Calvados Berneroy VSOP
Calvados
Berneroy // Calvados, France
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Cost
Berneroy Calvados allows the freshly pressed apple juice to spontaneously ferment using only the ‘wild’ yeasts present on the apple skins. The cider is fermented over a period of about four weeks to complete dryness. The dry cider is distilled only once using an antique copper-column still. The single distillation results in a highly fruity and aromatic spirit and differs from the nearby AOC Calvados Pays d’Auge and AOC Calvados Domfrontais regions. It is aged exclusively in older, ‘seasoned’ (aka used) barrels for a minimum of 4 years for the VSOP as required by law. The Berneroy Master Blender then combines the barrels of various ages and characteristics to create the house style.
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ageNAS
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abv40.0
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CalvadosBrandy distilled from apples (pear is allowed and in some sub-regions, required) from a delimited region in northwest France. Must be aged a minimum of 2 years in oak. Minimum aging if labeled: Fine-2 years, Réserve-3 years, VSOP-4 years, Hors d’Age-6 years
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Cask TypeFrench oak seasoned with Calvados
Tasting Notes
"Deep gold in color this Calvados has an intense nose that instantly transports you to the barrel room in Normandy with hints of forest floor and fruit notes of cherry, poached pears and, of course, baked apples. Aromatics continue with hints of Sauternes, mushrooms and honey. The complexity will keep you returning to the glass to decipher more. On the palate, a welcome heat is balanced with the sweet, waxy apple flavors and spices not noticed on the nose of cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla. The brandy feels like satin and finishes long and lux, with baked apple skin hanging on until the very end. Drink as they do in Normandy; neat, after dinner. "
Reviewed by
Kelley Slagle