Calvados huard

Country:
FRANCE

Region:
CALVADOS

Appellation(s):
CALVADOS (orne)

APPLE VARIETALS: 
20 different, mostly bittersweet and sweet

Farming:
ORGANIC (AB)

Annual production : 

Geology:
schist, sandstone

Jean-François Guillouet-Huard is somewhat of a Normand maverick: a Birkenstock-wearing, Stevie Ray Vaughan-loving farmer who, when we last visited, had just purchased his hamlet's run-down Protestant chapel with plans to transform it into an artist residence.

But when it comes to distilling Calvados, he has a deep respect for the tradition his family has built over seven generations in Caligny.

Their farm is deep in the rolling bocage of southern Normandy, a world away from the beach resorts lining the English Channel. It’s an incredible dedication to polyculture farming, with barley and wheat grown to feed the cattle that roam freely through one of the region's greatest collections of old high-stemmed apple trees.

We first discovered the Calvados distilled by his grandfather, Michel Huard, thanks to Regina and Hervé at La Feuille de Vigne in Honfleur. It was the 1990 vintage, and we were blown away — a bright, rich Calvados with plenty of soul thanks to a single distillation.

Jean-François took over in 2004 from Michel and has had the foresight to keep the purity of his grandfather's vision (although J-F is making some exciting experiments!).  We were thrilled to finally visit him last summer and at the first taste in his cellar we knew we had to find a way to make a selection.

Thanks to our friend and Calvados guru Charles Neal, we now have an opportunity to work with Jean-François and can’t wait to introduce our first Calvados Huard picks.

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