High-flying Cognac Sunday at WF


April 2, 2023

High-flying Cognac Sunday at WF

As promised. Let's first have a little apéritif, then see what we find at Château Whiskyfun…

The fomer Domaine Tribot

Frédéric Mestreau 'VSOP De Luxe' (40%, OB, +/-2020)

An old brand taken over by Grosperrin, which only raises our expectations. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it is a fresh and relatively young cognac on the nose, apparently, with first stewed peaches and a little liquorice, then more dried fruits, around figs, as well as an obvious floral side, honeysuckle, lime blossom… Rather a lot of fresh juicy sultanas too, plus whiffs of high-end Wulong tea. Classic fresh cognac, devoid of any 'added influences'. Mouth: rather unusual this time, with much more honey than in other cognacs, especially heather honey. I'm also finding rose jelly, or even gewurztraminer and muscat, which combines well with the liquorice. Very nicely fresh and aromatic, it's almost fine sémillon eau-de-vie (but not sure I've ever tasted fine de sémillon, wondering if anyone is making any – it's just a feeling). Finish: short and a little grassy, that's the low strength. Comments: the 40% make it a little weak, honestly, but the composition is very attractive. They should do a 'VSOP Super-De-Luxe', at 50% vol.
SGP:641 - 85 points.

Pierre de Segonzac 'Reserve XO' (40%, OB, Grande Champagne, +/-2020)

A fairly large estate (75ha) located in… Segonzac. Colour: gold. Nose: completely different, less 'carved', more on mead and tobacco, with a little old wood, tiny notes of rubber, and even touches of sherry. No, obviously, there cannot be any sherry in there. Mouth: starts a little peppery and with some coffee and black tea, notes of old sweet wine (or why not pineau), some dried dates, then rather raisins and some maple syrup. Tends to become a tad syrupy indeed, having said that these 40% vol. really are a handicap here. Finish: a little short but with pleasant notes of sweet cappuccino, and with some orange and rose liqueurs in the aftertaste. Comments: very fine, but these 40% really aren't very '2023'. Frustrating.
SGP:631 - 80 points.

Let's crank up the volume, but un-vertically, for more fun…

J. Prunier & Cie. 'Cuvée N°1 Winston Churchill' (47%, OB, Borderies, 1,000 bottles, 2022)

A vatting of 1967 and 1970 from the smallest Cru in Cognac, the Borderies (the borders), done in collaboration with the Maze-Churchill family. Colour: pale gold. Nose: what a difference some 7 extra-% make! This one is gloriously honeyed and floral, we're really nosing some kind of high-class meadows honey. I just adore this. Add some orange blossom water, oriental pastries, the subtlest pipe tobacco ever, a pack of fruit drops, whiffs of cinchona, a tiny pinhead of paprika… It really is a fabulous nose and should it be malt whisky, it would be a mid-1960s Lochside. Mouth: starts fully on some orange cordial and some very herbal vermouth, even Pimm's no.1 (didn't Churchill enjoy that as well? Wasn't he drinking anything anyway, from Pol to Johnnie?) More chartreuse and triple-sec then, an old bottle of curaçao found in a cupboard, many herbal liqueurs, genepy, verbena, gentian cordial… And even a little bitter beer. It really is the sum of many old-style drinks, while remaining a beautiful Borderies. Finish: rather long, even more rooty and orangey. Raisins and gentian in the aftertaste. Comments: spiritual metanoia in your glass, extremely dangerous.
SGP:651 - 91 points.

Jean-Luc Pasquet 'Le Cognac de Jean-Luc' (45.5%, OB, Grande Champagne, L.90's, 2022)

This is a vatting of Jean-Luc Pasquet's last two casks, Jean-Luc being the name of the father of current owner Jean (and Amy). The contents of both casks, so own-estate cognacs, were distilled in the 1990s. No need to add that the house Pasquet is one of our favourites. Colour: gold. Nose: raisin rolls straight from the bakery, then mullein syrup and other lovely floral concoctions. I also find rather a lot of natural vanilla (straight from the pods), which adds a rather clear bourbon side. High-class bourbon! In the background, some sublime old raisins from grandma's old tin box. Bottom line, it's not a hugely complicated nose, but I find it perfect if a tad unusual (I mean, bourbon!) Mouth: straight, uncomplicated raisins and a cognac that's very pineau-y. You would almost believe they've reduced it using must, which cannot be of course, but the end result is perfect. Raisins, peaches, mirabelles, a drop of rose syrup, another one of violet liqueur. Finish: medium, sweet, full of raisins of all kinds. Liquorice as the signature. Comments: absolutely excellent, but this one too is dangerously drinkable. Never have these in front of Netflix.
SGP:631 - 89 points.

