Pere Magloire VSOP Calvados 750ML

Pere Magloire VSOP Calvados 750ML is a Calvados apple brandy from Normandy, France, bottled at 40% ABV in a 750ml bottle. Aged a minimum of four years in French oak by the oldest Calvados house, it steps up from the Fine with baked apple, dried fruit and gentle spice, and it is the expression most often recommended as a sipping Calvados at an accessible price.

Quick Facts: ABV: 40% | Origin: Pays d'Auge, Normandy, France | Style: Calvados AOC, VSOP (minimum 4 years in oak) | Producer: Pere Magloire

Production & Heritage

Pere Magloire was established in 1821 and is headquartered in Pont-l'Eveque, in the Pays d'Auge, the most prestigious Calvados district in Normandy. The house works with growers across the region, pressing a blend of bitter, bittersweet and sharp cider apples, fermenting the juice into cider and distilling it before long maturation in French oak. The VSOP designation guarantees at least four years in cask, and Pere Magloire typically blends in older eaux-de-vie for depth. That extra time transforms the spirit: the fresh green apple of a young Calvados gives way to baked apple, caramelized sugar, dried apricot and a soft cinnamon spice, with the oak lending a warm amber color and a rounder texture. Pere Magloire VSOP has long been the house's best-selling aged expression and a reference point for the category worldwide.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Baked apple and apple butter lead, with dried apricot, toffee, vanilla and a dusting of cinnamon. A faint floral note and light oak sit behind the fruit.

Taste: Rounded and warming, with cooked apple, honey and caramel up front, then dried fruit, nutmeg and gentle oak tannin through the mid-palate. The texture is noticeably softer and richer than the Fine.

Finish: Medium to long, with lingering apple, warm spice and a touch of toasted oak. It finishes smooth and slightly sweet.

How to Drink Pere Magloire VSOP

Pere Magloire VSOP is best served neat in a tulip glass at room temperature, or with a single ice cube to open it up. It is the classic digestif after a rich Norman meal and a natural companion to coffee. It also upgrades classic cocktails: a Calvados Sidecar with Cointreau and lemon, a Widow's Kiss with Benedictine, yellow Chartreuse and bitters, or a Normandy Manhattan with sweet vermouth and a brandied cherry all show its baked-apple depth.

Best For

• After-dinner sipping as a digestif
• Gifting a brandy or Cognac drinker something different from France
• Stirred cocktails where apple and spice can lead
• Pairing with cheese, apple desserts and fall cooking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Pere Magloire VSOP taste like? Pere Magloire VSOP tastes of baked apple, caramel, honey and dried apricot with cinnamon, nutmeg and soft oak, finishing smooth and gently sweet. It is richer and rounder than the Fine expression.

How does Pere Magloire VSOP compare to Pere Magloire XO? The XO is aged at least six years and usually much longer, bringing deeper rancio, dried fig, leather and toasted nut notes. The VSOP keeps more fresh apple character and is the better balance of maturity and price for most drinkers.

Is Pere Magloire VSOP good for sipping neat? Yes. Four or more years in oak give it the roundness and complexity to enjoy neat, and it is commonly served that way after dinner in Normandy.

Where is Pere Magloire VSOP made? It is produced in Pont-l'Eveque in the Pays d'Auge, Normandy, France, from Norman cider apples under the Calvados AOC.

What foods pair well with Pere Magloire VSOP? Tarte Tatin, apple crumble, Camembert and Livarot cheeses, roast pork or duck with apples, foie gras and dark chocolate all pair well. It is also excellent with a cup of espresso.

What sizes does Pere Magloire VSOP come in? Pere Magloire VSOP is sold in the 750ml bottle in the United States.

Is Pere Magloire VSOP worth the price? Compared with VSOP Cognac of similar age, it is typically less expensive and offers a distinctive apple-driven profile, which makes it one of the best values in aged French brandy.

Why Pere Magloire VSOP?

Pere Magloire VSOP is where Calvados stops being a cider spirit and becomes a true aged brandy, without losing the apple identity that sets it apart. Four or more years in French oak bring baked fruit, caramel and spice, and the house blends for a texture that is soft enough to sip neat on a first encounter. It costs less than comparable Cognac, it pairs naturally with cheese and dessert, and it makes a memorable Sidecar. For a gift, a digestif or a step up from the Fine, it is the Calvados most people should start with.