Calvados Selection - Marquis de Saint-Loup

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 40% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Fruit takes centre stage in Marquis de Saint-Loup Sélection. It starts with cider made from 70% apples and 30% pears. The Calvados matures for two to three years in very old wooden casks; oak casks previously used for sherry or port are also used for maturation.

It has a pale golden-yellow colour in the glass. Apple and pear mingle with spices and a delicate pastry note. The Calvados is bottled at 40% in 0.7-litre bottles and also makes a suitable digestif.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose opens with fresh and dried apples. Nashi pear, quince, vanilla and cardamom then emerge.
• Palate: The Calvados opens softly on the palate and quickly develops warmth, with a medium body. Cardamom, nutmeg and herbs accompany dried apple, Nashi pear and quince jam. Delicate brioche notes complement the fruit and lend the texture an almost creamy quality.
• Finish: The fairly long finish is distinctly warming, with pear as its defining note.

Distillery/Bottler:

Marquis de Saint-Loup comes from the Calvados house Christian Drouin in Normandy. Its story began in 1960, when Christian Drouin senior acquired the Fiefs Sainte-Anne estate near Gonneville-sur-Honfleur. Together with distiller Pierre Pivet, he turned the estate's own cider into Calvados, initially building up stocks of maturing spirits. Sales began in 1979.

In 1991–92, production moved to a 17th-century farm in Coudray-Rabut near Pont-l'Evêque. Cask selection and blending are central to the house's work: Christian and Guillaume Drouin taste every cask in the cellar each year before deciding how it will be used. Each vintage Calvados and each blend receives a maturation programme tailored to its age and intended style.

Facts: