This is one area where the US may well have the advantage. Young Calvados is used to make Pommeau because the most dominant flavors come from the fresh juice; the subtlety that makes a Calvados sublime would be completely concealed, so younger, rawer stock is sufficient. That in turn means that good American brandy, which is no match for aged Calvados, can be used to make pommeau here in the states that is actually better than the Norman originals. Calvados makers don't seem to take pommeau seriously; it's just a weird, sweet thing they use to fill out a portfolio. Americans, by contrast, have elevated pommeau, offering it as a refined, unusual treat. South Hill in Ithaca, NY, San Juan Island Distillery (WA), and 2 Towns, under their Traditions label, make them (among others), but the real revelation comes from EZ Orchards, which recently released Pomme, which is so good it redefined for me what pommeau can be.

Most pommeau tastes like apple juice spiked with brandy. The juice provides most of the flavor, while the booze just adds octane and bite. They're typically oversweet and heavy. A small tipple is fun and interesting, but it's not a drink you'd have often--a seasonal celebration, maybe. Kevin Zielinski's Pomme tastes more like the brandy, showcasing its warmth and dryness. He makes his own French-style cider and has some of the best fruit in the States, most of it French cider apples. This is key, because good apples provide tannin, acidity, and aromatics rather than just sugar. In the Pomme, the juice blend is earthy and tannic, smelling a bit like a forest after a light rain. There is pepper and cinnamon and maybe even a tiny spritz of citrus. The two liquids harmonize as one, and it's hard to tell where the flavors and aromas of the juice end and the brandy begins. It's a revelation, and anyone who likes good brandy will really love this.

I doubt Americans will ever learn to make brandy that rivals French Calvados--and even if we do, it's decades and decades away. But pommeau? That Americans can make, and make well. Because they treat it not as a lesser product of Calvados, but a more sophisticated product in the cider range (even though there is no cider in it), Americans seem to be finding quality well above the French originals. Go track a bottle down, and if you're in Oregon, start with EZ Orchards Pomme.