Bons Bois 'N°91 Héritage' (49.5%, Grosperrin for Corman Collins, +/-2022)

Grosperrin are active promoters of the lesser Crus, the 'Bois', including the 'Ordinaires'. But this is a 'Bons', which sit right between the 'Ordinaires' and the 'Fins'. This should be a 1991. Colour: gold. Nose: this time again I'm finding these 'trans' notes in some Bois, namely notes of marc and fine from Burgundy or Jura. So less big dried fruits and more herbal notes, stems, leaves and even lees. Even a touch of natural rubber, walnut skins, some coffee, rather fir and oak honey (honeydew) than flowers, peach peel… So more tension here, but in a way this makes them closer to malt whisky, which I cannot not like. Mouth: back to sweeter raisins, peaches, liquorice allsorts, orange liqueur, bubblegum, marshmallows, banana foam, cream eggs… In short, this one's ready for easter. Good fun. Finish: rather long, sweeter than expected, with more citrus, citron liqueur… and oak honeydew. Green oak honeydew, that's terrific, I would urge you to try to find some and taste it. Liquorice wood in the aftertaste. Comments: another very excellent Bois. Granted, it's absolutely not as rustic as those marcs and fines we were mentioning.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

A Fin Bois then…

Vallein Tercinier 1996/2022 (48.8%, Whic Voyages Extraordinaires, Fin Bois, 150 bottles)

A tribute to Jules Verne. Why don't the younger generations read Jules Verne? Why don't they read at all? Colour: deep gold. Nose: it's a bit rustic and grassy too, probably not extravagantly fruity ether, rather on ripe apples from last year and with some metallic touches (old copper coins). Some unusual notes of ginger cookies, speculoos, grated nutmeg, soft paprika, turmeric powder… In short, not really a bomb on the nose, despite some lovely figs coming about a little late, but that may happen on the palate… Mouth: yes, mint, oranges and honey, that's a perfect combination. You could even add some olive oil and some liquorice. Very good fresh and uncomplicated combination on the palate. Finish: pretty long, with some piney touches. A curious coastal side in the aftertaste, as if we've just had some… Bruichladdich. No, really. Comments: excellent, as anything by Vallein-Tercinier.
SGP:551 - 86 points.

Back to the Bons Bois…

Domaine du Chêne 'XO 30 ans' (48.19%, Saint Seurin Sélection, Bon Bois, 2022)

From a wee estate in Saint Palais de Phiolin, a proper age-stated cognac at cask strength selected by the excellent folks at Cave Saint Seurin in Bordeaux. Colour: deep gold. Nose: liquorice, violets, blood oranges, heather honey and pomegranate wine. That means that this one is very aromatic for a Bon Bois, even if indeed, it would tend to become more herbal over time, with notes of green pu-her and thyme tea. Very attractive and rather more 'Borderies', as far as I can tell. I'm probably wrong. Some damp earth and moss after a few minutes. Mouth: tops, fruitier, very firm, big, vocal, all on honeys and liquorice for a while, then with more fresh and preserved fruits, the usual peaches, plums, quinces, orgeat, black nougat, drops of sesame oil (agreed, those last flavours are not usual in cognac)… Finish: long, perhaps a little drier now, with a very tiny cardboardy side (splitting hairs once more). Quinces and marmalade coming to the rescue, until a perfect honeyed aftertaste, with pine needles in the back of the back. Comments: brilliant Bon Bois, perhaps a tad easier and rounder than others. Which is a quality, obviously.
SGP:651 - 89 points.

Champagne please!

Michel Forgeron 'Lot N°92' (47%, Through The Grapevine, Grande Champagne, 2022)

In case you don't know, this is La Maison du Whisky's main line of indie Cognac. Colour: Rich gold. Nose: cakes, vanilla, malt whisky, subtler herbs and fruits, wisteria, honeysuckle, hay, prickly pears, mirabelles, peaches marc de gewurz', fudge, nougat, marshmallows… We're somehow, somewhere between cognac and Balvenie (for example) here. It's almost as if some charred oak has been in use at some point, not a bad feeling at all, mind you. Mouth: very syrupy, almost thick. Banana wine, peach liqueur, honeys and mead, mirabelle liqueur, a little icing sugar, liquorice allsorts, drops of sweet cough syrup, Toplexil… I may be exaggerating all this but you get the picture. Some ex-first-fill bourbon Benriachs are a bit like this. Finish: long and unexpectedly drier and grassier. Liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: could be the contrast with the 'Bois' we tried before. While very excellent of course, this Grande Champagne a tad thicker than those. Very, very, and I mean very good nonetheless.
SGP:641 - 84 points.

