L'Élixir de la Dame — Saveurs du Sous-Bois

Name: L'Élixir de la Dame — Saveurs du Sous-Bois
Brand: Maison Dâme
Rating: 7.6 (1 reviews)

Maison Dâme

Charente , Francia

7.6 /10

Vermutpedia Score: 7.6/10

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Overall impression

L'Élixir de la Dame — Saveurs du Sous-Bois is the autumn demi-sec vermouth of Maison Dâme, a project by Romuald Vincent begun in 2016 in Saint-Brice, Charente, according to maisondame.com and maison-soulat.fr. It revives the medicinal elixir of Châtre abbey with more than fifteen wild plants—hawthorn, valerian, rosehip—hand-gathered in the village undergrowth, macerated in organic Sauvignon Blanc, blended with Charentais Cognac and completed with local flower honey. The Elixir range articulates four seasons: Forêt (winter, dry), Sous-Bois (autumn, demi-sec), Prairie (spring, demi-doux) and Verger (summer, doux). Le Sous-Bois occupies the autumn stretch: a more complex profile with straw, hop and rancio notes according to maisondame.com, and a round nose of gingerbread, honey and wild flowers according to Vermutpedia's prior tasting confirmed by official sources. For Vermutpedia, Sous-Bois is Charentais autumn vermouth: demi-sec, undergrowth, Cognac and monastic savoir-faire reinterpreted by Romuald Vincent in the family house near Jarnac.

Nose and palate

Maison Dâme describes on maisondame.com a frank attack over straw, hop and rancio notes opening into a complex sweet-bitter aromatic enhanced by almond and apricot. Maison-soulat.fr confirms a round, powerful nose with gingerbread, honey and wild flowers; on the palate, hop and rancio flavours, then sweet-bitter notes of almond and apricot. Demi-sec places the balance between dry Forêt and demi-doux Prairie: more autumn body, more oxidative evolution and less menthol than winter vermouth. Texture is unctuous thanks to Cognac and honey, with Sauvignon acidity preventing cloying. Undergrowth botanicals bring herbaceous depth and forest-floor notes evoking fallen leaves and woodland humidity. Compared with Verger (violet, rhubarb, griotte), Sous-Bois is more adult, more spiced and more tied to Charentais rancio. On the finish, prolonged bitter almond and apricot. For anyone touring the seasonal range, Sous-Bois is the autumn vermouth par excellence: complex, sweet-bitter and territorially unmistakable.

How to serve it

Maison Dâme and maison-soulat.fr recommend Sous-Bois neat, in cocktails or in original cooking sauces. Served cold in an aperitif glass or short tumbler with ice, the autumn demi-sec profile works as a seasonal aperitif or light digestif before long meals. In cocktails, it can inspire Manhattan variants or aperitifs with gentle bitter where rancio and gingerbread add depth. Also in moderate spritz with soda so as not to mask almond and apricot. The house suggests incorporation in sauces exploiting sweet-bitter character. Keep refrigerated up to six months after opening according to official sheet. Pairs with mushrooms, roast poultry, aged cheeses and almond or apricot desserts echoing the vermouth's finish. Do not mix with very citrus or floral vermouths competing with rancio. For Vermutpedia, Sous-Bois is drunk with seasonal attention: Charentais autumn in the glass, moderate ice and gastronomic context valuing sweet-bitter complexity.

Production context

Maison Dâme, founded in 2016 by Romuald Vincent in Saint-Brice near Jarnac, revives the vin médicinal of Châtre abbey in Saint-Brice, a panacea made by the regular canons of Saint Augustine with medicinal plants from the surroundings. Seasonal manual gathering in forests, undergrowth, meadows and orchards; more than fifteen species per recipe according to maisondame.com. Savoir-faire: cold maceration, distillation or infusion depending on plant; blend with organic wines and Charentais Cognac plus village honey. Le Sous-Bois: autumn demi-sec vermouth, organic Sauvignon Blanc, 18% vol., 50 cl according to maison-soulat.fr. Second season of the four Saveurs range. 100% manual production in the family house. Romuald Vincent, since 2016, concentrates local flavours and savoir-faire in the renewal of artisan French vermouth. For Vermutpedia, Saveurs du Sous-Bois is the autumn pole of the Elixirs: undergrowth, demi-sec, rancio, almond and Châtre abbey heritage verifiable at maisondame.com/elixirs/.