Comte Louis de Lauriston Calvados
This is the story as relayed to me by Guillaume Drouin. The farmers in the area of Domfront are a particularly proud bunch and deeply resented the government wanting to tax the production of calvados, something that they had always produced for themselves and to sell for a little extra income with regard to local and passing trade. What we term today as calvados noir.
One night in 1962 things came to a head when to inspectors interrupted the fraudsters in full production. The alarm was raised and within no time at all the farmers came from every direction, by weight of numbers the tables were turned and it was the inspectors who were held in custody. This presented an impossible situation that could not continue so someone called Comte Louis de Lauriston a well respected and influential land owner with a reputation for good sense. He in turn called the government minister in charge of agriculture who at this time was desperate to avoid a more bad press for the government.
The Comte was asked to find a solution even if not entirely legal. Le Calvados le Comte Louis Laureston was formed, the idea being that the company would buy the distilled alcohol, make it legal, age and blend it.
Today Le Calvados Comte Louis de Lauriston is owned and run by Christian Drouin of Coeur-de-Lion and they produce some of the finest calvados and calvados domfrontais, with a superb range of vintages of the very highest quality.
Comte Louis de Lauriston Vintage 1969
Bronze Medal at The International Wine & Spirit Competition 1996 and Gold Medal Lisieux 1996
Comte Louis de Lauriston Vintage 1968
Bronze Medal Paris 1999. Its taste is rich and smooth with good length on the palate, wooded and delicate in the final.
Comte Louis de Lauriston 40 years
This is a very classy calvados mellow in the mouth with a creamy finish.
Comte Louis de Lauriston Vintage 1961
This calvados is aged in calvados cider casks pale amber in colour having a very pure nose with a gingerbread fragrance.
