Le Petit Duc Madagascar Vallée du Sambirano 70%
Le Petit Duc - Chocolat Noir - Origine Madagascar - Vallée du Sambirano 70% - Batch 30.04.22
Cacao origin/type:
Local cacao variety from the Sambirano river valley
Ingredients:
Cacao beans, cane sugar, cacao butter
Other facts:
Made in France (Le Petit Duc, Saint Rémy de Provence), BMEL seal for organic farming
https://www.petit-duc.com/?lang=en
Le Petit Duc is a very small, local and only a little over 20 years old manufacturer, run by a husband and wife team in the heart of the Provence. The great local success began with the Calissons, a special southern French specialty, small confections of candied fruit or almonds, which are served with coffee, all handmade in the local store, later came a number of exciting single origin chocolates and some with handpicked additional ingredients and toppings.
Very nice packaging, although overall quite simple. A thin cardboard box with beautiful old wallpaper patterns, for each region a different one, folded backwards. So it is - compared to many others - very easy to close everything again, the bar itself is in a transparent plastic film.
The bar is silky matte, breaking medium hard, slightly uneven at the edge, but this is also due to the special design, but nice dense cross-section. The bars are quite nice to look at, have a diamond pattern like upholstered leather chairs, so rising and falling like small hills.
Nose:
Nice aroma of fresh plum, not quite ripe, dried lemon and light raisins, some almond behind that
Taste:
Really aromatic acidity at the start, but without becoming biting, fresh lime and grapefruit slightly dried, later also some lime zest. Lightly toasted almonds, nice subtle earthy cacao in between, the melting is nice and slow and slightly mealy, but not annoyingly so
Finish:
Earthy notes without bitterness however, walnut, almond, some lemon also remains but almost without residual acidity, medium to long
Comment:
Very nice composition, showcases the Madagascar spectrum very well without being too daunting and is full of aromas at the same time.
