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Dwelling
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| Hello, that is one among our (nearly) each day tastings. Santé! |
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July 18, 2021
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A number of French brandies for malt fanatics
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Marie-Louise d’Autriche |
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You’d name these Cognacs, besides at Mr Putin’s the place I suppose they’d quickly begin to name these ‘French brandies’, whereas theirs could be referred to as Conjak or Konjac or Koniak once more. Nah that is just a bit joke, hope VVP will not do to those spirits what he simply did to Champagne. Why not Russian Skotchsk Viski subsequent time? Let’s have a look at what we’ve got…
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Jean-Luc Pasquet ‘L’Natural Folle Blanche’ (48.2%, OB, Grande Champagne, +/-2021) 
This can be a single classic harvested and, I suppose, distilled in 2010, so a ten years previous that totally stems from J-L Pasquet’s personal property. Color: gold. Nostril: there’s what’s perhaps not typically to be present in cognac, some rigidity and a vegetal brightness that might go manner past raisins and peaches. Melon skins, some muscovado sugar, even touches of ripe barley and sugarcane (how funnily ‘fusion’ is that?), additionally damaged branches and hay, a bit of peanut butter, dandelions… I am actually not skilled sufficient to have the ability to recognise folle blanche, but when that is the factor, properly hurray for folle blanche! Mouth: fairly oily and fairly curiously, a bit of malty, with these wonderful pastry-like notes which can be generally to be present in malt whisky too (raisin rolls, panettone, kougelhopf…), then somewhat the anticipated sultanas, peach and apricot jam, honey, liquorice… Notes of blood oranges too, vanilla, and even a bit of rye. End: somewhat lengthy, tighter than your ordinary cognac. Orange blossom water, earl gray, kumquats, liquorice, contact of clove, some menthol within the somewhat refreshing aftertaste… Black radish. Feedback: the aftertaste makes you prepared for extra. A crafty plan. Significantly, that is ‘trendy’ cognac, in the easiest sense of that phrase. For us.
SGP:551 – 88 factors. |
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Grande Champagne 1993/2020 (48.3%, M. Wigman, valuable moments) 
Some late-landed batches of cognac have been bottled in Scotland however I am not completely positive that was the case right here. Color: full amber. Nostril: a number of sooty, mineral notes at first, with additionally whiffs of struck matches, then somewhat robust honey and gingerbread, black raisins, oloroso and certainly rancio. Some brighter notes of marmalade, peaches, melons and nectarines would then carry a bit of lightness to this in any other case fairly strong cognac. Mouth: strong certainly, this time somewhat on stewed rhubarb with a number of cinnamon and vanilla pods and sticks, somewhat a number of black tea with raisins, some evenly salted liquorice, then chocolate and low that might carry even heavier tannins. But, I would not name this one Mr Woody. End: fairly lengthy, you’d nearly really feel such as you simply had some form of VORS sherry (very previous, mix of oloroso and PX). Burnt sugar and extra liquorice. Feedback: the exact opposite of the Pasquet, though each have been full-bodied. Very likeable too.
SGP:561 – 87 factors. |
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Borderies 11 ans (46.8%, Jean Grosperrin, batch #L854, 2020) 
Grosperrin are having some fairly particular cognacs as of late, similar to some uncommon Fins Bois or Bois Ordinaires. Keep in mind the Oléron final time? These cognacs should not typically to be discovered as ‘single’, which makes them much more fascinating. This time we’re having a younger Borderies, which is the smallest ‘cru’ in cognac, stated to be the true connoisseurs’ cru. Color: full gold. Nostril: properly, this has extra knack and extra oomph, extra phenols would I add, extra waxes, oils, wok sauce, tamarind, black raisins, menthol cigarettes, pine needles, then the same old melon skins, additionally camphor, tiger balm, ointments… There’s clearly one thing a bit of coastal to this nostril, one way or the other ala Bruichladdich. Mouth: candy Vishnu, that is wonderful! Extraordinarily fragrant, bordering candy muscat however with out something even remotely cloying, with gorgeous peaches and, err, sure, litchis, late-harvest pinot gris, very ripe apricots, a great load of heather honey (white heather)… Would you please name the French Anti-Cognacporn Brigade? Until they’re on strike… End: lengthy, amazingly fruity, jammy and recent. Umeshu and some fermentary notes, say round sake. Sensible. Feedback: an irresistible younger killer. However too good, too straightforward, too harmful… We will lodge a criticism very first thing Monday morning…
SGP:751 – 92 factors. |
