Another verticale of carefully selected cognacs


March 10, 2024

Another verticale of carefully selected cognacs, thinking of them

Saintes

Flood in Saintes (Le Parisien)

Floods are part of the rhythm of the river Charente. Since 1700, it has exceeded 4 metres at the main bridge in Saintes (think Grosperrin) 151 times. This includes three occasions this winter, with peaks of 5.42 metres on 13 November 2023, 6.08 metres on 17 December 2023, and right this week, 5.54 metres on Wednesday, 6 March! Fortunately, they have courage and a great deal of panache! We had the pleasure of sampling some extraordinary cognacs last Sunday and so, even though we had planned on tasting rums today (and there are many exceptional rums as well), we prefer to savour a few more hidden gem cognacs to keep the momentum going. And to start with one or more aperitifs (which often turn out to be much more than that)...

ABK6 'XXO' (42%, OB, Grande Champagne, +/-2023)

XXO or 'extra extra old' is a relatively new category that addresses, since 2018, cognacs aged for a minimum of 14 years. Hennessy had been using it before but it was having no binding value back then, it was just a 'brand'. This one is own-estate, top-of-range cognac so I suppose it's also sheltering much older juices. Colour: deep gold. Nose: it would start with some rather delicate encaustic, cherry stem tea, beeswax, roasted nut, while it's then rather geared towards honeys and very soft spices. Our favourite honey, chestnut, is sitting right there in the middle, together with a handful of sultanas. Lovely, pretty delicate and yet rather all-purpose nose. It's an expensive bottle (450€).

Mouth: some old oak that feels, some stewed peaches and oranges, old sweet wine that got drier over the decades, then touches of liquorice, lavender and jasmine tea, fruit peel (peach) as well as a feeling of cedarwood and orange zests. Nice but I thought the nose was nicer yet. Finish: medium to short, a little tea-ish and oaky, with some cinnamon and a little pickled ginger. More cedarwood, a drying aftertaste. Comments: Very good, but as often is the case, it probably would have been better – and less woody – at a slightly higher strength. A very lovely cognac, just a bit (a lot) pricey.
SGP:361 - 85 points.

Rémi Landier 'Napoléon' (40%, OB, cognac, +/-2023)

A fins-bois-driven blend of nine years of age by an excellent house. They've also blended new French oak and refill. Colour: deep gold. Nose: some rather awesome tropicalness, with mangos roasted in honey, certainly some proper maple syrup, then dandelions and other flowers of the season full of nectar (meant to help all bees kickstart their colonies). Some violets too. This roastedness is absolutely lovely, I had already tried this expression fifteen years ago, I believe this very one lies in a higher league. Mouth: more classic sweet raisins, maple syrup again, other syrups… I find it really very sweet but that works. Liquorice allsorts, nougat and just 5 kilograms of prairie honey. Finish: medium, still very sweet. Bags of raisins and jars of pineapple jam in the aftertaste. Comments: liked the palate, loved the nose. Just a tad, well, sweet for me.
SGP:741 - 85 points.

Let's now go down the ladder of time, as we like to do… Alas, it's becoming increasingly difficult to do with whisky.

Jean-Luc Pasquet 'Heritage N. 10 – N. 11' (49.6%, Cognac Sponge, Grande Champagne, 120 bottles, 2023)

100% folle blanche, distilled by Monsieur Jean Pasquet himself. Colour: dark gold. Nose: linden herbal tea and yuzu at first nosing, which is awesome indeed, then some kind of herbal caramel (no less dazzling) and sesame oil, black nougat, orange blossom water and just 'soil'. I'd add that you do feel that it is folle blanche. More honeys of various kinds chiming in then, all bright and uplifting. Mouth: an impressive citrusy arrival, then our buddies the quinces and mirabelles, then some kind of lemon pie sprinkled with chartreuse. Linden tea is back too. In Alsace we would say it is very 'süffig', which means that you'd better keep your bottles under lock and key. Finish: rather long, with wee notes of fir honey on top of all the rest. Comments: the best malt whiskies are sometimes as good, or even better when they're young, think Springbank or Ardbeg. Only one question remains then, is this Pasquet an Ardbeg of cognac, or is it a Springbank? Right, let me remind you that I keep tasting spirits from the POV of a whisky enthusiast… Brilliant young cognac.
SGP:661 - 90 points.

