After our Cognac Prunier extravaganza (part 1) last week, we were facing a second session that was even more epic, starting with a 1951 vintage and going back to a 1931.
Remember these are all single cask releases at full natural strength, selected by The Purist / Wine4You as the exclusive importer for Cognac Prunier in Belgium.
Prunier Cognac Grande Champagne 69 yo ‘Lot 51’ (58%, OB for Wine4you 2021, 42 btl.)
Nose: furniture polish up front, with oil paint and whiffs of diesel. I love that kind of volatile profile. Evolves on tobacco leaves, brown sugar, apricot jam and herbal honey. Citrus peel. Liquorice and an earthy touch as well.
Mouth: more of these earthy notes, wet leaves and roasted chestnuts, even a hint of black olive umami before it gradually becomes brighter. Oranges and pink grapefruit, with stewed plums in the background. Cloves and aromatic pepper. Walnuts and herbal tea.
Finish: medium, on herbal notes, pepper and dark fruits.
After the ethereal nose comes a darker, earthier palate, with less of the bright fruits. Never too dry though – it maintains a great balance. Great start of this session again. Around € 600.
Score: 90/100
Prunier Cognac Grande Champagne 70 yo ‘Lot 50’ (57%, OB for Wine4you 2021, 126 btl.)
Nose: this one has a good deal of oak spices, like aniseed, before it evolves towards brown sugar, a hint of pear syrup, figs, gingerbread and walnut cake. A whiff of chocolate as well. It’s a darker, more dessert-like and more robust style of cognac, as if it were finished in a (meaty) sherry cask.
Mouth: sweet and spicy at first, but a wave of brighter fruits appear quickly. Tangerines, raisins and blood oranges, mixed with pepper and clove, orange peels and a handful of walnuts. Herbal tea. Caramel and dark Abbey ale. The drying oak is leaving a mark as well.
Finish: long and spicy, with an underlying sweetness but prevailing cloves, liquorice and peppermint.
This is a fairly all-round cognac, with more robust power, a dark side and a drying finish. Slightly rougher, closer to some very old sherry brandies I had. Not necessarily what I’m looking for in cognac, but the quality is indisputable. This will set you back around € 600.
Score: 87/100
Prunier Cognac Grande Champagne 70 yo ‘Lot 50’ (62%, OB for Wine4you 2021, 50 btl.)
Nose: at first they seem really close in terms of spiciness and syrupy sweetness. This has a warmer hint of vanilla that I didn’t pick up in the 57% release. After a while they grow apart: this one gets slightly thinner and shows more of these volatile, varnished notes and turpentine which always add elegance in my opinion. Also red berries and mint.
Mouth: packing a lot of punch, albeit with a stunning elegance. Oak polish and resin, mixed with mint and eucalyptus, some leathery notes and slightly exotic fruits in the background. Dried Mediterranean herbs. More compact than some of the others, perhaps due to the high ABV which is not always an asset. Even better with a drop of water.
Finish: long, with a sweet fruitiness and fine herbal notes. Much less drying than its sibling from 1950.
Truly excellent cognac which checks all the boxes for me. Fairly high in alcohol but that can be an asset, as it takes water very well. This one is € 600 as well – same vintage, higher ABV, less bottles, this is the best option from the 1950s in my opinion.
Score: 91/100
Prunier Cognac Grande Champagne 74 yo ‘Lot 1946’ (49,5%, OB for Wine4you 2021, 30 btl.)
Nose: nice hints of dried apricots here, alongside mirabelles, baked apple and orange peel. Maybe some rhubarb jam as well, with a layer of delicate polished wood on top. Delicate in the best way possible.
Mouth: very fresh and bright. Pink grapefruit, hints of maracuya and lime, mixed with menthol and bergamots. Aniseed. Very fruity and silky smooth, the strenght is perfect here. Just a hint of cedar in the background.
Finish: not too long, on mint, fruit tea and bright citrus.
This 1946 is very refined: it may miss some of the complexity of the others, but it’s highly drinkable, offering obvious pleasures and a remarkable purity. Already over € 700.
Score: 90/100
Prunier Cognac Petite Champagne 81 yo ‘Lot 1939’ (43,2%, OB for Wine4you 2021, 42 btl.)
Nose: apples baked with brown sugar, alongside sour berries, mirabelles and crystallized citrus fruits. Polished furniture. A hint of library dust in the background, as well as a light metallic touch and subtle camphor. Fresh herbs and light floral notes as well.
Mouth: a resinous profile with orange oils, bergamots, potpourri and Earl Grey tea. Also the first time we’re getting tannins in these Prunier expressions, although it dissolve nicely into the fruits. Quite some floral notes, up to the point where it becomes slightly perfumed. Menthol and pink grapefruits, maybe a hint of guava.
Finish: dry, fairly herbal, with this aromatic touch of oak and a subtle sweet edge in the end.
The most wood-influenced expression in this line-up. That’s not necessarily a bad thing (wood adds aromas) but you’ll have to stand a bit of tannins as well. At this price point (€ 800) I would dig out a bit of extra money and go for the 1931 straight away.
Score: 87/100
Prunier Cognac Fins Bois 89 yo ‘Lot 1931’ (40,6%, OB for Wine4you 2021, 42 btl.)
Nose: a slow start, but many tiny notes unfold. Green and tropical fruits, plenty of yellow plums and juicy nectarines, some rancio, fragrant wax candles, hints of rosemary and incense. Bananas and mint leaves in the background, as well as some nutty hints. Really juicy.
Mouth: a surprisingly thick onset, with more plum juice, quince jelly, dried apricot and pink grapefruit. A hint of citrus peels, as well as some delicate earthy notes deep down. Darjeeling tea? There’s a late camphory hint but there’s no dry woody side like in the 1939.
Finish: it doesn’t last long, but it’s still wonderfully juicy and fresh, with a resinous undertone.
There’s no denying this is quite magnificent. Not only is it the oldest cognac in the series (and the oldest spirit I’ve tried), it’s still more vibrant and less woody than some of the others. It holds its age with so much panache. Around € 875.
Score: 91/100
Our favourites? The higher strength Lot 50 is excellent, at the same level as the 1979 that we adored in the previous session. It’s punchy yet utterly fruity, with nice polished notes. The Lot 1931 is a totally different style, very silky and soft but showing some immaculate juicy fruits and very high complexity. Those two stand out from the crowd.
All are available from Wine4You