AOC Calvados · Organic since 1967
Five Calvados,
one story.
On August 10, 1047, on the very land where our apple trees now grow, the young Duke William the "Bastard" won the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes. Twenty years later, he would become the Conqueror at Hastings. Everyone knows Hastings. Few know Val-ès-Dunes, the founding battle, fought on the land of the 5 Autels.
Our range tells it in five chapters. ↓
Le Songe
Arlette of Falaise is carrying the child who will become William. One night, she dreams that an immense tree bursts from her body and shades all of Normandy, then England beyond the sea. This premonitory dream would come true twenty years later, at Hastings: the child would reign over two kingdoms.
A woman, an apple tree. The first chapter begins where everything begins, in a mother's dream.
Pale gold colour, fresh apple, apple blossom. The youngest of the range, bright and floral.
Robert the Magnificent, William's father, leaves on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1035. He dies on the way back. Before leaving, he had made his barons swear to recognise his son: William is eight years old, illegitimate, and now Duke of Normandy.
The duchy tears itself apart at once. His guardians fall one after another. His cousins covet the title and despise him for his birth. In Lower Normandy, the barons of the Bessin and the Cotentin rise up behind his cousin Guy of Brionne. They swear his downfall. In 1047, the revolt catches up with him on the plain of Val-ès-Dunes.
Thor Aïe
"Thor, help us!"
Facing the young duke stand the rebel barons of the Bessin and the Cotentin. Descendants of the Vikings, they charge into battle with the cry of their Scandinavian ancestors, invoking Thor, the god of thunder.
We embody this war cry with a fiery stag at full gallop: the slightly wild strength of this Scandinavian, pagan mythology. A Calvados still young, already showing real strength.
Stewed apple, honey, vanilla, the spirit of a young stag.
Dex Aïe
"God, help us!"
On the other side, William is backed by King Henry I of France. Their armies answer with a different cry: "Dex Aïe", God help us. Against the rebels' pagan mythology stands the Christian faith of the legitimate duke.
A powerful, noble war horse carries this part of the story: discipline, loyalty, strength in service of a cause.
Roasted apple, vanilla, leather, mild spice.
Le Destin
Baron Raoul Tesson had sworn on holy relics to strike William as soon as he saw him. But in the heart of the battle, sensing the tide turning, he chose his side. To join the duke without breaking his oath, he struck him with a single blow of his glove on the shoulder.
This shift settles the rebellion. The young William the Bastard emerges victorious and embraces his destiny: he will become the man history knows as William the Conqueror.
Mahogany colour, cocoa, leather, blond tobacco. The depth of long years.
Pax Deus
"The Truce of God"
Victorious, William could have left Normandy to the mercy of vendettas. He chose peace instead: as early as the autumn of 1047, he convened the Council of the Truce of God in Caen, banning fighting and protecting the weak. Normandy found peace again.
A bird landing on the finger of an outstretched hand: peace made tame, the culmination of the story. Twenty-five years of ageing, the summit of our range.
Candied fruit, spice, noble rancio notes. A quarter of a century in the barrel.
The complete range
Five Calvados, five chapters
4 years Le Songe
Arlette of Falaise's premonitory dream. Bright and floral.
8 years Thor Aïe
The pagan cry of the rebel barons. Stewed apple, honey, vanilla.
12 years Dex Aïe
The Christian cry of William's troops. Roasted apple, leather, spice.
18 years Le Destin
Raoul Tesson's glove. Mahogany colour, cocoa, blond tobacco.
25 years Pax Deus
The Truce of God at the Council of Caen. Candied fruit, noble rancio notes.
Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Enjoy in moderation.
The collection gift set
The five chapters, together.
The complete collection: Le Songe, Thor Aïe, Dex Aïe, Le Destin and Pax Deus. Five Calvados aged 4 to 25 years that unfold the story of Val-ès-Dunes, from Arlette's first dream to the council of peace.
Five AOC Calvados, 40% vol. Free delivery.