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Jean-Luc Pasquet ‘L.83’ (51.9%, Swell de Spirits, Wonders of the World, Petite Champagne, 176 bottles)
The good home Pasquet once more, this time via some new indie bottlers who’ve chosen this wee one as their very first bottling. Not the worst potential selection in the event you ask me. Color: full gold. Nostril: very beautiful at nearly 40 years of age, very recent and fruity, nearly refreshing, with luminous peaches, melons, recent figs, then ylang-ylang and honeysuckle, maybe elderflowers, then lighter honeys and beeswax. A wee resinous contact as properly – 40 years, in any case – with some fir honey and a few propolis, which makes for the very best defence in opposition to any microbes and viruses. Yep. With water: beautiful earthiness, extra propolis, teak oil, cedarwood… Mouth (neat): excellent, this time once more with notes of pinot gris Vendages Tardives, or higher but, riesling Vendanges Tardives, which is rarer and clearly my favorite VT. Sadly nobody’s making these yearly, generally they make them as soon as in a decade. However again to this excellent well-aged cognac, it is actually a two-step spirit, with first ripe and preserved fruits (the same old peaches and melons, plums…) then extra resinous notes, with a tannicity (black tea) and some savoury touches (chen-pi, Maggi). With water: it is not typically that water would reveal extra fruitiness as a substitute of extra tannicity. Moshi, mead, tangerine liqueur, citron… End: lengthy, with somewhat extra menthol and chlorophyll. Some form of grand-cru mouthwash. Ha. Feedback: is that this actually previous cognac? Up for some infinite debate? Wonderful selection, Swell de Spirits!
SGP:551 – 90 factors. |
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Le Têtu ‘Lot 57’ (47.3%, Malternatives Belgium, Jean Aubineau, Grande Champagne, 2021)
Apparently, the identify Le Têtu (Mr Cussed) refers back to the ninety-year-old proprietor/distiller. In French, we generally joke and say these beautiful individuals are ‘têtus comme des barriques’ (as a substitute of bourriques, which suggests mules). Do you perceive me? Yep that is a part of the French paradox; now cautious, they often personal previous shotguns full of rock salt. And naturally, this can be a 1957. Color: golden amber. Nostril: we’re actually placing gold in the present day. This time we’re having an enormous bag of every kind of raisins produced by Man (sultanas and all of the others) plus dried figs and litchis/longans. Then some improbable evenly savoury notes, bouillons, satay sauce, korma… And maybe some seaside sand, damp chalk… This can be a fairly intriguing growth in the direction of coastalness. No oysters although. Mouth: nonetheless rustic, in a marvellous manner. Pear skins, vieille poire, even touches of uncooked cider, then a variety of earthier raisins and figs, some caramel, previous rancio (strive the previous Rivesaltes from France – the worth for a great rancio is… 10€ a bottle, which is a crying disgrace! Many individuals speak about rancio in cognac with out even understanding what rancio actually is). Some chocolate liqueur, earth, pinewood, overripe bananas… However no over-woodiness by any means. End: love this end – sadly it is the end – with a number of citrus in all their guises plus some tiny fragrant herbs, particularly wormwood. Somebody might have poured a number of drops of absinth into this glory. Feedback: Mr Cussed? Effectively two can play at this sport…
SGP: 561 – 91 factors. |
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Hermitage ‘Marie-Louise’ (43%, OB, Grande Champagne, +/-2017)
This one’s sixty years previous (60 years in Limousin oak!) and is available in a classy old school lead crystal decanter. Marie-Louise was the identify of excellent previous Napoléon’s second spouse, Marie-Louise d’Autriche a.ok.a. Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Francisca Theresa Josepha Lucia de Habsbourg-Lorraine. Color: full gold. Nostril: as an instance some 30 years previous Sauternes, with flabbergasting mirabelles and apricots, plus whiffs of well-behaved rose petals and orange blossom and a dollop of all-flower honey. The nostril is made out of crystal too (so to talk), whereas it is in all probability a mix, in the very best sense of that phrase. Roughly within the type of the costliest Johnnie Walkers, elegant and a bit of bit costly. Mouth: basic, somewhat old-school cognac this time, with extra tannins, tobacco, natural teas, fruit skins… Ripe mirabelles main the pack on the fruit division. A tad extra tea-ish than all of the others. End: a tad quick and somewhat on varied natural teas, chamomile, artemisia, hawthorn… A contact of caramel within the aftertaste. Feedback: this little Marie-Louise is completely superior, even when time has simply began to take its toll. Maybe two or three extra-percentages would have stored it above the 90-line, however who am I? An extremely fascinating decanter for positive.
SGP:441 – 89 factors. |
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