The historical past of the Mauxion household goes again a very long time. In 1575 Pierre Mauxion was born in Houlette, a small village that’s nonetheless the house of the household. They’ve been distilling cognac since 1743 and the home is now run by the thirteenth technology, they usually’re now associated to Prunier in the case of administration and distribution.
In Belgium and Luxemburg Mauxion is now distributed by Wine4You. Ivo chosen three expressions: a Lot 56 Petite Champagne, a Lot 31 Borderies (from a producer who inherited a household inventory relationship again to 1914) and a Lot 14 Borderies. All single casks matured in humid cellars so far as I can inform.
Mauxion Sélection cognac Lot 56 ‘Petite Champagne’ (45%, OB 2021)
Nostril: fantastically elegant, with candy fruits and minty notes. Dried apricots, orange peel and yellow raisins. Mint tea with honey. Some blossomy notes and bergamot, in addition to polished furnishings and a whiff of leather-based. Hints of gingerbread and caramel within the background. Fairly wonderful.
Mouth: extra punch than I anticipated from the ABV. Additionally extra on dried fruits, together with apricots, plums and tangerines. Darker dates and fudge. The (pepper)minty notes make a return, now combined with delicate earthy notes, cinnamon and dried ginger. Darkish natural honey. Hints of nutmeg.
End: fairly lengthy, barely rustic with natural tea, bittersweet fruits, darkish spice and a few oak.
That is the extra strong expression, displaying some good energy. Darkish fruits, spice and a delicate earthiness in a pleasant composition. Nice begin of this session.
Mauxion Sélection cognac Lot 31 ‘Borderies’ (43,5%, OB 2021)
Nostril: there’s a much bigger trace of varnished oak right here, with much less of the candy fruits which can be so apparent within the 56. This heady profile converges with a really delicate storage scent (engine oil, diesel), I like that. On prime of this, there’s a delicate nutty layer. Hints of violets. After some time plums and apricot jam come out.
Mouth: candy and bitter fruits. Figs and bitter berries, with hints of walnuts and bittersweet spice. Cinnamon and clove. Nonetheless this oily, barely industrial be aware as nicely. Earl Gray tea. Grapefruit and marmalade in direction of the top.
End: medium, with a slight tannic edge, some bitterness of citrus peel and leafy notes.
This fashion has extra rancio and fewer weight. It struggles to precise itself fully after the Lot 56. Good cognac however I miss some fruitiness and there’s a woody edge within the end. The costliest bottle however not my favorite. Rating: 87/100
Mauxion Sélection cognac Lot 14 ‘Borderies’ (41,2%, OB 2021)
Nostril: so much much less talkative than the others at first, however it opens up properly, primarily on floral notes. Pretty skinny, virtually eery fruits right here, like bitter berries. Orange cake and orange blossom. Walnuts. Vanilla cake. Very refined and really juicy, which someway suits the delicate character.
Mouth: fairly gentle however not dry. Spearmint, contemporary oranges, even some lighty tropical notes (pink grapefruits, ardour fruit). Fruit tea. Refined dried herbs. Some spice however that is surprisingly vibrant and contemporary. It’s fairly clean, and there’s no sense of tiredness or tannins.
End: not too lengthy, however nonetheless very contemporary, with hints of fruit tea, fruity acidity, marmalade and berries.
After all you may’t count on a giant physique right here, however the freshness and delicate fruitiness are flabbergasting. Matured nicely over a century but nonetheless so much to say, and so very drinkable as nicely. Due to the decrease ABV it prices just about the identical because the others, so I might go for this one. Rating: 90/100