Calvados Dauphin

Normandy and Calvados - of rugged landscapes and juicy apples

Calvados is both a department in Normandy and the name of a traditional apple brandy that comes from this department. The name "Calvados" comes from a frigate of the Spanish Armada that was wrecked on the cliffs of Normandy on its way to the great naval battle against England - it was called "Calvador".

Normandy, on the Atlantic coast, in the far north of France, is the epitome of a rugged, austere and unspoiled landscape, whose beauty consists of rugged cliffs, a salty breeze and a rather hardened people. The production of an apple brandy from Cydre has been documented since 1553 by a royal concession to Sire Gilles de Gouberville of Le Mesnil-au-Val.

The finest Calvados comes from Pays d'Auge

Calvados Dauphin comes from the Pays d' Auge, a paradisiacal stretch of land in the heart of Normandy. This is where the apples grow, the varieties approved for Calvados production, from which the cider is made and the apple brandy distilled. Only the barrel aging of two to six years or longer leads to the Calvados.
This is what nature wants, and French law states that only Calvados whose apples come from this narrowly defined region and are distilled there can carry the coveted  "Appellation Calvados Pays d' Auge Contrôlée" designation - like Calvados Dauphin.

The Calvados of Calvados Dauphin as Fine, V. S. O. P. and as Hors d'Age Très Vielle are among the finest specialties of their kind.