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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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June 25, 2023 |
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I know, another boring featherlight headline, but it's no secret that we hate clickbait wordings and despise the entities that are using them. So, here's what you've avoided today (congrats):
The Cognac Your Banker Doesn't Want You To Know About
Las Vegas Mixologists' Favorite Cognacs When Beyoncé's In Town
If You Don't Buy These Cognacs, You'll Regret I In Ten Years
The Secret Behind Putin's Favorite Cognac
You Should Never Order #4 In A Bar, According To Bartenders
The Cognac That Even American Rappers Will Never Taste
Cognacs That Even Beat Aldi's Whiskies At Blind Tastings
The Cognac That Permanently Angered My Mother-in-law
Some Of These Are Worth More Than Your House
The Cognac That Could Crush Macallan 1926
Could These Cognacs Be Deadly?
I Almost Divorced Because Of One Of These Cognacs
Ten Cognacs You'll Wish You Knew Before
The Cognac Donald Trump Would Drink If He Weren't Abstinent
The Terrifying Mystery Behind This Petite Champagne
And of course...
The 10 Best Cognacs In The World (buy them while you still can)
Good, no more BS, let's have a petit apéritif… |
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| Stillhouse, Uniré, Île de Ré (picture BNIC) |
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Rémy Martin 'V.S.O.P.' (40%, OB, fine champagne, +/-1990) 
I haven't tried many Rémy, same with any large company by the way, but they have a good reputation, even if a more recent VSOP had been pretty disappointing in my book. Colour: dark gold. Serious obscuration, ha. Nose: rather lovely nose, with lovely sultanas and honeys, plus touches of liquorice and orange blossom water. A very tiny bit of spearmint and some putty. The bottle's still fresh after more than thirty years, maybe some good OBE at play? Not a caramelly cognac on the nose in any case. Mouth: right, there's more cardboard and black tea on the palate, it lost a large part of its raisiny freshness. A few sour fruits in the background (sloe?) and a little rubber and soap, but that may be 'bad' OBE indeed. Finish: short, slightly soapy, a little sugary too. Comments: nice nose but other than that, it may have got out of the road. I suppose a higher strength would have preserved it way better but anyway, these bottles are absolutely not expensive.
SGP:250 - 65 points. |
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Bache Gabrielsen 5 yo 'VSOP Bio' (40%, OB, batch #1, 1920 bottles) 
A blend of organic fins bois and petite champagne and a cognac that's fully 'eco-designed', from the vines to the bottle. We'll see whether all that will transcend the low strength. Colour: straw. Nose: I have to say I enjoy this utter youth and freshness that would let both oranges (fresh-squeezed juice) and a lavender + liquorice combo run the show, while juicy raisins and yellow flowers (dandelions…) would rather sing within the choir, together with apples, pears, peaches, grapes and plums. Lovely and pleasantly 'modern'. BTW what I feel is that modern cognacs would rather display less wood, while modern malts would do exactly the opposite. But indeed some Cognaçais are going the Scotch way too (sweet active oak). Mouth: no problems with this low strength and a palate that's very similar to the nose, with liquorice, violet, lavender, raisins, also a little cough syrup. Gets then a tad leafy. Finish: not that short, with touches of orange zests. Always some fresh liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: very good drop, I believe it could also take one or two ice cubes or be quaffed as a mizuwari. Or, indeed, as our grandpas' beloved 'fine a l'eau'.
