples, mouth drying sour cider and lightly toasted oak. It gets better and more complex with airing. Butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and hint of metallic overtones. Palate: Apple is sweeter on the palate, more like Fuji apples. Apple pie right out of oven; vanilla, cinnamon and roasted hazelnuts. Finish: Pretty long and dry with very mild peppery notes. Overall: A very rich and complex brandy for a quite reasonable price. Fits amazingly well to the cold winter we are going through nowadays. It feels amazingly satisfying to sip it and watch the street after the blizzard behind the window of my warm apartment. It literally made me wish I had a fire place right now... 

Comments