The quantity of cognac samples on my desk is build up quickly and getting out of hand. I’ll attempt to go over them quickly, however I’ll have to separate them into at the least three classes, beginning with Jean-Luc Pasquet.
We’ve two official bottlings Cognac de Noël and Cognac de Claude – late 2021 releases, from a collection of household treasures from neighbours and pals of Jean and Amy Pasquet. Then we have now an outsider 2006 Natural and two Seventies cognacs chosen by Spiritus in Hong Kong and Artwork Malts in Belgium. All Grande Champagne aside from Noël’s barrel.
I struggled to give you the proper line-up, however determined to stay to an growing ABV.
Jean-Luc Pasquet Lot 94 ‘Petite Champagne’ – Le Cognac de Noël (46,4%, OB 2021, 50 cl, 876 btl.)
Nostril: a properly compact array of minty aromas, baking spice (cinnamon, aniseed) and stewed fruits. Ripe apples and honeysuckle. Later additionally oranges and tangerines. There’s a touch of recent, barely peppery oak within the background.
Mouth: candy, with oranges, plum cake, extra cinnamon and hints of citrus peel. Quinces. Then the peppery comes again, including some rigidity, with liquorice and nutmeg. Peppermint and gingerbread.
End: fairly lengthy, nonetheless fairly spicy, with fruity notes within the background.
An ideal begin. This has a agency spicy footprint however its retains a stunning magnificence with a effectively built-in fruitiness. Nonetheless accessible from TWE as an illustration and there for round € 90 – glorious worth for cash.
Jean-Luc Pasquet Lot 84 ‘Grande Champagne’ – Le Cognac de Claude (49,8%, OB 2021, 50 cl, 731 btl.)
Nostril: that is instantly extra expressive and extra juicy. There’s loads of plummy notes, mirabelles, with a beneficiant dollop of honey and some raisins. Even raspberry sweet. Extra on fruit syrup. Extra rancio, in addition to a touch of cocoa and verbena.
Mouth: oily texture, nonetheless exhibiting this candied fruitiness, with purple berries, peaches, grapes and plums earlier than it goes to spicier / natural notes and hints, chocolate of tobacco leaves. Will get slightly earthy in direction of the end.
End: very lengthy, full, on fruits and honey, with candy tobacco and delicate natural notes.
This can be a lot extra ‘gourmand’ than the Lot 94. Whereas the earthy spice is louder right here, I fell in love with the nostril and the syrupy fruits. Nonetheless accessible for round € 150. Accessible from TWE as an illustration. Rating: 90/100
The subsequent one comes from the corporate’s personal winery in Grande Champagne, the place hand-picked Ugni Blanc grapes led to a licensed natural cognac. Opposite to the opposite (outdated) cognacs from Pasquet, that are purchased in from different producers, this was the primary self-distilled cognac, matured for over 15 years in Limousin oak.
Jean-Luc Pasquet 2006 Natural ‘Grande Champagne’ (50,1%, OB for Kirsch Import 2021, cask #27)
Nostril: I’m struck by mineral notes, even a lightweight metallic contact at first. Then aniseed earlier than it strikes to fruity notes like (unripe) pineapple, lemon zest and loads of apples. Hints of Calvados. A little bit buttery vanilla and a touch of cigar field and pencil shavings. Fairly uncommon.
Mouth: fairly candy now, with apples within the lead once more. Baked apples and tarte tatin, alongside white grapes, pepper and mint. Cinnamon, vanilla and a touch of salted caramel. Youngish, grassy and spirity sharpness is inevitable after all.
End: medium, extra slender now, with oak, liquorice and… apples.
Not essentially the cognac profile we want, however actually attention-grabbing, with focus but additionally just a few unusual aromas and a barely wild aspect. Round € 80 in Germany. Rating: 83/100
The subsequent one is bottled for Spiritus, a group of spirits lovers from Hong Kong. They’re working with Pasquet to launch a brand new Half-Century collection. This primary bottle is 50 years outdated however a 6x years and 7x years will observe.
Jean-Luc Pasquet 50 yo Lot 71 ‘Grande Champagne’ (51,9%, Spiritus 2021, 150 btl.)
Nostril: a really traditional, harmonious nostril. Quinces, damsons, then shifting in direction of pastry (raisin rolls) and toffee. Spices are pretty light. Additionally good hints of polished oak, humidor, outdated potpourri and darkish honey.
Mouth: extremely built-in and chic. Caramelized nuts and hints of tobacco earlier than its opens up on nectarines, tangerines and different fairly acidic fruits. Additionally fruit tea and mint. Vibrant rancio. Even a (quick) flash of ardour fruits and pink grapefruit. Pretty.
End: lengthy, fruity, with hints of natural tea and this juicy acidity.
Fairly glorious, mixing brilliant juicy fruits with barely extra strong notes, whereas conserving the spices within the background. Solely accessible from Spiritus, undecided concerning the value. Rating: 91/100
We spherical off this session with a 42 12 months outdated cognac nicknamed La Joyeuse. It was bottled by Malternative Belgium for Artwork Malts, a Belgian spirits store. The girl on the label is the proprietor’s grandmother, which he has by no means seen indignant.
Jean-Luc Pasquet 42 yo Lot 79 ‘Grande Champagne’ (57,8%, Malternative Belgium for Artwork Malts 2021, 81 btl.)
Nostril: this revolves round polished oak and beautiful waxy notes. Then it good points plums, raisins and outdated flowers. Hints of a wine cellar, treasured tobacco and lightweight mocha. Gingerbread and candied orange peels.
Mouth: barely darker than anticipated, with beneficiant fruity notes. Plums, purple berries, bitter cherries. Calvados too. Then cinnamon and candied ginger, with some burnt sugar, closely infused fruit tea and a lightweight chestnut / walnut bitterness.
End: lengthy and turning into fairly dry, on sappy oak, candy grapes and natural notes.
One other prime quality launch, albeit from a really energetic cask, little doubt. The nostril is splendidly wealthy, with good rancio notes and magnificence. On the palate it’s once more very full, but it surely turns into drier and extra woody. Solely accessible from Artwork Malts. Rating: 89/100
