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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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October 30, 2016 |
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The search for malternatives
The cognac month, partie un |
We’ll try five cognacs or more every Sunday for the whole month of November, hoping that we’ll find several worthy malternatives and knowing that Pierre Desproges, a rather famous French humorist who died in 1988, used to say that whisky was the idiot’s cognac. I must be extremely unintelligent then! Now he also wrote that ‘our enemy is very stupid, he believes the enemy is us, even though it’s him!’, some comments that we may have to think about in these troubled times… But in the mean time, let’s check, once again, whether cognac could be the smart man’s whisky or not… |
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Dobbé ‘VSOP’ (40%, OB, cognac, +/-2015)  Some estate cognac from Salignac-sur-Charente that won double gold at the China Wine and Spirits Awards 2015. It’s also one of the thousands of brands that did not manage not to win a medal at the IWSC (ooh that’s cheeky, S.!) Colour: pale gold, great news, not too much caramel). Nose: a little rough and spirity at first nosing (it’s a little kirschy) but there are lots of raisins, both au naturel and burnt on a cake. I also find it rather liquoricy, as well as surprisingly malty. A lot of Ovaltine, chicory… Quite aromatic. Mouth: first a notch sweet and a tad caramely, but it develops nicely, on cereal bars, biscuits, and overripe (and overcooked) apples. Touches of peach and pear jams. Finish: rather short, with some liquorice and a little toasted oak and vanilla. Comments: a very fine, pretty flawless, and easy cognac that should please malt drinkers. SGP:541 - 81 points. |
Oh, let’s have a little fun… sot of… |
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Cognac Delva (Delva, pale fine champagne, +/-1945)  You may know the story, Rommel and his army stole a lot of whisky and cognac from the British troops while in North Africa, which he then brought back to Italy before the stocks were seized again by the allies. The remaining litres have then been bottled by an Italian company named Delva, and today a few old bottles keep appearing at auctions every once in a while. We already tried the (nasty) whiskies a few years back, time to try the cognac. It’s reassuring to read this on the back label: ‘chemical tests carried out on Delva liquors showed all to be within standards of purity prescribed for use by Allied Military personnel.’ Phew! Colour: orange-ish gold (caramel). Nose: herbs and sugar syrup, not much else. Some kind of stale verbena liqueur (Verveine du Velay) and traces of molasses. Some stale Fanta too. Mouth: ugh! Nothing, nada, niente, nichts. Feels like the cheapest rosés for tourists. Finish: none. Comments: I hope it used to be better when the troops were still quaffing it. Fine champagne? But of course… SGP:110 - 10 points. |
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Léopold Gourmel ‘Premières Saveurs’ (40%, OB, cognac, +/-2015)  This is a Fins Bois, so a 1er Cru. It’s actually 6 years old, so a VSOP, but I’m not sure it’s estate cognac. The brand Gourmel is very popular amongst the small wine merchants in France. Colour: pale gold. Nose: rather more closed than the Dobbé – we shan’t compare this fine Gourmel with the Rommel cognac, of course – and much more on fresh cut fruits, such as apples, the usual vine peaches, and perhaps even green bananas. Nice wee touches of aniseed and liquorice wood. Mouth: I like, I find it pretty armagnacqy. Prunes cooked in white wine, with sultanas and even more peaches than on the nose. What’s good is that there’s much less caramel (and yeah, boisé) than in the entry-level cognacs from most large brands. If there is any. Finish: shortish but rather fresh. The peaches keep singing. Comments: really fine, just a little simple, perhaps. SGP:441 - 79 points. |
Let’s give Gourmel another go… |
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Léopold Gourmel ‘Âge des Fleurs’ (42%, OB, cognac, +/-2015)  This one’s 15 years old, so technically an XO. Gourmel are using names that describe the aromas showcased at different stages of maturation, from fruits to fleurs (flowers) and from flowers to épices (spices) etc. This âge des fleurs also comes from Fins Bois, and almost integrally ex-ugni blanc. Colour: amber. Nose: indeed it’s very floral, with dandelions and lilac, plus quite a lot of natural vanilla (pods). Gets then more and more honeyed, you’d almost believe this is a blend of honey and maple syrup, but with a great freshness. Beautiful nose. Mouth: very good, pretty much in the style of the Dobbé. Fudge, pears, peaches, pineapples, praline, raisins, and heather honey. Good body, 42% work well for cognac. Finish: rather long this time, and a tad grassier, which is good. It’s still pretty silky, mind you. Comments: excellent, I was afraid there would be too much vanilla on the palate, but not at all. Because in cognac too, vanilla kills. It’s to be noted that Gourmel are using untoasted oak. SGP:541 - 85 points. |
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Vallein-Tercinier ‘X.O. Vieille Réserve’ (40%, OB, fine champagne, +/-2016)  A blend of 35 years old or more cognacs from grande and petite Champagne done by one of our favourite cognac houses. In such cases, we’re all for NAS! We’ll have quite a few Valleins during the coming months. Only the low strength is a little scary here… Colour: amber. Nose: yeah well… If you enjoy a Strathisla from the 1950s to early 1970s, this is for you. Same superb beehive-y notes, yellow flowers, quince jelly, baked apples, stewed peaches, then cinnamon cake, honey cake, blood oranges… It’s just a little fragile, I wouldn’t keep it in my glass for more than ten minutes. Granted, that would never happen anyway ;-). Mouth: my! Starts a little Calvadosy, if I may, with more baked apples and a discreet gritty side, and goes on with a whole fruitcake covered with fine cinnamon and other spices from the oak. Chestnuts and raisins cooked in some honey-based sweet sauce. Finish: medium, and perhaps a wee tad tea-ish, but that’s nothing. I’m sure that would have been very different at 42-45% vol. A touch of liquorice as the signature. Comments: close to grand. Again, a matter of two to five extra percents… In my humble opinion… Forgot to say, they did the vatting ten years before bottling! Long marriages are always the best, aren’t they (take that, Scotland and your quick finishings) SGP:651 - 88 points. |
(Merci beaucoup Angus and Pieter) |
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