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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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April 19, 2020 |
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The Confined Sessions
Day 33
A little fun with three brandies |
We usually prefer to do only Cognacs, or Armagnacs, but this time we’ll do it differently, and keep this short. Not much brandy coming our way anyway these days… (not that we’re complaining, there aren’t many tasting slots available at WF and we still have a few older boxes hidden somewhere…) By the way, brandy is distilled wine (Brantwein, burnt wine) as opposed to marc or grappa, where spent/pressed grapes are rather used. Cognac and Armagnac are brandies. We’ll have an old one, a very old one, and a very very old one… |
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Loustau ‘Solera Gran Reserva Finest Selection’ (40%, OB, brandy de Jerez, +/-2019) 
This one’s a 15 yo and it was aged in very old ex-oloroso and ex-PX solera casks. At Loustau they also have a younger ‘Gran Reserva’ that’s rather 10 yo. Colour: coffee with reddish hues. Lovely colour, I suppose it’s natural here. Nose: and indeed it noses of coffee as well, prunes and raisins, coffee liqueur, walnut wine, a touch of oak but not that much, some dry oloroso indeed… That’s the main difference between these Jerezian brandies and cognac or Armagnac, they’re using sherry casks while French brandy would rather use new or ‘self’ casks. Hoep the palate is not sweet despite the PX… Mouth: well, it is a tad sweet and indeed PX-y, but it doesn’t quite have this sugary side that other brandies of Jerez do showcase. Really a lot of raisins, chocolate and coffee, with a touch of earth in the background. Pretty simple, yet good spirit. Finish: medium, oakier. Spent coffee beans, raisins, burnt caramel and molasses. Comments: still not a huge fan of these sweet brandies, but I would say this is rather among the top of the heap.
SGP:730 - 79 points. |
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Laubade 1965/2008 (40%, OB, Bas-Armagnac) 
Laubade is a very well-known house in the Gers, to be found in many good restaurants all over France. Colour: office coffee. Nose: starts unusual, all on cherry and almonds, maraschino, amaretti, orgeat, proper kirsch, all that before praline, fudge, prunes, raisins and fig jam start to show up. But the cherries and the almonds would never disappear. And it is a fact that I cherish cherries (pff) and almonds. Mouth: classic old Armagnac, pretty dry, especially after the brandy de Jerez that was ten times sweeter, rather more on raisins and marmalade this time, rancio, then coffee and chocolate. Lovely touches of rosemary and perhaps sorrel in the background, which lifts it a bit, but it remains very coffee-ish. Not too thin at 40% vol. Finish: this is where the oak would start to get a tad ‘too much’. Spoonfuls and spoonfuls of unsweetened cocoa powder, tea and ‘sucking an untipped Gauloises’. But of course, why not in St-Germain while you’re at it? Comments: a bit on the dry and drying side, and consequently lacking fruits a little bit. But it remains an excellent Armagnac, rather old-school. My dear grandpa used to quaff these styles.
SGP:261 - 85 points. |
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Héritage de René Rivière ‘Avant 1925’ (49%, Malternative Belgium, Borderies, 66 bottles, 2020) 
How could I be against anything called ‘Malternative’? No need to be fluent in French to understand that this was distilled ‘before 1925’, which does not mean that this baby’s 95 years of age as it had been kept in demi-johns for around forty years prior to bottling. Which, frankly, is rather good news. Colour: deep gold. Nose: exceptional nose, incredibly fresh and deep at the same time, with first this perfect quince-apricot-peach combination, then those tiny herbs, berries and leaves that suggest perfect maturation (mint, touch of myrtle, wormwood…), then dried fruits as expected (figs, dates, raisins), then flowers. Orange blossom first, then ylang-ylang like in some old rums. A little fresh tobacco too (old-style Bensons, I would say) and a hint of marrow quenelles. Very complex, but not much rancio. No problems at all! Mouth: it’s the freshness that’s really impressive, and the fruits. This is a very fruity drink! More quinces, big juicy blood oranges, the usual peaches and apricot, ripe greengages, a tiny touch of guava, and once again those herbs that would add so much complexity to any spirit (and that you’ll never find in a young malt or bandy). Around eucalyptus and verbena, but with moderation. Finish: medium, fresh, and just very similar, which is great news. Perhaps a little more honey, and just tiny oaky/tannic/peppery tones. Comments: you imagine well some moustachioed (why?) grandpa down there around Charentes stating, back in the late 1970s, ‘let’s disgorge this cask and put the Cognac into demijohns for the future generations!’ Grandpas are always the smartest…
SGP:641 - 91 points. |
Happy Sunday and stay safe! |
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