Calvados Domfrontais

 Like the Pays d'Auge, the Domfrontais region is geographically and geologically a very homogeneous territory. Discreetly nestled in the south of Normandy, between Alençon and Mont-Saint-Michel , the Domfrontais bocage is a hilly and wooded region, made up of hills and ridges, the terrain is uneven and abundant in watering holes. Fields and meadows-orchards are bordered by embankments bearing hedges and coppices. The buildings made of local stone seem made to last for centuries and hide family secrets. This bocage region devotes most of its agricultural activities to dairy farming and the production of cider, perry and calvados. Corn cultivation is nevertheless progressing there.

What still strikes the visitor who goes to Domfrontais, despite the considerable distance from its orchard, are these tall, solidly built trees, which stand majestically in the natural meadows: perry pear trees, a very slow-growing tree which becomes adult at fifty years old and whose life expectancy can reach several centuries. These large pear trees are among the first trees to flower, before the apple trees. This blossoming of immaculate white flowers announces the powerful awakening of the forces of nature, the rite of spring . In the autumn, in good years, the pear trees are laden with small green or gray pears, pears for the press from which perry is made, this effervescent drink, similar to cider. The omnipresence of these pear trees is explained by the nature of the soil.

The Domfrontais offers a deep soil made up of a granite base and layers of schist covered with silt. It is favorable to the development of pear trees, which explains the planting of a large number of perry pear trees.

The 2015 decree defines the specificity of Calvados Domfrontais even more soberly than that of Pays d'Auge: "Calvados Domfrontais has organoleptic characteristics reminiscent of fruit"! The characteristics of this eau-de-vie, made from a blend of apples and at least 30% pears, are much more specific: exuberant fruit aromas, a conquering pear scent, ardor, elegance, finesse; it is more ethereal, more mineral, and often more lively than Pays d'Auge: Pays d'Auge and Domfrontais are two aristocrats of eau-de-vie, one suave, rich, deep, unfathomable, the other wild and flamboyant. Why did it take so long for Domfrontais to be admitted to the circle of great eaux-de-vie? A few talented producers had introduced the authentic Domfrontais Calvados to sommeliers long before it received its appellation of origin. But aside from a small number of initiates, "Domfrontais" remained a jealously guarded secret. The Pays d'Auge was exposed to the light of day, while Domfrontais was hidden deep in the bocage. Its isolation is what gives it its authenticity today.

Let us recall that in 1942, only Calvados from the Pays d'Auge had been recognized as a controlled appellation. A new category of appellation, the Regulated Appellation, had been created to exempt potable spirits from requisition. Calvados from Domfrontais had been recognized as a regulated appellation of origin. In 1984, the ten regions recognized as regulated appellations had been united into a single Calvados controlled appellation area. The producers of Domfrontais had declined the offer to become a fully-fledged controlled appellation.

Faced with the disappearance of traditional outlets, the distillers of Domfrontais were not ready to uproot their orchards and abandon the production of Calvados. Accustomed to selling their brandy without prospecting, without promotion, without work on the image, they attributed the consumer disaffection for Calvados to excessively high taxes. They did not question the quality of the products offered and the image they conveyed, the lack of market organization, and, with a few exceptions, the inability to develop a commercial strategy. They were farmers, not businessmen with marketing and communication skills. With the market now absorbing only a fraction of production, for many of them, fraud appeared as a lifeline. It offered prices well above market prices and cash payment. Clandestine activity surrounding eaux-de-vie and Calvados took on considerable importance from the end of the 1950s until the end of the 1990s, making the Domfrontais region the golden triangle of fraud and the last bastion of independence for home distillers. Greater firmness from the public authorities combined with the creation of a cooperative responsible for the aging and marketing of agricultural Calvados production led to a gradual decline in fraud. The cooperative called "Les Chais du Verger Normand (CVN)" was formed from 1962 to 1967 in Domfront under the presidency of Count Louis de Lauriston, with the support of the public authorities. Its mission was to help home distillers put an end to clandestine production. In 1967, the Chais du Verger Normand had 420 members representing an orchard of 71,000 trees. That same year, due to health reasons, Louis de Lauriston had to hand over the Presidency of the cooperative to his vice-president: Maurice Chevret. The CVN ensures the aging of the Calvados delivered to it, their marketing, and the regularization of clandestine stocks in close collaboration with the administration. The 1984 regulations, implemented in a hurry, were only a step. The INAO, in consultation with producers, was working on the reform that would lead to the 1997 regulations. Jean Pinchon wanted to take advantage of this to bring to fruition the project of a specific Appellation Contrôlée for Calvados from Domfrontais. He needed to find someone to carry out the application for the appellation and someone to ensure the development of the cooperative's sales. The cooperative had neither the financial nor the human resources to ensure the development of its sales, particularly for export. In 1990, under the patronage of Jean Pinchon, Maurice Chevret entrusted Calvados Christian Drouin with the distribution of the cooperative's production. At the same time, Jean Pinchon, Maurice Chevret, and Christian Drouin asked Louis de Lauriston to lead the application for the Appellation. Assured of the INAO's commitment to bringing the project to fruition, Louis de Lauriston accepted this new challenge. On December 31, 1997, the Minister of Agriculture signed the decrees. Calvados Domfrontais rose to the same level as Pays d'Auge. In 2009, Guillaume Drouin succeeded Maurice Chevret as President of the cooperative to promote Calvados Domfrontais.

The specifications for the "Calvados Domfrontais" appellation specify that the proportion of perry pears represents at least 30% of all the fruit used to make the brandy and that the aging period in wood is at least 3 years. It defines the geographical area by specifying the list of the 114 communes that constitute it. It extends over 1600 km2. The soil of the Domfrontais region is made up of a granite base and layers of schist covered with a thin layer of soil. Apple trees grow less easily there than pear trees. The root system of pear trees adapts well to this type of soil, which explains the high presence of pear trees. Trees trained to high standards represent at least 80% of the planted areas of the orchard. The varieties of apple and pear trees are specified in the appendix. The proportion of perry pear trees planted is at least 25%. The proportion of apple trees planted belonging to bitter and bittersweet varieties is at least 70%. Permitted yields are specified. Ciders or perries are distilled in a single batch in a column still. At the end of distillation, the Calvados must contain a maximum alcohol content of 72%. Aging must take place in sessile or pedunculate oak barrels. The capacity of the barrel is regulated. Producers use virtually no new wood to preserve the fruit aromas as much as possible. It is regrettable that Calvados Domfrontais is required to age for a minimum of 3 years because its fruit aromas make it an eau-de-vie very suitable for young consumption, neat or in cocktails. This requirement explains why a high percentage is marketed before 3 years under the Calvados appellation.