Only hi-flying French brandies


March 24, 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!

Only hi-flying French brandies

Danis

At Domaine de Danis in the Gers (Domaine de Danis)

We had quite a busy end to last year and a start to 2024 filled with cognac and armagnac tastings, and I must willingly admit that my appreciation for them is growing, perhaps it's my Frenchness shining through a bit. Regardless, today, we felt compelled to sample a few more before dedicating the coming Sundays increasingly to rum, which are becoming ever so prevalent. While the most prominent names in malt whisky, at least among our dear independent friends, are fading away gradually, under the names of their original distilleries. As the saying goes, "You snooze, you lose," so horns up, let's first have an aperitif, please! Always with a thought for our friend Diego, the one who sent us, for instance, the complete Erté collection from Courvoisier to try. What a star!

Prunier 'VSOP' (40%, OB, +/-2023)

We've sampled a good number of old Pruniers but I don't recall this little VSOP. It's a blend of fins bois and petite champagne. Colour: gold. Nose: It's unusual to find, in a young cognac, such a variety of plums. Large juicy prunes and also ripe mirabelles, followed by those peaches that are almost always present in good cognacs that are pushing the distillate. In short, a very pretty nose, quite jammy, in the best sense of the word. I also detect a very slight musky note. Mouth: extremely fruity, exuberant, still focused on those rather incredible plums. Just a touch of cedarwood, light tobacco, and meadow honey. It's not overly complex but it's very expressive. The low alcohol content is not noticeable. Finish: of medium length, still very fruity. Again a little musky note and quite a few sultanas in the aftertaste. Also a bit of anise, wormwood, and liquorice. Yes, indeed, absinthe. Comments: I find it to be an excellent young cognac that could also bridge to great liqueurs at the end of a meal. And I would have guessed 45% ABV.
SGP:741 - 87 points.

Domaine de Jouatmanou 34 yo 1989/2023 (41.5%, ROW Spirits, bas-armagnac, fût #43, 571 bottles)

The lady on the label looks like my youngest daughter, seriously. Jouatmanou is located in Le Frêche in the Landes and is owned by the Lacave family. This a blend of folle blanche and baco. We might have more from Le Frêche today, timing permit. Colour: full gold. Nose: awesome start with a little petrol, even a touch of smoke, then a little varnish, encaustic and even a tiny touch of acetone, before more civilised aromas would start to come through, sultanas, peaches indeed, surely some butterscotch and some fudge... All that gives this one a wee 'trans-category' feel that we find pretty perfect. Say 85% perfect armagnac, 10% very old grain whisky, 9% old bourbon, and 1% peated Islay. But who-the-hell would do that? Mouth: brilliant and 100% armagnac this time, with this sophisticated rawness, a little varnish again, some beeswax, polishes, peaches, raisins, dried apricots, mead, and wait, 5% old calvados. Here we go again, I feel we'll need to apologize. Finish: long, more on honey and deep-brewed earl grey tea. No, we won't mention any other spirits. Or perhaps a little sloe eau-e-vie? Comments: so, I apologise.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

Vallein Tercinier 53 yo 1967/2021 (47%, OB for Gourmet Pool, grande champagne, 235 bottles)

Vallein Tercinier 53 yo 1967/2021 (47%, Gourmet Pool, grande champagne, 235 bottles)

The summer of love. This one too should tick all the boxes. Colour: Deep dark gold. Nose: typical. Sauternes, mangos, papayas, crushed bananas, honeysuckle, wisteria, orange blossom, vine peaches. Mouth: total, obvious house style. Rather sweet Jurançon than Sauternes, (manseng), peaches and mangos, guavas, some all-flower honey, touch of maple syrup and green oak honeydew, black tea, hint of varnish, apricot jam, then more spices, cinnamon, cedarwood… Finish: long, more roasted (peanuts), but always with a dazzling freshness. More cracked pepper and clove in the aftertaste. Comments: these VTs are all incredibly fresh and lively. At no point do they falter in the slightest, to the extent that when tasting them, one completely forgets their age and vintage.
SGP:651 - 91 points.

Back to l'armagnac…

Domaine Del Cassou 35 yo 1987/2022 (48.6%, L'Encantada, bas-armagnac, cask #010, 490 bottles)

From Arthez-d'Armagnac and 100% baco, some just post-phylloxera. I mean, probably from the first clones. Colour: bright amber. Nose: more varnish again, putty, fresh paint, roasted almonds and peanuts, plus cakes of all kinds, especially scones, then well-roasted chestnuts. Some ultra-ripe melon in the background, not too good to eat anymore but the noses can be absolutely flabbergasting, as is the case here. Mouth: a rather raw juice, roasted, with some pancake sauce, caramel, fresh-dried raisins… but it gets gradually fresher and fruitier, which I find uncommon. Greengages, gewurz berries stolen from the vines (oops), some ripe lychees too. Finish: long, roasted, you'd almost believe there was some botrytis (which the makers would hate, I suppose). Earthier aftertaste, with a little incense perhaps, or sandalwood. Comments: well, we keep flying extremely high, but that was to be expected from l'Encantada.
SGP:551 - 89 points.

