Claque-Pepin Fine Calvados

 Aromas of bruised red apple, foliage, light baking spice and oak barrel notes. The palate has sweet apple balanced by a savory note with a moderate mouthfeel. D&M Tasting Notes

This young, value-priced bottling made in AOC Calvados, with 30% pears, is a solid introduction to young Calvados. Its nose is understated, with pear blossom and pear peel aromas, along with confectionary notes that carry through on the palate. Soft in the mouth, with flavors or pear compote and membrillo, and a finish of baking spice and peppercorn. Fresh and very drinkable. (AOC Calvados, 40% abv.) 90 Points Jason Wilson, Vinous November 2018

To set the scene we start in Serans, a small village in the Orne department of Southern Normandy, between Domfrontais to the south and Pays d’Auge to the north. This small village is located a few miles from Argentin, one of the larger towns in that neck of the woods. Argentin is perhaps best known as the home of Ecusson, a large industrial producer of French supermarket cider. For our purposes and narrative we turn to Benoit Louvet, the gentleman at the center of the story. Benoit is a native of Serans, and after studying enology he began his career working at Ecusson. This state of affairs lasted for a couple of years before he moved up in the world and became the maître du chai or cellarmaster for a large negociant house. He continued as cellarmaster for a half decade before becoming Director of Production at Grand Marnier. Not bad for a farm boy from an out of the way town in Normandy. Though he may have achieved professional success, Benoit’s thoughts increasingly turned back to helping his grandfather Vital as early as age 5 work the family’s small still.

So, in 2003 Benoit left Paris and his directorship at Grand Marnier to return to his native village and start making Calvados his way. Upon his return to Serans he first bought the 17th century family farm (thinking his son was out of the business and never to return his father had sold the chateau in 1990). The intermediate owners had not been keen on upkeep so there was decidedly work to be done. While Benoit had worked at scale for industrial producers, he wanted the scale of his new business to be smaller, more artisanal, and closer to the style in vogue during his grandfather’s stewardship, in a word- artisanal. He rehabbed a number of barns on the property, installed some cider tanks, and set aside a large area for large and small barrels. That is all well in good for Fine grade Calvados, but for older stock Benoit tapped his connections and bought both cider to distill as well as young spirits from local producers which he began to lovingly raise on his newly named property:

The name Claque-Pepin itself comes from an ancient Normandy apple variety. Being quite literal, the apple has a small, hollow cavity that allows its seeds to click against each other like a Norman castanet when shaken. Most of Louvet’s purchases come from the Domfrontais, an area he adores not only for its pear-based fruit but also for the forward flavors that its single-distillation brings. Having worked as a blender in his previous corporate life he does have stock from the Pays d’Auge, and usually combines both regions into his various releases. His sources vary from medium-sized distillers scattered around the countryside to the hidden stock of paysans who have never sold a bottle in their lives. In addition to the older releases that we have for you, he has converted to organic production and has even gotten the next generation involved in the family business from a tender age Michael Kennel, D&M