265: Calvados with Étienne Dupont | Normandy

Tasting Calvados with Étienne Dupont

Étienne Dupont took over the Domaine Familial Etienne Dupont in the Pays d'Auge region of Normandy France from his father Louis and grandfather Jules in 1980. Episode 098: Jérôme Dupont | Domaine Dupont is a conversation with Étienne son who sadly passed away in 2018. The recording with Jérôme provides the backdrop of the story behind the Dupont families acquiring the estate or what is called a Domaine in France. 

Eitenne Dupont and Benoit at Cave Pepins

In this episode Étienne and I are in the city of Caen and we are visiting Cave Pepin - wonderful store filled with Calvados, Cider, Poire and Pommeau. We are assisted by Benoit or Ben who works at the store and brought us through a tasting of Calvados.

Etienne begins by describing the

Étienne's Notes Three Sources of Aroma in Calvados

• The fruit
• The Yeast
• The Cask in which the Calvados has been kept

If the cask is new wood you will taste the sap which presents itself as grainy.

Classical Calvados - the cask only contained cider and Calvados

Étienne asks if we suspect acetone in the Calvados as we are tasting.

During our first tasting we are delve into the taste and as Étienne says,

“We are fighting the acetone, we are too professional”

Étienne's Tips on Distillation of Cider

• He prefers a quick fermentation of 3 days and then distillation. But alas the rules in Normandy require that distillation now must be done 3 weeks from the point of initial distillation.
• Use clean apples. When Domaine Dupont presses the juice goes directly into concrete vats at the Pressoir and then it is pumped underground via tubing to the pot still.
• The cider is racked off the gross lees at this point, with only the fine lees being distilled
• His preferred temperature to ferment the cider is 22 to 23 degrees celsius (71 Fahrenheit) and no fermentation below 8 degrees Celsius (46 Fahrenheit).

Determining Age of Calvados

• Fine is younger 2-3 years old
• Hors d'Age is at least 6 years old
  • Étienne jokes that Hors d'Age which can range from 6 years to 20 is designed to get you lost. I agree and so best to ask the producer! Or as Étienne says that "You must rely on your palate."

Contact for Cave Pepin

I recommend following -  Cave Pepin's Facebook page

Contact for Domaine Familial Etienne Dupont

Website: https://www.calvados-dupont.com/en/ciders-calvados.htm

Mentions in this chat

• Piotr Marzęcki of Polandski Read about Piotr ciders via Cider From Poland
  • Fermentis yeast that Piotr uses for his ciders.  UCLM S325
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  • Cider Chat YouTubeFermentis Q&A #13
    • Fermentis by Lesaffre -This week's Q&A with Kevin Lane from Fermentis:
      • What are the sulfite additions effects on cider/yeast that you are planning to use?

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