Lemorton 25 Ans Grande Reserve Vieux Calvados Domfrontais (40%, OB, 2016)

• Category: Calvados Domfrontais
• Origin: Calvados Didier Lemorton
• Bottling: Official
• ABV: 40%
• Cost: €73 from Calvados Didier Lemorton

What they say

Lemorton Grande Reserve 25 ans is made from barrels aged for a minimum of 25 years or more.

What I say

Located at La Baillée Fêtu near Mantilly, Lemorton Calvados is operated by Didier and his son Damien who represent the 3rd and 4th generation of distillers in the Lemorton family. Lemorton operate a traditional high-stem/low density orchard with a large number of pear trees, more suitable than apple trees, to the limestone soil conditions around the Domfront region. They produce quite possibly the finest Calvados Domfrontais, under the Appellation d’origine controlee Calvados Domfrontais must contain a minimum of 30% pear. At Lemorton they typically produce from a mixture of 70% pear and only 30% apple – lending a lighter and more elegant character to their Calvados.

Purchased (€73) at the cellar door of Lemorton Calvados Distillery following our wonderful tour (report coming soon) with Damien Lemorton, this batch was bottled June 2016.

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Dark coppery brown with golden highlights (15/20) large tears and thick legs
• Nose: Tannic oak to the fore, sweet, chalky and flowery, juicy orchard fruits, quite complex, apple juice and slight hints of pear drop sweeties (ketones), pear liqueur, slightly herbal, sage, cloves, vegetal and woody
• Taste: Smooth tannic oak, hardened toffee, duty spiced on pear flesh/pear skin, slightly ascerbic, herbal, clove oil & rose oil, quite light on the palate despite the depth of aged wood, old woody sugars, resin, tobacco leaf, cigar boxes, tanned leather, dried orange peel
• Finish: Long, tannic oak wood, mid-sweet, fruity

Overall

Aged to perfection, their are hints of juicy pear fruits still here but with a mass of drying, deeply woody and herbal oak, tannins and clove all weaved seamlessly together.

Score: 91/100