A quick session with four cognacs that have been brought to the market recently.
We start with a Fine Champagne cognac. This blend by Decadent Drinks consists of 60% N.78 Grande Champagne and 40% N.60 Petite Champagne. This is from the new Decadent Drams range, their “bread and butter” series.
Cognac Vallein Tercinier Fine Champagne 60/78 (48,2%, Decadent Drinks 2024, 120 btl.)
Nose: sweet and fruity, full of luscious apricots, quinces, oranges and lime. Both fresh and preserved fruits. Honey on top, with vanilla and hints of flowers. Also nice whiffs of old leather and polished wood. The fruitiness is undeniable, but it has a nice candied touch as well.
Mouth: the fruits are still there, but it they are quickly countered by Mediterranean herbs and gentle earthy notes. Leather and tobacco leaves too. Then back to stewed peaches, tangerine peels and pink grapefruit. A firm resinous note appears in the end, along with a floral edge.
Finish: quite long, on herbal tea, zesty citrus and peaches, with a light bitterness in the very end.
Fresh and fruity – I wonder why we haven’t seen these vintages on their own. It started with luscious fruits but then it becomes leaner and more resinous on the palate. Available from Decadent Drinks.
Next up: a new Bertandeau from Malternative Belgium. After the death of cognac maker André Bertandeau in 2016, all of his assets were auctioned and proceedings were donated to NGOs. Grosperrin managed to secure a few casks, and from there they ended up with Pieter and Ysatis. Here’s a Lot 71 Petite Champagne.
Cognac Grosperrin – A. Bertandeau Lot 71 ‘La Bonne Cause’ – Petite Champagne (52,9%, Malternative Belgium 2023, 323 btl.)
Mouth: rich and sweet. Quinces, marmalade and nectarines, with some dried mango in the background. Then a spiced honey note appears, with eucalyptus and herbal tea. Ginger as well, which further higlights the already generous ABV. Minty notes, lime peel, passion fruit cordial and a touch of cedar.
Finish: long, slightly drying, on fruit syrup, leather and herbal notes. The minty freshness lingers on too.
A very all-round cognac, in my opinion, with jammy fruits coupled to more robust spice. Here as well, part of the profit will be donated to non-profit organisations. Launched today at Malternative Belgium. Score: 91/100
Cognac Mauxion XO – Grande Champagne (52,9%, OB for Wine4You 2024, 150 btl.)
Nose: elegant peach liqueur with beeswax and oak varnish. Well-aged rancio notes, coupled to younger notes of oranges, polished brassware, mild liquorice and bay leaves. Then some honey and tangerines.
Mouth: very assertive, with a nice fruity core. Oranges, peaches, grape seeds, even a hint of Calvados. In line with our preferred style of cognac, only here we find a bit more fresh wood, coming close to a bourbon whiskey at times. Light vanilla and caramel sweetness, along with cinnamon and white pepper.
Finish: medium length, with more oak spice shining through. A bit of liquorice and mint.
The provenance of this cask is undisclosed – Mauxion is only acting as a bottler here. In any case, the selection was intended to be an entry-level cognac for discerning whisky lovers. Overall this is a success: there’s enough power to keep whisky drinkers entertained and there are some very mature cognac elements already. Hard to say how old it could be, I would have guessed it was a blend. If you have € 100 to spare, this could make a nice Christmas gift. Only from Wine4You. Score: 86/100
Famille Cabanne Lot 53 – Grande Champagne (54%, The Roots 2024, 130 btl.)
Nose: a slightly funky start, almost farmy at some point. It must be the leathery side, along with tobacco leaves and a slightly muddy element – in a nice way. The fruits are darker here, think fresh figs and dried apricots. Faint hints of cigar boxes too. After the other fruity ones, this starts much drier, although after a while nice quinces appear.
Mouth: again not entirely classic. Stewed fruits (pear, fig) and candied orange peels, which are joined by caramelized nuts and hints of polished brassware. Then fruit tea, vanilla and hints of clove oil. A fragrant floral hint in the background.
Finish: quite long, with a hint of cinnamon, generous woody notes and fragrant tea.
While this Lot 53 shows a nice dark fruitiness, there are some metallic and spicy notes that I find less attractive. Somehow it doesn’t sparkle as much as I’d like, so it ends in the lower reaches of Cabanne bottlings, in my opinion. Score: 87/100