Castarède 38 yo 1986/2024 (53.4%, Grape of the Art, Ténarèze, 246 bottles)

They have some awesome folle blanche at Castarède, which is a very traditional and pretty ancient Armagnac house, but this is a blend of ugni blanc and colombard. As for the youngsters at Grape of the Art, they already showed us that they know how to select a cask of 'gnac (the secret being, I've heard, not to get flat drunk before agreeing with the owners on which cask you'll purchase). Colour: deep gold. Nose: another rather roasted/fudgey one, with some vanilla and a touch of coconut, a pack of Mars bars, some cappuccino and macchiato, maple syrup, millionaire shortbread, honey… With water: lovely whiffs of fresh putty, marzipan, and barley syrup. Yes. Mouth (neat): just extremely good, rich yet a little tense, with once more some coconut, vanilla and maple syrup. An armagnac that's rather a little closer to malt whisky indeed, but remember it is a Ténarèze. With water: please add just one drop or some tannicity would spring out. Very good herbal teas, muscovado, tiny touches of fresh rubber, peach skins… Finish: long, rather grassier. Apple peel, grape pips. Comments: very big boy, extremely good, but be careful with water, or just do not add any.
SGP:661 - 88 points.

Right, they were all superlative this far.

Domaine de Danis 1986/2023 (48%, OB, armagnac, pièce, cask #11)

100% folle blanche, straight out of Castelnau d'Armagnac. A pièce shelters around 400 litres of spirit. They're located in Ténarèze but the soil is that of some typical Bas-armagnac, which is why they prefer not to write 'Ténarèze' on their labels, which we find very honest. Colour: deep gold. Nose: clearly more rustic, with more earths and leaves, mushrooms, roots, grasses, stewed peaches and pears, fermenting fruits, even a little beer… That's all rather intriguing, we agree. With water: whiffs of camphor and eucalyptus, plus last year's apples resting in the cellar. Mouth (neat): su-perb! All ripe fruits sprinkled with honey and caramel sauce, plus a little mocha. Another sin. With water: same feeling of civilised rusticity, shall we say. I cannot not think of 'pommes tapées', which is something they make in the Loire valley, where they hit apples several times to let them dry. The apples end up being as flat as a flatearther's brain – but much better. It is a very old recipe. Finish: long, rather a little dry and herbal, both elegant and rustic indeed. Comments: water was unnecessary, my bad. Superb armagnac, nonetheless.
SGP:561 - 87 points.

Domaine de Danis 1978/2022 (46%, OB, armagnac, #T6)

Baco and ugni blanc. The estate started to only grow folle blanche in 1982. Colour: deep gold. Nose: really mostly on herbal teas, rosehip, rooibos too, peach leaf tea – you could also make liqueur out of peach leaves, also a few buds and small berries, old pine wood, old furniture in the attic, hives… Mouth: rather like it, with the stewed peaches, honeys, waxes, pears and apples, notes of chardonnay kept in pretty active oak, banana skins… Classic raisins are chiming in too. Finish: rather long, rather grassier, but never drying. The oak is kept at bay. Comments: I'm sure I should like the lovely folle blanche even better, but we're rebels and so we do prefer this baco-ugni by a tiny-wee margin. Greater and even greater.
SGP:561 - 88 points.

We could have two more and then go on next week, no?

Tiffon 'Lot 75' (44.7%, Malternative Belgium, Borderies, Private bottling for The Antelope and Kanpaikai, 2023)

Colour: amber. Nose: It's quintessentially classic, with praline, fruit crumbles, various honeys, damp earth, dark nougat, chocolate, and hints of geranium flowers, tomato bud and leaf (their good side)... It's really quite beautiful. Mouth: the woodiness is more pronounced, and that's to be expected. Notes of fir and pine, liquorice, gentian (hurrah), followed by the usual stewed fruits and familiar honeys. Also, candied oranges. The balance is absolutely perfect here. Finish: quite long, honeyed and with a liquorice twist. Remarkable signature notes of very ripe apples. Comments: I'm not quite sure what to say, all this is just... perfect.
SGP:651 - 91 points.

Domaine de Baraillon 1967/2021 (42%, OB, bas-armagnac)

Glad to have Baraillon on the tasting desk again. Colour: dark amber. Nose: I'm sure Jimi H. was playing while they were distilling this. Abundant fruit compotes, wafts of peonies, ultra-ripe red peaches, morel mushrooms, intriguing notes of sangria – yet without the winy aspect, right – as well as an old pinot noir from around Nuits-St-Georges – again, without the vinous side. Mouth: this time it's totally old-school, with a present yet incredibly well-mannered woodiness, that same pinot noir, blood oranges, ratafia, prunes, aged dried grapes rehydrated in brandy, ripe damsons, cinnamon, then dark chocolate and very old rum (the Navy rum type)... All of this is extremely entertaining and divinely good, I find. And emotionally old-school, indeed. Finish: of medium length and similar character. Comments: Baraillon, still unbelievably profound.
SGP:661 - 92 points.

Next time we'll have several older ones, including perhaps a V-duo of 1945s and quite a few older ones, nearer to WWI. Au revoir, cheers Diego.

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