Warenghem Distillery Armorik Gilles Leizour Cuvee Etoile Fine Bretagne (700ml)

As in Calvados, Brittany has been a traditional cider-making region for centuries. Not surprisingly, Fine Bretagne has been distilled on farms since the 1800s, mainly for local consumption and for fishermen leaving ports to seek cod off the coasts of Iceland and Newfoundland. Like its Normandy cousins, Fine Bretagne (also called Lambig), benefits from an AOC since 2015 which promotes the territory and the Breton know-how. Since 1992, Warenghem's Director, Gilles Leizour, has championed the region's emblematic fruit. Named after one of the last remaining Paimpolais schooners, his Cuvée Etoile is a delicate eau de vie produced from apples grown nearby the distillery. Gilles continues to use an old copper column still and matures in Limousin oak for a minimum of four years. The resulting brandy offers medium-sweet aromas of ripe pears, apple crumble and fresh cider, echoed by light bodied, graceful flavours of apple tart, green pear and cinnamon. Being more elegant and less oaky than most young Calvados, its cleansing cider-like character makes this an ideal Summer aperitif. 43% Alc./Vol. 

 Notes from the producers... Color : Amber. Nose : Nice complexity and intensity. Ripe apple combines with lilac and pepper in a nice balance. Palate : Very smooth on approach. Roundness and sweetness are present throughout the tasting. The apple-flower-spice balance is found in an exceptional volume. Overall : Very nice length, smooth and fruity, making you want to take another sip.