Calvados is typically distilled only from apples, but way down in southern Normandy the pear gets a star’s turn in a tiny appellation called Calvados Domfrontais. 

This region, with its majestic heirloom pear trees, granite farmhouses and perry (cider made from pears), has captivated us since we started our exploration of Calvados. And so we decided to kick off our new project with two Domfrontais single-barrels from Frédéric Pacory, one of the last remaining masters of the pear brandy craft...

Frédéric (pictured above in his cellar), along with his wife Catherine and their son Simon, are the 4th generation to distill in Mantilly. As with most of the Calvados producers we work with, the Pacorys are in polyculture, raising dairy cows in addition to fruit.

Their focus is on making beautiful, vinous perry, but they also produce an incredibly sharp small amount of single-distilled Calvados each year.

There are over 40 varieties of pear — all heirloom varieties — and the trees are all in high stem (many over 100-150 years old). The farm is certified organic; the trees have never been treated – only their cows, who graze underneath throughout the year, provide the fertilizer. 

This excellent quality of fruit helps sets Pacory apart, as does the quantity of pear used in the final distillate. Where most Domfront producers typically use only 20 to 30% pear in their brandy, blending it with a majority of distillate from apples, the Pacorys up the pear to almost 80% and the results are stunningly complex.

Distillation takes place starting in the late fall on a traveling copper column still that is shared with their equally-famous neighbors Didier and Martine Lemorton. The new-make Calvados typically comes out around 70% ABV, and then is transferred to barrel in one of the farm’s three small granite-stone aging cellars. 

OUR SELECTIONS: 

Unlike most Calvados producers, the Pacory family has had the foresight to maintain a small selection of unreduced barrels. The younger, high-proof blends have become something of a cult favorite for certain San Francisco and New York bartenders in recent years.

We have sought out the older juice, in the 15 to 24 year range, and our picks are the first-ever single barrels that the domaine has bottled for the US market!

 Calvados Pacory, 2004 Vintage, 60.7% ABV 

Tasting notes: “Butter poached pears, toffee and cream on the nose. Rich and coating on the pallet, filled with butterscotch, pear tart, vanilla funnel cake and just a hint of kumquat, lychee and baking spices leads into a wonderfully long finish. Powerful, but not hot at all despite the high proof. This drinks way below its ABV but is incredibly concentrated. I just can't get enough.” - Greg Faron

Barrel location: Homestead Cellar
Cellar Type: Humid
Bottling Date: September 2023

Calvados Pacory, 2006 Vintage, 52.3% ABV

Tasting notes: “Apple and pear blossom on the nose followed by strong fruit and wood. Mushroom, Dr. Pepper and prune, salty caramel, cola. Big flavors: French toast, vanilla, wood, apple and cherry Kumquat lychee finish. An Umami bomb in a sweet way. Definitely thought-provoking and a contemplative spirit.” - Greg Faron

Barrel Number: 12, Farm Cellar A
Cellar Type: Humid
Bottling Date: September 2023