Estève 33 yo 'Lot 89' (57.4%, Maltbarn, Petite Champagne, 120 bottles, 2023)

From a family estate of 50ha, located in Celles in the Charente-Maritime. I think it is the first time I'm trying an Estève. Colour: amber. Nose: it's rather a jammy cognac, shock-full of ripe and preserved plums and apricots, eaux-de-vie and liqueurs, with lovely touches of marzipan and pistachio syrup in the background. With water: moss and fern are taking over. Verbena, aniseed, fennel, crushed pine needles… Mouth (neat): some small piney tension at first, with rather a lot of deep-steeped black tea then, but oranges and tangerines are coming to the rescue. Water remains deeply needed. With water: the wood still feels but citrus is balancing it all, bringing a feeling of green chartreuse aged in oak for many years. Which, we agree, doesn't really exist. Ever tried chartreuse Orange? Finish: rather long, not that piney, rounder than expected. Triple sec and fir bud liqueur. Comments: extremely good and possibly bottled -at just the right moment.
SGP:571 - 86 points.

Petite Champagne 'Lot 82' (44%, The Scottish Brothers, 2022)

A bottle stemming from a property in Archiac in the Charente-Maritime. They wouldn't tell about the estate, there seems to be several of them down there. This is a Belgian bottling, which is enough for us, ha. Colour: amber with copper tones. Nose: more classic cognac, more stewed, with more very ripe peaches, milk chocolate, tamarind, juicy prunes, whiff of incense, some cherry liqueur, maraschino, and a lovely fresher rancio. Old cognac as in the books, I would say. Mouth: fantastic juicy, pruney, raisiny cognac. Bags and bags of sultanas, certainly a feeling of very old pineau des Charentes, then damson jam and some rosehip tea. Excellent. Finish: pretty long, at times you would believe this is sweet muscat (Beaumes de Venise-like). Formidable. Comments: this one too is very süffig, be careful.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Towards the seventies…

Daniel Bouju 'Lot 79' (51.8%, Malternative Belgium for The Nectar, Grande Champagne, 300 bottles)

I've tried Boujus that have been pretty extractive, let's see… Colour: very dark amber. Nose: bags of roasted nuts, caramel and toffee, liquorice, resins (gentler ones), some meatiness, as in some deep-sherried malt whisky, plus prunes and chocolate sauce. It seems like we could almost sneak this little one into a blind tasting of Glenfarclas. With water: funny saponification occurring, then back to extreme jams and compotes, in the style of some very old sweet malagas and sherries. Touch of lovage, Marmite, Maggi… Mouth (neat): pretty much in the style of the 82, just heavier yet, very fruity, extremely jammy. All raisins you could find in a Turkish shop, plus all millionaire shortbread you'll find in bonnie Scotland. And that's a lot. With water: no heavy tannins, we're happy. Having said that it got really sweet and thickish, it's no ethereal cognac for sure. Finish: long, thick, heavy, rich, sweet. Comments: 1979? Well this could be a Ramone of the cognac world.
SGP:641 - 89 points.

Let's double-check all that…

Daniel Bouju 'D74-84 – A39-49' (52.6%, Edition Dully, Grande Champagne, Batch 4)

Ugni blanc and a name that makes you feel like you're playing a game of battleships. Seriously, it's a blend of 1974-1984 vintages, aged for from 39 to 49 years. Colour: mahogany. Nose: we're very close, this one has just a little more coffee liqueur, menthol, fir liqueur, even varnish, otherwise it's the same display of prunes, chocolate and rich honeys and even molasses. With water: deep coffee, ristretto, hoisin sauce, plus black Assam and very old rancio. The coffeeness remains perfect. Mouth (neat): some extreme black chocolate while, to be honest, you'd also believe it's sheltering some very old sherried Longmorn. Or Glenfarclas indeed. With water: it's a little sweeter and rounder, with many more raisins. Finish: long and very chocolaty and coffeeish. Zwetschke jam in the aftertaste. Comments: amazing, perhaps just a tad less bright and a notch heavier than the previous batch, which I just adored (WF 91). But we're not having both on the table for due comparison.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Peyrot 'V.68 A.55' (44.4%, Old Master Spirits, Grande Champagne, 141 bottles)

A bottling organized by and for Australia. It's pure ugni blanc a.k.a. Trebbiano a.k.a. Saint-Emilion (didn't know that, thanks Deni). Nothing to do with Ausone or Cheval Blanc though (merlot, cabernets). Anyway, own-estate cognac in Mainxe-Gondeville, estate called Domaine des Bergeronnettes (those are wee birds), distilled by the grandmother in 1968, still in the family, all is well, it seems to tick all the boxes… Colour: amber. Nose: herbs, tertiary aromas, old wines, parsley and chives, tobacco, olive oil, cigars, fermenting mangos and pears, pistachio oil, blood orange, a little shoe polish and plasticine… well this is extremely complex and it would keep changing for hours. Fantastic notes of chen-pi emerging too. Trying to keep this short and sweet. Mouth: awe, this is truly something special, with fruits that aren't that common in cognac, in my meagre experience. Such as prickly pears, cranberries, pomegranates, even lychees… Plus just sweet apples. Pure, rather dangerous easiness. Finish: rather long, rather on sweet 'buttery' pears. Am I dreaming or are there also ripe kiwis? Comments: I find it rather touching that this wee baby has almost travelled around the world only to come back to be savoured in France. It's all amusing, and it's an utterly excellent drop.
SGP:641 - 91 points.

