Copyright 2006: B. United International Inc., All rights reserved.
Etienne Dupont has been in charge of Le Domaine since 1980, when he took over from his father Louis and his grand father Jules. He has improved the old ocher's and has planted a further ten hectares of small standard apple trees. Today, there are 27 hectares of typical varieties, that is to say 6000 apple trees, for the production of Cider, Pommeau and Calvados.
Etienne went to Cognac to learn the art of double distillation and worked in close partnership with an oenologist. From the picking of the apples to the final ageing of the Calvados, Etienne Dupont is fully committed to producing the best quality. Quality always comes first, often at the expense of the yield.
In 2002, Jérôme Dupont joined Le Domaine.
Picture: Domaine Familial Etienne Dupont from the outside.
The apples we are using are the same as those we use to make Calvados - they are apples from a small region of Normandy : the Pays d'Auge. The soils of the Pays d'Auge are clayee and marly. As those soils are very poor, they restrict the growth of the trees.
The apples are handpicked at good maturity. After a 3 to 4 week s of ripening period in open worked wooden boxes, called "palloxes", the apples are crushed. The pulp soaks for few hours in order to develop the colour and the aromas. Then, the pulp is slowly and strongly pressed. The yield is about 600 litres of apple juice by ton of fruit. This juice is put in a prefermentation tank where the natural enzymes start their action. This natural clarifying stage leads to the formation of the famous "brown hat".