SGP:441 – 82 points. |
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Bourgoin 2012/2022 'Marée Haute' (43%, OB) 
Own estate cognac this time, straight from St. Saturnin in the Charente, from 100% ugni blanc and with a reduction done on the new moon partly using… drinkable seawater! And why not? There are many stories about barrels rolled in the sea or spread with seawater during transportation on old sail ships or puffers. Not to mention seawater used while mashing or some old experiment we did ourselves more than twenty years ago with a blend of whiskies from Islay reduced using water from Loch Indaal (but it wasn't officially drinkable water). As for the expression 'Marée Haute', it just means high tide. We can't wait, can we… Private note to friends, there might not be any salt in salty whiskies, but there sure is in this intriguing wee cognac! Colour: gold. No small sardines or seaweed detected. Nose: I'm not sure it's on the nose that the seawater should be noticed, although this sure is rather coastal, in the style of some cognacs from Ré or Oléron. Fruit peel, liquorice wood, beet and celeriac, green walnuts, fresh bark, peach peel, hay, touches of skin lotion perhaps, some green banana… Mouth: pretty 'cross'! If I may, this could be a rested trans-blend with 90% natural cognac, 5% Jamaican rum and 5%, say south Islay. Really! But it does not feel like a blend, rather like a whole, a oneness, a unicity (I think we got you, S.) What's mainly coming out of this adventure is salmiak, salted fudge and… perhaps cachaça and mezcal. Some kind of salted nougat too. What's sure is that it feels stronger than just 43% vol. Finish: very long, you'd almost believe this was matured in some very coastal amontillado cask (Sanlucar indeed). The aftertaste is saltier yet, with a little horseradish. Comments: more than just fun. I believe this works wonderfully with a young cognac, but I'd be curious to check what would happen if you do this to a tired old brandy that's gone past its prime. Could be invigorating, and they could use even more seawater…
SGP:462 - 88 points. |
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Prunier 1989/2023 (45.9%, OB for Wine4You The Purist, grande champagne, 42 bottles)
A work of goldsmith here, a mini-bottling drawn from a 350-litres cask. These Pruniers rarely disappoint (did they ever disappoint?) Colour: gold. Nose: back to nougat and even popcorn, brioche, then apricot pie. The largest apricot pie we've ever come across. Then classic preserved peaches, slightly resinous honeys, old mead and rather a lot of hay and dried meadow flowers. This pretty old cognac smells like summer. Didn't Zeus drink mead? Mouth: the wood feels a little bit at first, with quite some apple peel, menthol and greener tannins (like), but let's remember 1989 was not right yesterday, that was thirty-four years ago. The rest is impeccable, with old herbal liqueurs, angelica, sweet roots, liquorice wood, some ginseng (I know I'd need ginseng), cinnamon… Finish: medium, with both more jams and more spices. Comments: I would say this marvellous cognac was taken out of the wood right on time.
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
Let's jump to the good old years of jazz-rock and punk. |
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Prunier 1977/2023 (61%, OB for Wine4You The Purist, fins bois, 42 bottles) 
61% vol. at +/-46 yo! So probably dry chai and lazy old wood, which does absolutely not suggest this should be second-class cognac, it could well be absolutely marvellous. Colour: copper amber. Nose: oh yes, varnish, acetone, bourbon, banana, black nougat, pu-her, old rum… Just love this indeed this far, this is clearly old cognac for whisky geeks. With water: terrific. Chartreuse verte, Unicum, artichoke and fir bud spirit, Maggi, krauters, tar… Mouth (neat): very high power, high bitters too (no prob) and heavy spices that bite your tongue. I'm really curious… With water: possibly not exactly cognac for cognac lovers, but hey, more for us. Splendid tea-ish tannicity, clove and cinnamon, chlorophyll aplenty, angelica, then crystallised grapefruit and heavy genepy. Finish: long, herbal, spicy. Only the aftertaste is gentler, on menthol and marmalade. Comments: I'm thinking of some Scottish distilleries but those distilleries weren't working in 1977, as the loch was already filling up... Very crazy whis…, I mean, varn… I mean, fins bois. Much love. This to Larry Coryell.
SGP:661 - 92 points. |
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Petite Champagne 73 (54.8%, Zero Nine Spirits, Grosperrin, Samurai series, 2023)
Don't samurais always work on labels? Zero Nine Spirits a.k.a. Zn09 are some rather new, passionate indie bottlers, long live Zn09! Colour: full gold. Nose: oh yes, it's rather early Soft Machine this time, or perhaps Gong, with some patchouli and some pataphysical earthy meats, broths, bouillons, incense and infusions. Then classic marmalade, kumquats, honey and raisins. I love to think that brandies taste like music from their vintages, which doesn't make any sense, I agree, but we're not rational animals, are we. With water: superb passion fruits, touch of silver and copper, vegetal earth, minty mushrooms (the name escapes me just now – excuse me? No, not peyotl), dried and pressed dates and figs, cashew…Mouth (neat): absolutely excellent, spicy and fruity and jammy old cognac, with great herbal teas and spices and a lot of punch once more. Water is needed to get into the subtleties, I would suppose… With water: do not add too much, these could become grassy. Otherwise perfect earthy fruits and herbs, nicely rustic. Well I would suggest you do not add any waters at all. Finish: long, punchy, a tad grassy and on fruit peel, also green spices. Leaves your palate clean and ready. Comments: excellent, especially on the nose, well done. Reduction is a tad tricky to the palate, unless you've got five litres and plenty of time. There's also a 1980 Bons Bois, we'll have it next time, we can't wait.