Petite Champagne 'N°67 Héritage' (40.7%, Jean Grosperrin, Lot #1115, 190 litres)

You really need to see the bottle to be able to read the awesome stories that are added to the front labels. For example, this cask has aged peacefully for 37 years at the distiller's in the region of Archiac, before being moved to Grosperrin's famous chai. It also says that this is 'delicate'. Colour: deep gold. Nose: I think I enjoy slightly grassier cognacs more and more, in this very case you'd find woodruff, pansies too, hay, mullein flowers, then just ripe apples and pears. And many herbal teas, especially proper chamomile (that's right, the other manzanilla). A touch of white chocolate too. Mouth: the low strength don't feel and there are entrancing notes of tangerines and bergamot juices. That's properly amazing, Tiny touches of aromatic white wines, viognier, manseng… Which is used to make white Jurançon wine, which hasn't got anything to do with Jurançon blanc, which is a secondary grape that's rather used to make… cognac or armagnac. Isn't everything a little complicated in France? There are vine peaches too. Finish: unexpectedly long, bright and fruity, indeed on peach juice and, probably, white Jurançon (the wine, not the grape). Ooh my poor head… Comments: awesome. Another very süffig one that needs to be locked up.
SGP:641 - 90 points.

Please note that the word 'süffig' doesn't exactly mean 'drinkable'. Drinkable means that you could drink rather a lot of said spirit, while süffig means that you will. Last one please…

Tiffon 'Lot 45' (49.2%, Swell de Spirits, Field Trip, Petite Champagne, 60 bottles, 2023)

This incredible immediate post-war Tiffon was resting in a demijohn when it was selected and bottled under this amazing slightly arty label. Mind you, a 1945! Colour: red amber. Nose: you'll first find gentler wallflowers and stewed peaches, before it would move towards many kinds of nuts, especially macadamia, plus something exotic, possibly ylang-ylang, Sicilian mandarins (the ones they use to make high-end perfume), a little charcoal, vetiver, fresh capers, delicate honeys, a few wild mushrooms… But when was it demijohnned? It could well be around 50 years of age. Mouth: incredible, you do feel exactly why they decided to transfer it from wood to glass, as you do notice a little tannicity in the back of the background, certainly an asset at the time, and possibly a problem five years later. Well, maybe, I may be overthinking here but I find this fascinating. Peaches in syrup, apricots, small berries, pink peppers, tangerines, plums, all-slower honey, glazed chestnuts, blood oranges… Finish: medium, still bright (thanks to the demijohn), with the usual peach-driven fruitiness that the best old cognacs have. Tangerines and hops/Timut pepper in the aftertaste, plus this oakiness on the horizon. Comments: a fascinating Tiffon on several accounts, and certainly a tribute to the Cellar Master who took the decision. Hope he's still with us.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Oh, there's also this little 1972 that has just come in...

Maxime Trijol 50 yo 1972/2023 (47.3%, Journal des Kirsch, Kirsch Import, Petite Champagne, Edition Nr 5, 162 bottles)

Out this week, I believe. Previous editions of the Kirsch Journals have been exceptional, and the Trijol house enjoys a flawless reputation, so one wouldn't expect anything to go wrong. However, note that we have never tasted a Trijol as aged as this one. Colour: amber with a hint of bronze. Nose: well, we have before us a large packet of dried figs. These dried figs, which are never exactly the same within a single packet, display a myriad of aromas themselves, such as raisins, praline, maple syrup, marzipan-stuffed dates, various honeys, or even wax polish and old leather. Some very ripe apricot and some tropical fruit complete the set. It's quite masterful and, especially, exceedingly cheerful, even vernal, which is fortunate. Mouth: it's very different, much more on old calvados, brown tobacco, resinous and oak woods, ground coffee, powdered cinnamon, very dark tea (indeed, black Assam), cloves, liquorice, menthol... In short, the wood is much more present than on the nose, but it's a 'traditional' woodiness in very old cognacs, a woodiness one could almost call 'of antique quality', if you see what I mean. In essence, it's not so much about apricots anymore but it's still a great cognac. Finish: long, with a rather obvious tannicity but that's certainly not a flaw in this particular context. Very dark chocolate in the aftertaste (80% cocoa or more). Comments: absolutely excellent, but perhaps not an old cognac to take to the beach. Forget about the cheerful and spring-like side that we found on the nose.
SGP:471 - 90 points.

So, many cognacs of the highest quality again, but it's true that we continue to favour the somewhat "boutique" bottlers and makers. Because they are the best, it's undeniable. Small remains beautiful.

See you soon for more old cognacs.

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