Domaine Dupont and the Cider House that Rules!!!

I am going to start by saying I love apples! "I'm an Apple Man. This is my son H.W.…" Sorry, I channeled Daniel Day Lewis there for a second, but seriously, I love apples. That is why last night when I wanted to take a bottle of something home that wasn't beer and wasn't wine I reached for the Domaine Dupont Cider 2010.

The Dupont family has been in the Pays d'Auge since the 1700's. The Pays d'Auge is an area of Normandy, France known for Calvados, Cider and cheeses especially Camembert. The poor soils of the Pays d' Auge are a chalky marl, perfect for growing apples for distillation or fermentation. The non fertile soil restricts the growth of the apples giving them a higher skin to pulp ratio which adds much needed tannins. The tannins give the cider balance. Without the tannins the ciders would be too tart. Domaine Dupont achieves this balance by blending no less then 13 apple varieties, all of which are chosen perfectly for the terroir of the orchards.

The finished product is balanced, elegant and inviting. Using only indigenous yeast, a controlled fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats. It is then transferred to used Calvados barrels where it will slowly improve for 6 months. Then it is off to it's final vessel, the bottle.


The cider is unfiltered giving it a hazy yellow color. The nose has a funky yeasty smell with hints of Camembert. It smells like some of my favorite Orange wines, but don't let that put you off. Across the palate it is pure apple nectar. The off dry flavors give way to a bright beautiful acidity.

This cider could easily age for 4 to 5 years in the right cellar. Good luck not drinking it though. I left half the bottle to see how it would develop over night and I dreamed about it in my sleep. I don't usually have a drink in the morning *wink *wink, but I had the rest of this cider with breakfast. What did I have for breakfast you ask? Well the cider of course. In case you are wondering it developed beautifully. It tasted as fresh as when I first opened it.

If you haven't figured by now I highly recommended this product. Bookend your meal with a couple of bottles… an aperitif and a dessert. It is priced just right at $19.99. Buy it today!!

This is what I was listening to as I wrote this post: