More cognacs and armagnacs


May 12, 2024

A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace!

More cognacs and armagnacs (cream of the crop only)

Since it's Sunday. Next Sunday, it will be rum again, unless we pour some mezcals, old genevers, or other alternative spirits. We'll see... In any case, today we decided to do all this completely at random.

Current campaign for Armagnac. The aim was 'to reinvent and rejuvenate its image', as it's always, invariably been since at least Methuselah. Got to love them!

Jean-Luc Pasquet 'L'Organic Folle Blanche L.XIII' (49.6%, OB, Grande Champagne, +/-2024)

The last batch went very well. I remind you that folle blanche is supposed to be a much more quality grape variety than the others, but its post-phylloxera grafting may have weakened it and it remains quite rare. Well, that's what I seem to have read somewhere. This baby is ten years old. Colour: golden. Nose: it's aromatic and a bit oily, somewhat like a malt, with a very nice balance between the fruits, or rather the fruit peels (peach, apple) and the floral infusions like chamomile and orange blossom. A bit of slightly underripe mashed banana. I'm re-reading my notes for the previous version, we're very close. Mouth: a lot of liquorice, with touches of salt, still that fairly oily and slightly herbaceous side, then raisins and that famous orange blossom, earl grey, Turkish delight, etc. But it remains tight and quite nervous, despite the rather remarkable oily aspect. Could they have added some Golden Promise? Finish: quite long, with a return of salty liquorice. Almost a bit of beef jerky at the end. Teriyaki flavour, please. A bit of mint at the very end. Comments: it also takes water very well and becomes even more liquorice-led (indeed, with an artisanal pastis side, if you like).
SGP:562 - 86 points.

Fanny Fougerat 'Iris Poivré XO' (40%, OB, Borderies, 7500 bottles)

It's quite a statement to bottle such a baby at 40% vol. That might mean 'our ancestors have always done it this way and we don't care much about trends'. If that's the case, we applaud it! By the way, 'iris poivré' means 'peppered iris' (I think they had gotten that, S.). Colour: straw. Nose: it's quite soft and indeed floral. We find liquorice and violet, orange blossom, wisteria, honeysuckle, and especially a lot of green earl grey tea (earl grey exists in both black and green, did you know?). Also, a bit of patchouli, which gives this lovely cognac such a fresh, hippie side. Yes, really. Mouth: it's fuller than expected, always fresh and close to nature (flowers, shrubs, damp earth) and with a very, very slightly muscaty side, but that's not uncommon in young cognacs. Pear cake covered with cinnamon. Finish: not so short, always fresh. Some touches of service tree liqueur and a bit more liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: very good, but at 40% vol. the WF drinkability index is very high. So, caution is required...
SGP:551 - 86 points.

Well, these two young cognacs have really done their job. Right, let's go down…

Daniel Bouju 'Lot 60 Un Toast à L'Amitié' (50.4%, OB for Geert Lagast & Raf De Ruysscher, 2023)

So, 1960, baddest year for wine, good year for Man (yeah right). More cognac smuggling by our dear Belgian friends. I hope Ursula v/d L. will do something eventually. In my meagre experience, Boujus tend to be dark and heavy (ish). Colour: coffee. Nose: hold on, is this old Ténarèze? Very old Brandy de Jerez? 1950s Glen Grant by G&M? Macallan 'Gran Reserva'? Could we see the papers? Prunes, coffee liqueur, very old cream sherry, ultra-fresh pipe tobacco and forty tonnes of the blackest and juiciest big fat Corinthian raisins. That's what we get. With water: awesome prunes, treacle toffee pudding, Christmas cake… Mouth (neat): heavy indeed, but not exactly stuffy or cloying. Huge liquorice, crazy PX, then menthol and another 40 tonnes of those Corinthian raisins. What's troubling is that it would remain elegant and drinkable. With water: it does stand water and the oak never really comes to front stage. Perhaps a tad more grapey, teaish… Well water is unnecessary. Finish: awesome without water, if a tad armagnacqy. No probs, contrary. Chocolate and prunes. Comments: I shouldn't have added water – when you see what's happening with Nestlé's waters these days - but it's a very great, very Bouju-y (as far as I can tell) cognac.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

To Armagnac country…

Dartigalongue 1981/2024 (45%, OB, Bas Armagnac)

This one was just bottled in April, we got it straight from Nogaro in the Gers. Naturally, Nogaro is famous for its armagnacs, but also for its grand-prix-level motor races, their 'Circuit Paul Armagnac' being known just everywhere on this planet. Quite. As for 1981, that's Kim Wilde, of course. Colour: deep amber. Nose: this is where armagnac meets cognac, had you said this was an old Borderies or something, I wouldn't have cried 'wolf!'. Superlative overripe peaches, all-flower meadow honey, soft molasses (cane), a tiny touch of black truffle, praline, pistachio nougat, then more oldness (pine resins, black tea) but this remains fresh and oh-so lively. Mouth: much more on wood, but it's all under control and we know it's a proper style down there. Litres of black tea (remember, black Assam), a lot of bitter chocolate, cigars, pine needles, a little thyme oil, terpenes, turpentine… And we just love this, as we keep remaining way below the limits. This menthol + chocolate combo that's coming out now is perfect. That's right, After Eights, thin mints. Finish: long, clearly piney now, with a small side remining us of Greek retsina wine, and that works. Varnish. Comments: These quite woody old armagnacs can stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth, as they say, but that's absolutely not the case here. Wonderful bottle, superbly traditional, reminding me of my Sunday meals at my grandfathers'. Next step, doing laps at the Nogaro circuit in a Bugatti Type 35. One must have goals in life.
SGP:561 - 91 points.

Hontambère 1983 (54.2%, Grape of The Art, Ténarèze, cask #G4, 2023)

As I understand it this is Pouchégu, sourced by Hontambère, bottled by Grape of The Art. So be it. Colour: copper amber; Nose: relatively light, rather on incense, cedarwood, chicken broth and apricots. Unusual 'fusion' combo but some menthol is gathering the troops after a short while. With water: chocolate all around, plus dried fruits (apricots, pears). The chicken have gone. Mouth (neat): some oak for sure, more cedarwood, tobacco, pinewood, very black tea Russian-style, the blackest chocolate and the blackest coffees… With water: it's become fruitier, almost a little jammy. Spiced jams, orange and ginger… Finish: rather long, gently rustic, with more coffee and chocolate. Touch of camphor. Comments: perhaps the most armagnacqy of them all. In truth I used to have, in my remote family, an old grandpa who used to raise fighting bulls and armagnacs, for sports. He was owning many casks of Ténarèze that used to be a little bit like this one. He was still riding his motorbike at the age of 90 and eventually died just before reaching 100. The family keeps drinking his old Ténarèzes. Why am I telling you this?
SGP:561 - 88 points.

Aurian 45 yo 1977/2024 (45.2%, Armagnac Sponge, Decadent Drinks, Bas armagnac, 156 bottles)

Monsieur Sponge is back. Colour: copper. Nose: it's a fruit compote, with ripe cherries, deep red peaches, a hint of caramel, geranium flowers, peonies, and garden compost. It's obviously very beautiful and certainly a tad rustic. Mouth: it's even better on the palate. The pretty obvious woodiness acts like a crown of diamonds around an emerald or a sapphire (you're exaggerating there, S.) More cooked red fruits, chocolate, rosemary, liquorice, a few cloves, touches of tar, a few drops of tomato sauce... Finish: long, very beautiful, almost fresh but always with those notes of cooked fruits. Indian spices (red tandoori). Comments: one can only wonder why most armagnacs age so much better than malt whiskies. We'll have to interview The Sponge on this subject.
SGP:661 - 90 points.

Grande Champagne 'n°19.74' (49.4%, Malternative Belgium, Private Bottling)

I don't have a photo of this bottle, so I'm putting up a portrait of Thijs van Leer, the singer of Focus in 'Hocus Pocus', around 1974. A crazy thing, give it a go if you've never heard it (that is, if you're under 60). I'd like to add that I have a very high opinion of the work of Malternative Belgium, it reeks of well-maintained telomeres and neurons in good working order. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this time we're not going for complexity, there's apple, honey, and hay. It's just that the proportions are perfect. Mouth: it's very funny, once again it's a very compact old cognac, almost simple, with apples and a bit of lemon and peppermint. In fact it's almost an abstract cognac, a Miro or Calder of French brandy. Finish: same. Comments: I like it really a lot, but I may have missed a few parts.
SGP:551 - 86 points.

Un petit dernier…

Le Noble 'Lot 68' (45.2%, Malternative Belgium & The Whisky Jury, Grande champagne, 129 bottles, 2023)

From a 'bouilleur de cru', so probably an individual. It's true that in France, we need to produce a large part of what we consume, coz we wouldn't want to run dry (even if we're already #1 export market in volume for Scotch – but we drink a lot of the nasty stuff). Colour: full amber. Nose: and what an individual. This is peach-led, which is the #1 kind of arrival with anything cognac or even wine brandy, then we have ripe apricots, mirabelles and quinces. A few amaretti and macaroons. Mouth: some tannicity sure feels, peach skin, cedarwood, pear peeling, heavier Darjeeling.. but balance was preserved. It's in the background that tea and oak tannins seem to be having a blast, but they'll never actually get through. Finish: rather long, rather fresh, rather peachy. More mint and black tea in the aftertaste. Comments: 1968, that was In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, right? In any case, I 'd believe bottling old cognacs or armagnacs really means knowing how to play with the limits. Sexiest work there is, no?
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Check the index of all armagnacs and cognacs we've tasted so far

Many more young cats very soon…