Calvados Michel Huard-Guillouet

The Huard family has lived on the Le Pertyer property in the Suisse-Normand for seven generations; Jean-Francois Guillouet took over in 2012 when his grandfather Michel passed away. Nearly 1,800 trees on standard rootstock (hautes-tiges) grace the 15-hectare property, which is considered the most admired in the AOC Calvados appellation. The soil is loamy, composed of an ideal combination of silt and clay, and about 30 varieties of apples are grown on the property, predominantly from the sweet and bittersweet categories. Jean-Francois ferments and ages his cider for about 8–12 months before it is single distilled in a traveling, wood-fired column still. The spirits then go into large, elongated barrels (stained black by time) or well-seasoned 400-liter barrels ideal for developing complex flavor.