Borderies N°70 (49.5%, Jean Grosperrin, Lot 991, 271 litres, 2022)

An old Borderies 1970 from a wet chai/warehouse, what could go wrong? Colour: deep gold. Nose: this one too is not quite a monster, we're rather on softer teas, softer honeys, brioches, scones, old chardonnay perhaps, homemade praline, roasted peanuts, leaves, Camels… Mouth: entering another dimension, this time nose and palate don't quite match. Two cognacs for the price of one, how cool is that? Much more aromatic, mentholated, with a lot of liquorice and spearmint, eucalyptus, pink grapefruits (unusual in cognac), honeydew, something salty, even a little lemon, chalk… Mind you, it's almost manzanilla on the palate. Dazzling. Finish: long, a tad grassier and more peely again, but this salty and chalky fruitiness remains. Comments: big manzanilla. I mean, big borderies by Grosperrin. But then again, 1970 was the year of Alice Coltrane's Ptah, the El Daoud. Have a listen if you haven't already (cognac in hand).
SGP:561 - 89 points.

To another Borderies, to Ellington's stunning Far East Suite… That's right, to 1966.

Raffaud 'La Maison Rouge Lot 66' (50.7%, Malternatives Belgium, Borderies, 112 bottles, 2022)

Wonderful label, very 1966. Kudos! And quite a coup too, since the Raffaud family never, ever sold their cognac under their own name before. I would suppose it was dumped into Louis XIII, ha. Colour: deep gold. Nose: rather a filler in my opinion, but fillers have their own merits. In this case some wonderful cakes, with touches of copper and old zamak, plus a lot of ripe apples, peaches, pears, plums and then aromatic herbs, especially wormwood and verbena. Let's add a little water: always this metallic touch, which I tend to enjoy. Otherwise undergrowth, fern moss, mushrooms… Mouth (neat): probably not a filler, even if there is a little 'old oak'. Black tea, cigars, a feeling of charcoal… With water: right, this is what I was expecting, fruits have been unleashed, specially bananas flambéed. Finish: medium, back on black tea. Dark chocolate and mint in the aftertaste, thin mints… Comments: it's probably gotten a little fragile/drying, but it still has some very, very beautiful remains. BTW, Raffaud's Pineau is dazzlingly wonderful.
SGP:461 - 85 points.

Back to Kim Wilde's era…

Domaine Tribot 'N80' (65%, Swell de Spirits, Flashback, Grande Champagne, 150 bottles, 2022)

A 1980 bottled at an incredibly high strength for such an old cognac, let's be careful… Colour: amber. Nose: a curious coastal side at first (anchovies, really?) and then tons of quince jelly, mirabelles and nougat. With water: this coastal side remains, albeit toned down, while some metal polish and even a little carbolineum would enter the dance. Also some ink, then fruit peelings and green tea, peach skins… Mouth (neat): seems that this will be excellent but at the time being, it is both a little sugary and bitter. So, with water: phew, there, we found the fruits, the liquorice, the honeys and the sweet wines, but it would remain a little rustic and grassy. Leaves, paraffin, some austerity. Finish: medium, grassy when reduced, even grassier when neat. Orange zest and liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: possibly fully kept in refill oak. I like this very robust style rather a lot, but it's probably more for your hipflask.
SGP:461 - 85 points.

