L'Élixir de la Dame — Saveurs du Verger

Name: L'Élixir de la Dame — Saveurs du Verger
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 Verger is Maison Dâme's summer doux vermouth, the sweetest and most fruit-forward expression in the Elixir range according to maisondame.com. Created in 2016 by Romuald Vincent in Saint-Brice, Charente, the house revives the medicinal wine of Châtre Abbey with more than fifteen wild plants gathered from village orchards and uplands, macerated in organic Saint-Brice Merlot, blended with Charentais Cognac and finished with local flower honey according to maison-soulat.fr. The fourth season in the range — Forêt, Sous-Bois, Prairie, Verger — it claims summer with a broad, generous, fruity profile, opposite the winter dry of Forêt. It is the only red in the Elixir line: organic Merlot base against the Sauvignon or Ugni Blanc of the other Saveurs. For Vermutpedia, le Verger represents the sweet summer vermouth of the Cognac country: orchard, Merlot, verger botanicals and 100% hand-crafted production verifiable in les Élixirs de Maison Dâme and the official product sheet.

Nose and palate

Maison Dâme describes on maisondame.com a broad, generous attack on violet and rhubarb notes, carried by mandarin acidity and yarrow bitterness that closes on griotte at the finish. Maison-soulat.fr details flavours of red fruit and rhubarb, then spice and cinnamon. On the nose, violet, rhubarb, mandarin and yarrow according to Vermutpedia's consolidated tasting, confirmed by official sources. On the palate, the summer doux unfolds fruity generosity without losing yarrow's bitter counterpoint; Merlot brings body and red fruit, Cognac Charentais unctuousness, honey a rounded close. It is the sweetest profile in the range, yet the bitter griotte of the finish avoids cloying sweetness. Compared with Sous-Bois (rancio, almond) or Prairie (mallow, bitter cherry), Verger is juicier, more violet and more summery. In the aftertaste, griotte and soft spice linger. For anyone working through the four seasons, Verger is the fruity close of the cycle: summer in the glass, Charentais orchard and generous doux.

How to serve it

Maison Dâme and maison-soulat.fr recommend le Verger neat over ice — ideal for a Charentais Manhattan — on its own or in desserts and fruit sauces. Served very cold in a low glass or short tumbler with plenty of ice, the summer doux profile works as a summer aperitif or a sweet close to a meal. In a Manhattan with whisky and bitters, Merlot and griotte add fruit that distinguishes the glass from versions with Italian vermouth. Also in spritz with soda to stretch a terrace session without losing violet and rhubarb. The house suggests pouring over ice in desserts or fruity kitchen sauces. Keep refrigerated up to six months after opening. Pairs with red fruit, cherry tarts, milk chocolate and blue cheeses that support the sweetness. Do not combine with very dry vermouths that would cancel Verger's generosity. For Vermutpedia, le Verger is drunk cold, with generous ice and in a summer setting: the doux d'été of the Cognac country, perfect for long afternoons where Merlot, violet and griotte should shine.

Production context

Maison Dâme was created in 2016 by Romuald Vincent at the family house in Saint-Brice, near Jarnac, to valorise Charentais spirits at risk of disappearing and to revive the medicinal wine tradition of Châtre Abbey. Manual plant gathering in orchards, forests, meadows and undergrowth according to season; more than fifteen species per vermouth according to maisondame.com. Savoir-faire: maceration, distillation or infusion; blending with organic wines, local Cognac and honey. Le Verger: summer doux vermouth, organic Saint-Brice Merlot, 18% vol., 50 cl according to maison-soulat.fr. Fourth and final season of the Elixir range. 100% manual production according to the house philosophy. Romuald Vincent concentrates local flavours and know-how in the renewal of French artisan vermouth. For Vermutpedia, Saveurs du Verger synthesises sweet Charentais summer vermouth: Merlot, orchard, doux, griotte and verifiable monastic heritage at maisondame.com/elixirs/. Seasonal sibling of Forêt, Sous-Bois and Prairie in the Vermutpedia catalogue.