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
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Petite Champagne 'Lot N°73 Les Bons Vivants' (53.6%, Malternatives Belgium & Asta Maurice, Grosperrin, cask #lbv2, 492 bottles, 2023)
In theory, this should be close. I'll spare you any lousy considerations about Soft machine, Hatfield and the North or Ian Carr's Nucleus; better like this. Colour: deep amber gold. Nose: not exactly the same, but very similar cognac indeed. Let's say it is a tad more mentholated on the nose, with more moss as well, but indeed it is extremely close, and brilliant. No water needed. Mouth (neat): indeed, so close. Green tea, tannins, herbal tea, spicey marmalade, some rusticity. With water: catch me once… Finish: just totally excellent. Who remembers the band 'Egg'? (S., drop it, don't bore our friends). Comments: official apologies to Malternatives Belgium, but indeed both 1973 PCs are extremely close and equally excellent.
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
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J.P. Limouzin 'Powered by Pasquet 61 carats Lot 62' (50.4%, Asta Maurice, cask #AMF009, 342 bottles)
Right this is either a 62 year old 1961 or a 61 year old 1962. And not 100% sure our dear Belgian friends got the word 'Limouzin/Limousin' right, but after all we're having a hard time writing Westwleteeren too. UPDATE: label just in it's well 'Limouzin', apologies! Colour: deep gold. Nose: high precision, almost in all simplicity here and now. Quince jelly, acacia honey and mirabelle jam. That's pretty all but no probs, on the contrary. Bauhaus spirit, as we sometimes say. With water: who's been using a cognac stencil on an early-to-mid-sixties refill cask of Balvenie? Acacia and elder blossom honey and liqueurs may have been added too. Mouth (neat): same kind of narrow high-precision profile that works greatly. Angelica, grapefruits and pine needles this time. Brrr… With water: it's the freshness that remains impressive but I'm not sure water was needed. We'd like to meet the cask. Flower jellies, oriental pastries, mirabelles, some tea tannins… Finish: done and dusted, do not add any water to this one. Comments: amazing. Sadly I've waisted a part of what I was having using Vittel, entirely my bad (no it's Vittel/Nestlé's fault, naturally). Very great drop, the Belgians are stealing the show once more.
SGP:561 - 91 points. |
We may have come up with a new rule at WF HQ. Whisky above 49.99% vol. needs water (secondarily, as a complement), whereas brandy should wait until it's reached 54.99% vol. and upwards. What do you say? |
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Jean Fillioux 'Le Prince des Vignes Lot 60/70' (43.1%, Malternatives Belgium, TasTToe, grande champagne, 2023)
No issues here, I swear to Osiris that we'll keep our water afar from this one. Colour: deep gold. Nose: fruity perfection. This will be fast, quick and easy. Maracuja, mangos, pink bananas, peaches, spearmint. Simple and exceptional. Mouth: same plus a little tea-ish, mentholy oak, which is totally normal. Amazing notes of some fruit that's not that common, white currant. Which I find stunning. Finish: same. Comments: not much to add, this is princely indeed. White currants, remember!? Now wondering if one of the vintages hadn't gone underproof and was rescued by the other one. Not sure anyone, except the cellar master, should care. But 60/70, that's the Stones meeting Elvis, no? (which, apparently, never really happened).
SGP:651 - 91 points. |
Last great old cognac please, we keep revolving around the 90-line anyway… |
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Vallein Tercinier 'L'attente 52' (43.9%, OB for Jack Tar & Lux Coin, grande champagne, 2023)
Straight from Chermignac. We must remember that Vallein Tercinier was one, if not the first, cognac house to capture our attention as whisky enthusiasts, while the decanters and silly crystal – not to mention the quality of the liquids and the funky marketing - of the big houses had rather made us laugh before. Oh and 1952, what a vintage in jazz! Colour: amber. Nose: you don't nose this cognac, you listen to it. The wind in the mango trees, the bees protecting their hive, the mirabelles falling from their trees and the wines fermenting in the casks. And young Miles Davis and Chet Baker… (S., wake up!) Mouth: miraculous, wobbly, uncertain, fragile and precious. I don't know if this was drawn from wood or from a demi-john, I would wager it was the former rather than the latter, which would make it a 70 year old. Well I had mentioned bees and hives before, and that's exactly the driving inspiration here. Beeswax, honeycomb, pollen (pollen is not often mentioned but I for one believe it's a main marker in many spirits), then old pinewood and infusions. Perhaps sandalwood, soft tobacco, fruit peel… When you take a few drops, it's a bit delicate, but with a good gulp, it literally explodes but that's a slightly expensive tasting method. Ha. Finish: medium, beehivey, honeyed, with overripe apples making a notable appearance. Aftertaste is much more bitter and piney. Comments: I'm hesitating between the deference that age (and Miles) imposes and just justice. I think it's gonna be deferent justice (S., you Jesuit).
SGP:561 - 91 points. |
I agree, time to put an end to this. |
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