After my recent travels in Cognac, France, my longheld love for brandy deepened even further. I am crazy about all manner of brandy (grape-based spirits), from Armagnac to pisco. I am passionate about Calvados (French apple brandy) and other apple brandies — note here my most unforgettable Calvados experience and tasting in the world, in Kyoto, Japan, of all places.
Recently, two favorite brandy producers, one in France, one in California, sent me bottle and barrel samples representing decades of production, showcasing the depth and range of their brandies. Here is a tasting through the decades. First not far from my home in Ukiah, California’s pioneering Germain-Robin, producing world-class, Cognac-style brandy since the early 1980s (though my friend, the great Hubert Germain-Robin has not been with the distillery for years, many of these great bottlings were from his day). Then in Normandy, the home of Calvados, brandies from one of the best Calvados producers, Christian Drouin.
CHRISTIAN DROUIN CALVADOS
- Blanche de Normandie — The Blanche de Normandie is the unaged version of the apple brandy, singing boldly with fresh apple.
- Selection — The “entry level” Selection Calvados is as bright and fresh as the unaged Blanche but with a bit more round, sweet ripeness and pear notes.
- VSOP — A blend of Calvados aged 5-12 years and with a complex aging in 4 different casks, layers of baking spices and baked apple come through on the multi-award-winning VSOP. It goes down all too easy.
- XO — The depth and layers develop even further with the XO, aged in former Cognac casks, adding a floral, nutty element to that lush apple. I find the XO irresistible, a shining example of what makes Calvados great.
- 25 Year — Fermented with wild yeast and a variety of apples (no pear as is often used in Calvados blends), the 25 year Christian Drouin currently sells for around $185-200 a bottle, expressing age and depth with woody, earthy notes harmonizing with that baked apple.
- 1990 Vintage — Aged in ex-Cognac and Calvados casks, the 1990 vintage is a dark, golden amber, with a long finish, singing of orange, quince and an almost silky apple notes.
GERMAIN-ROBIN BRANDIES
Germain-Robin Old & Rare Single Barrel Riesling 1998 ($180 per bottle) — Aged 17 years in oak on the lees (more on brandy with and without lees here), the Riesling base — or any other wine base outside the standard Cognac and Armagnac grapes — would not be allowed under strict Cognac regulations. Experimentation doesn’t always mean something is better but it is fascinating to see what a category can do when pushed beyond historic boundaries. This Riesling-based brandy is as fresh and bright as one might expect with fresh fruit on the nose. It’s elegant and soft yet gently spiced with whispers of peach and apricot on the finish.- Germain-Robin Old & Rare Small Blend No. 2 ($300) — A blend comprising 1984, 1989 and 1994 brandies, the musky, maple-vanilla nose gives way to a subtle spice and woody finish. I am quite drawn to the unique character of this one.
- Germain-Robin Old & Rare Barrel 351 ($600) — Distilled in 1987 and aged 27 years, the grapes used to produce this rarity came from a small upland planting in Potter Valley (as far north as grapes grow in coastal CA), this beauty exhibits a winning spice, rancio, dried fruits and balanced oak.
- Germain-Robin Old & Rare 1985 Chenin Blanc ($600) — This rarity was aged 29 years in barrels using Chenin Blanc grapes from the Wegner vineyard on a terrace in south Ukiah Valley. As far as they know, there isn’t any other Chenin Blanc brandy out there and they have begun to age a new batch that will be 29 years old in 2042. Elegant but robust, this 1985 brandy is simultaneously sweet and earthy, spiced and bright.