| |
Home
Thousands of tastings,
all the music,
all the rambligs
and all the fun
(hopefully!)
Whiskyfun.com
Guaranteed ad-free
copyright 2002-2016
|
 |
|
| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
| |
|
| |
| |
November 27, 2016 |
|
  |
The search for malternatives
The Cognac month, partie quatre |
We might improvise again… |
|
Château Guynot ‘Napoléon Héritage’ (40%, OB, blend, +/-2016)  Some family-owned single estate Cognac located in Tesson, right between the cities of Cognac and Royan. And they also grow kiwis! I think this Napoléon is around 20-25 years of age. Colour: gold. Nose: starts very rounded yet fresh, with bags and bags of juicy golden raisins, then this quince jelly that we enjoy so much, then quite a lot of Sauternes from a good château, with apricots and mirabelles. Not one ounce of caramel or oak extracts, so quite far from many large-volume brands. Mouth: very good, quite tense, and even if this low strength remains a little problematic to the modern whisky enthusiasts (that’s us my friend), it’s got an excellent structure, with a grassy/liquoricy foundation, and plenty of yellow fruits, both in syrup and stewed. And yellow peaches. Very good. Finish: unexpectedly long, still rather grassy, but never quite grapey. Violet sweets in the aftertaste. Comments: really very good. I’m sure these excellent small châteaux will soon start to bottle at higher strengths, which should give them much more exposure. SGP:651 - 85 points. |
|
Folle Blanche 2003 (42.3%, Jean Grosperrin, Grande Champagne, lot No.422, 385 litres, +/-2015) Some pure folle blanche! As you know, that’s Cognac’s original grape from before the phylloxera. Today, only around 1% of all winemakers in Cognac still grow folle blanche, which is more common in Armagnac having said that. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this one’s very unusual, as it rather starts on wheelbarrows of mangos, including the own smell of the wheelbarrows (wood, iron and grease). And then there’s rather ripe pears and apples, and some time you’d think it’s Domfrontais Calvados. Also touches of tinned litchis. Mouth: more ‘Cognac’, much more Cognac. Excellent arrival, on liquorice and marzipan, then a long development on ripe peaches and melons. Always a wee metallic side in the background, which actually adds depth. Finish: long and even more liquoricy. Even a little salt in the aftertaste, ala Bowmore. Comments: utterly malternative. I’m not knowledgeable enough to tell you if this was typically folle blanche, but if it was, let’s go hunt folle blanche (mad white in English)! SGP:452 - 87 points. |
|
Comandon 1977/2016 (59.7%, Through The Grapevine, LMDW)  Some almost forty years old estate Cognac from the Borderies at a rarely seen strength, this should be something. Crazy crazy Maison du Whisky… Colour: orange wine ;-). Seriously, it’s slightly pink, where does that come from? Nose: starts with geranium flowers and obvious notes of old fortified wine (perhaps Rivesaltes or Banyuls), then we get quite a lot of orange/praline-filled chocolates, and then the same kind of slightly metallic side that we had found in the Grosperrin. Could this be folle blanche again? Redcurrant jelly, heather honey, a touch of cider… With water: some varnish from the oak, then autumn leaves and green tobacco. Even more artisan cider. Really not a silky old Cognac, even when reduced. Mouth (neat): rather rough, and rather Calvadosy (if I may). Gritty apples, green tea, gentian, perhaps turnips. And it’s rather hot! With water: we’re more in whisky territories. Bitter apples, ginger, artichoke, bitter chocolate… Really not an easy old thing for ‘the club’. Finish: long, with a little more oranges, but it keeps biting you a bit. Mentholy and pinesappy aftertaste. Comments: rather hard and rough Cognac, as in hard rock. Perhaps for more experienced Cognac tasters? SGP:471 - 79 points. |
Let’s try one more strong Cognac… |
|
Bache Gabrielsen ‘Sainte-Lheurine’ (54.8%, OB, Pure & Rustic, +/-2013)  Some single estate ‘artisan’ Cognac that was distilled in the early 1980s and bottled by Bache. This should rock… Colour: deep gold. Nose: rustic? Not at all! This is pure pineapple juice, really. Add oranges, add a little sandalwood. With water: gets grassy. That’s the rustic part, I suppose. Leaves, a touch of leaven, a little mud. In a way, it got maltier. Some orange-flavoured marzipan. Mouth (neat): blood oranges and tart peaches. Perhaps a little monolithic indeed, but immensely fresh. Rosebank, come out of this Cognac! With water: rather more on apples, which makes it go nearer the Comandon, but it remains much fruitier in general. Really nice fresh oranges. Finish: long, a little more tannic, with hints of marc rather than fine. That’s rather rustic indeed. Comments: gets rustic once water’s been added, while you would have thought the opposite would have happened. SGP:561 - 84 points. |
Good, we started with a Château Guynot, let’s end this with another Château Guynot. |
|
Château Guynot ‘Impérial’ (40%, OB, +/-2016)  This one was distilled 60 years ago, was kept in wood for 58 years, and then transferred to demijohns two years ago. As often happens with Cognac, it’s quite sad that it would have been reduced to 40% vol., really. How many hectolitres of fabulous old Cognacs have been murdered throughout the centuries? Now of course, some are doing fine at 40% vol… Colour: dark amber. Nose: rosewood, sandalwood, incense, rose petals, raisins, dried figs. Bags of dried figs, you know, those small ones that are so good and that they produce in Turkey. You know our usual lamento, why 40%, why 40%! This is such a perfect nose… Would you add water to your Chambertin? Mouth: it’s an exceptional old Cognac. Marvellous Corinth raisins, heather honey, dried apricots, Seville oranges, rhubarb pie… I even find a little Ovaltine. 1940s Macallan, anyone? Finish: O rage! O despair! O old enemy! Why 40%? This very short finish is so disappointing, while anyone would feel that the juice is just out of this world. Great minty side, but it really whispers too low, as Benny Golson would have said. Comments: go score this. Sure they may bottle Courvoisier V.S. at 40%, but this magnificent old juice? They should be brought to court! I’m joking, they are great and friendly people… SGP:651 - 89 points. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Check the index of 