BENOIT DECOUT / REA / LAIF TASTING NOTES CORE FAMILY Sister-and-brother team Anne-Pamy and the late Jerome Dupont were at the heart of the calvados renaissance. 72 NetJets
interested in calvados production and pursuing the tradition and bringing some fresh and open ideas at the same time,” explained Jerome Dupont to me a few years ago. As head of the stately Domaine Dupont (calvadosdupont.com), he did so much to push the new modern image of calvados before his untimely death in 2018. The aforementioned Groult, Dupont, and Drouin are all members of Esprit Calvados, as is Le Père Jules (calvados-leperejules.com), which is based in Saint- Désir and which bottles 10, 20, and even 40-yearold blends in its atmospheric cellars, and Pierre Huet (calvados-huet.com), which still has a 1935 vintage calvados for sale at its highly regarded domaine on the Route du Cidre in the charmed village of Cambremer. While Pays d’Auge, closest to Normandy’s historic beaches, gets much of the attention, there is another region, Calvados Domfrontais, which adds to the stylistic diversity. Drouin calls these single-distilled brandies “more straightforward, more acidic, vibrant, and lively,” a character brought out further by the inclusion of pears—at least 30%. Two exemplars of this appellation are producers Lauriston (calvados-lauriston.com) and Père Magloire (calvados-pere-magloire.com) whose fruity and more subtle calvados work well as aperitifs or in cocktails. Regardless of where they are cultivated, “the apple aromas create the flavorful typicity of calvados compared to other brown spirits,” Dupont once said. “And this is one of the main reasons why calvados lovers are so faithful.” Leave it to a Frenchman to inject a bit of romance into the intoxicating equation. WHERE TO STAY Deauville has been a resort town for Parisians for decades; its Hotel Normandy Barrière (hotelsbarriere. com) is a classic, near the beach with a casino attached. For a quieter time, head outside of town to Les Manoirs de Tourgéville (lesmanoirstourgeville. com), set among the area’s golf courses and stud farms, or to Les Manoirs des Portes de Deauville (portesdedeauville.com), where the nine cottages are surrounded by six acres of blissful calm. In historic Honfleur, Hôtel Saint-Delis (hotel-saintdelis.fr) offers nine chic rooms and some remarkable restaurants in easy reach. But to really get into the heart of Calvados, head to Château de la Pommeraye (chateaudelapommeraye.com), set in the countryside inside a renovated 12th-century castle. WHERE TO EAT Normandy is known for its dairy; try the Michelinstarred Le Pavé d’Auge (pavedauge.com) in Beuvronen-Auge for some classic cream- and cheese-centered dishes. Inside the casino in Deauville, Le Ciro’s Barrière (casinosbarriere.com) makes the most of the seaside location with a great seafood menu as well as a superb list of calvados for afterward, or for a more modern take on local, seasonal ingredients, try Caen’s A Contre Sens (acontresenscaen.fr). A TASTE OF THE PAST, TODAY The popularity of the “third” French brandy may be increasing but it remains true to its traditions. CLAES LOFGREN / WINEPICTURES.COM NetJets 73