Charles de Granville calvados in our selection
As a Gascon wine and spirits merchant, we also offer a few spirits from other French regions. Charles de Granville calvados is one of them: a short but complete range, from the Fine to old vintages, to discover calvados or to find a bottle from a birth year. Here are the products available.
The Fine and the Hors d'âge
The Calvados Fine (45% ABV) is the way in: a pale golden yellow colour, a fresh nose with caramel aromas, very fruity and vanilla-led, a delicate, elegant palate and a fruity finish. The Hors d'âge (45% ABV) goes a step further: amber with golden glints, a rich bouquet of spices and exotic fruit, and a lightly spiced dried-fruit finish.
The 25 year old and 30 year old calvados
The 25 year old (40% ABV) shows a honey colour with mahogany glints, a nose of stewed apple, vanilla and Agen prune, then a generous palate of tarte tatin, cinnamon and liquorice. The 30 year old (45% ABV) has a richer style: it brings to mind caramelised baked apples and orange peel, with a long finish of liquorice and roasted coffee. The age statement refers to the youngest calvados in the blend.
Vintage calvados, from 1963 to 1986
This is the rarest part of the range: calvados from a single harvest, bottled at 40% ABV. We offer the 1963, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1976, 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986 vintages, in 70 cl bottles. The 1963, for example, shows a mahogany colour, a nose of acacia blossom, prune and vanilla rancio, and a palate of quince and caramelised apple.
Calvados, a spirit from Normandy, France
Calvados is made by distilling cider, then aged in wood, in oak casks. It has a protected designation of origin (AOC): the name comes from a Normandy département, named when it was created in 1790. Its character depends on the fruit, the distillation and above all the time spent in cask: a Fine keeps the brightness of the fruit, while an old calvados gains dried fruit, spice and rancio. On labels you will also see VSOP or Vieille Réserve, which guarantee at least four years of ageing.
As for the producer, the Charles de Granville brand belongs to the portfolio of Bordeneuve Châteaux & Collections, a family-owned Gascon company (the Guasch family) which also makes Château de Bordeneuve armagnac and Baron de Sigognac, as well as Gaston de Casteljac cognac. If you enjoy Baron de Sigognac, you are on familiar ground.
Calvados, armagnac, cognac: three French brandies
A comparison helps to place the style. Armagnac and cognac are born from distilled white wine; calvados is born from cider, so it keeps an aromatic base of orchard fruit, whereas armagnac and cognac tend to suggest grape, vanilla and prune. Gaston de Casteljac cognac, from Grande Champagne, and Baron de Sigognac armagnacs are available in our shop: everything you need for a comparative tasting, each spirit with its own unique style.
How to choose your Charles de Granville calvados
- To discover calvados: the Fine, fresh and aromatic, as a digestif or in a cocktail;
- For a richer digestif: the Hors d'âge, spicy and indulgent;
- For a lover of old spirits: the 25 year old or the 30 year old;
- For a birthday gift: the vintage of the birth year, between 1963 and 1986, depending on the years available;
- To compare regions: a calvados alongside an armagnac of the same age, to taste the difference between apple and grape.
For a wider choice, see our full selection of calvados.
Tasting and serving calvados
Serve calvados at room temperature, in a tulip glass, and let it open up for a few minutes. The Fine pairs well with a thin fruit tart or slips into a cocktail; old calvados and vintages are enjoyed on their own, slowly, at the end of a meal. In Normandy, a small glass is also served in the middle of a long meal: the famous "trou normand". Once opened, keep the bottle upright, away from the light.
Frequently asked questions about Charles de Granville calvados
What types of calvados does Charles de Granville offer?
In our shop: a Fine, a Hors d'âge, a 25 year old, a 30 year old and nine vintages from 1963 to 1986, all in 70 cl. Each product page gives the strength, the tasting note and availability: one look tells you everything.
What is the difference between the Fine and the Hors d'âge?
The length of ageing. The Fine is the youngest and fruitiest; the Hors d'âge has spent longer in cask, which gives it its notes of spice and dried fruit.
How much does a Charles de Granville calvados cost?
It varies with age and vintage: the Fine is the most affordable, the old vintages the rarest. Each product on this page shows its price.
Where can I buy Charles de Granville calvados?
To buy your calvados, choose the bottle on this page, add it to your basket and complete your order; once the bottle is added, the basket summarises your selection. We deliver within France and to the European countries we serve, in packaging designed for shipping spirits. For any information about a bottle, our customer service team will answer you: feel free to get in touch via the contact page.
Please enjoy responsibly. Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to health.
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