We're switching gears and going to Calvados now and we're looking at a 1999 and 1984 vintage selection from Domaine du Manoir de Montreuil. There's not a lot I can dig up on this producer. They have very little internet presence beyond what I can find through their importer, Charles Neal. The highlights: Run by the Giard family and located in the Pays d'Auge appellation of Calvados this is a family run outfit handed down from father to son. Farming on 30 hectares of red and green apple orchards with what sounds like a preference towards traditional and natural methods of farming and heritage varieties of apples.
If you'd like to learn more you can go to Charles Neal's website for further reading: http://www.charlesnealselections.com/domaine-du-manoir-de-montreuil.html
What follows are tasting notes on two vintage cask selections, a 1999 and 1984.
1999, 42%
Nose: Primarily of overripe apples and dark caramel. Confectionery fudge-like richness. Some oak influence comes through. A little musty. Black pepper.
Taste: Mulled cider. Candied apples, cherries. Rich caramel and toffee. Vanilla. Slightly tangy towards the finish and light hints of oak. The finish tapers off fairly quickly.
This is very good. It's heavy handed on the sugars, although it never gets sickly sweet. All the fruits and candies play nicely. The profile is immaculate, actually, and if I had to introduce somebody to calvados, this wouldn't be a bad choice. But, still, the profile leaves me wanting a bit more. It's possible the lower proof is at play here as I believe they did reduce this cask down to 42% over the years.
B
Available at Astor Wines for $150.
1984, 50%
Nose: There's no mistaking the apple DNA here as the initial aroma is of spiced apple sauce. There are berries, too. Mainly raspberries. These fruits give way to darker sugars and loads of baking spices. Clove, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, all swimming in a base of oaky caramel.
Taste: Like the nose it's all sweet fruits up front. Baked apples and pears. Cream. Caramel. Spiced apple butter. Cinnamon, cloves. Where it departs from the nose is these cooked fruit sugars give way to a medicinal sweetness. Acetone notes of lacquer, spicy tannins, hints of tobacco, charred wood. These heavier flavors play well with the orchard fruits through the mid-palate and linger well into a long finish.
This aged well, and while undeniably apple-y, offers a nice complexity beyond its more youthful sibling. Not to get caught up on proof, but I do think the 50% is a better fit for this spirit. I split this bottle with a friend, and I kept coming back to it. In fact, I found myself placing it just slightly out of sight to make it last a little longer.
A-
This was originally available through Astor Wines for around $215, but is now out of stock. Let's hope Charles Neal brings us more vintage releases from this producer in the future.
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