Vaudon 'Lot 77 Le Soleil de Printemps' (54.9%, Malternatives Belgium, Fins Bois, 390 bottles, 2023)

A 46 years-old 1977 cognac at 55% vol. for less than 200€, that's to be seen at Macallan's too. For half an opened miniature. The world is wrecked. Colour: full gold. Nose: classic cake, praline, sponge cake, biscuit, ripe bananas, ripe peaches, acacia honey, turon, cornflakes… With water: a little varnish and glue (yes!), then peach syrup, preserved plums, rubber bands (yes!) and bread crumble/tapioca/semolina. Mouth (neat): super good, fresh, potent, fruity, just a little oaky. With water: excellent now, fruitier, more on jams and honeys, soft fruity liquorice, perhaps one or two lavender sweets, pistachio nougat, citron liqueur… All things we enjoy a lot. 1977, wasn't it the year of Blue Oyster Cult's The Reaper? Remember those slightly excessive cowbells? We used to play it with my band at university, but with very moderate success. We used to have more people on stage than in the room, mind you… Come on, baby (don't fear the reaper)… Baby, take my hand (don't fear the reaper)… Tak, tak, tak, tak, tak, tak… Finish: medium, fruity, jammy. Peaches and honey in control, liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: pretty brilliant, in fact.
SGP:+41 - 89 points.

Daniel Bouju 'Très Vieux Edition Dully 2' (52.8%, C. Dully Selection, Grande Champagne, 074-84 + A38-48, 200 bottles)

Sooo, as I understand it, this is a vatting of the 1974 and 1984 vintages, bottled at 38 and 48 years of age. So, a 38 years-old. It's all unjust, is it not. Colour: mahogany. Nose: different from all the others, much more on toffee, coffee, treacle toffee pudding, caramel, mocha, chocolate… With water: gets very dry, almost a little metallic, with some black tea, pipe tobacco, walnut stain… Mouth (neat): rich, caramelly, full of black nougat, chicory coffee, turon, black honeys, old PX, cream sherry… With water: sweeter, more honeyed, with more sweet chocolate, prunes, molasses… It's a profile that we would rather tend to associate with armagnac, but there, love this very postprandial style. Finish: rather long full of chocolate and coffee, with some menthol then. Comments: to think that they would not use any oloroso casks! How do they do this? Frankly, I love it. What's more, it's done by and for our dear friends in Switzerland.
SGP:641 - 90 points.

Time to have a very last one, we'll have many more great old cognacs soon anyway…

Jean Fillioux 'Réserve Familiale' (40%, OB, grande champagne, +/-2022)

This is 'très vieux' and 'réserve' and all that, and indeed we adore the house Jean Fillioux, but these 40% vol. sound so stingy and cheap that it's a little hard to take such a botting seriously, from our very own POV. Unless… Colour: deep gold. Nose: adorably floral and fruity, probably quite young in fact. It's probably like with Scotch whisky, where 'very old' means 'unapologetically young', but with some lilac, wisteria, orange blossom, acacia honey, plus the usual preserved peaches, rose petals, Sauternes, and honeysuckle… Nah, TBH, it's a very lovely floral nose. Mouth: excellent, albeit very light. Herbal teas, dried fruits, teas… It's just that the low strength doesn't support or sustain anything, everything nosedives, gets dry, teaish and cardboardy. Finish: short, frustrating, drying. The oranges in the aftertaste are doing what they can, and that isn't much. Comments: I don't know what to say, except that there is a magnificent potential.
SGP:441 - 80 points.

We could not end this wee session like that, let's try again, for good…

Jean Fillioux 14 ans d'âge 2008/2022 (42.5%, OB, grande champagne)

Let's gather our forces… In truth there is a whole galaxy between a strength of 40% vol. and 42.5%. Colour: gold. Nose: yes, yes, yes. White asparagus, longan, goji, botrytis, rye bread, fresh oak, green banana, rusk, fresh mint, fruit peel, green tea… Not a fruit bomb for sure, but there is much elegance to this subtle, delicate, light nose. Mouth: yep, sultanas, young rancio, nougat and toffee, cappuccino, vanilla fudge, sweet curry, light paprika, pears… Finish: medium, grassier, with a little sawdust and literally tons on ginger cookies… Oh well, forget about the finish. Comments: some pretty active wood has been in use here, apparently. This is clearly superior but, and this is not my business of course, I believe they should hire some Scottish wood technologists who, since they know how to make a lot out of not much instead of not much out of a lot, would do wonders in this context. I believe brandy needs their own Dr Jim Swan. Sweet Dr Swan (R.I.P.)! Having said that and to be honest, there are a lot of fiddllings that you could do with whisky, and that would be totally illegal with cognac. Trotskyist overregulation, that's very French, is it not.
SGP:551 - 81 points.

Excellent juices in both Fillioux, they might just be a tad too traditional, seen from a whisky enthusiast's POV. Fifteen cognacs, session over; we'll have more next week, if grace favours us.

Check the index of all cognac we've tasted so far