It is Cognac Show, this weekend, or The Cognac Show, as it is now clear even the organisers called it, at least until three years ago (see picture below). In 2019, CS kindly brought a sample pack to an after-party at tOMoH towers. Of course, we drank whisky instead, that night. Today, we try those samples.
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| First, we rub it in |
Cognac Grande Champagne Hine Antique XO Premier Cru (40%, OB, b. ca 2019): nose: one can almost smell the dark grapes, just plucked off the vine, not very fragrant. And then, it is dead leaves and rich soil, moist forest floor, a whiff of quince jelly, in the distance, and, maybe, warm waffles. All that is interesting, I must say. Sadly, it does not last long: soon, the nose turns bland and smells of headache. The second nose revives the fruity-earthy tale, fortunately, perhaps adding watercolour into the blend. Mouth: silky and fruity upon entry, it quickly develops gentle spices (ground cloves, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, nutmeg) and cigar smoke. The cigar itself is there, all warm sheets and old-ish tobacco, yet the smoke is more potent. The initial fruit reveals itself more in the second sip; it turns out to be smoked peach, which is lovely indeed. Plums also join the dance. Finish: a hint of dark chocolate, the juice of a few grapes, and that continues with a lit Cohiba, supported by the same ground spices we had on the palate. Repeated sipping dries out the tongue and leaves the mouth as covered in earth. Simple enough but good. Fingers crossed for tomorrow morning (it worked: no headache). 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, CS)
Cognac Delamain Pale & Dry XO (40%, OB, b. ca 2019): nose: not too dissimilar to the previous really. Fresh grapes, earth, and this one has something leafier too (waxy vine leaves, dolmas, mint), as well as a medicinal touch that comes unexpected. Oh! it is far from bandages and mercurochrome; instead, it is vitamin pills and gelatine capsules. Repeated inhaling increases the minty profile, turns it into earthy menthol, if not peppermint. Mouth: soft, velvety, easy on the tongue. Here, we have peach and lychee joining forces with grapes. The second sip adds squashed banana and squashed plum. There may be tobacco here as well, yet it is then a light Virginia tobacco, rather than anything to do with cigars. Finish: fermented apple and, again, lots of earth. This one is more clay than forest floor, however. Further sips seem fruitier, with pressed citrus (tangerines and oranges with a dash of lemon), pear juice and a dollop of warm mud. Decent. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, CS)
Cognac Grande Champagne Bache Gabrielsen Sérénité (40%, OB, b. ca 2019): nose: this time, it is a much waxier number, with encaustic, polished armchairs, then musty cellars. There is also rosewood, milk about to turn sour, and fruit-tree ashes, soon turning into embers. Green beans in boiling water appear, just after a whiff of headache. That has nothing to do with the quality of the Cognac, by the way, and everything to do with how I react to it. Think of Cambus: delicious, but it gives me a headache. Anyway. Hazelwood, then hard-boiled eggs. Weird. It is fleeting, mind, soon replaced by cut heirloom apples. Far in the back, more fruits watch from behind a wooden fence, slowly building up the courage to come out of hiding (peachy nectarines, roasted carambolas), rose petals. The second nose is all fruit, for a moment, then comes back to the initial waxy profile. Dining chairs that have just received a spray of polish. Mouth: fresh and vibrant, here are grapes, nectarines, Chinese gooseberries, starfruits. At the same time, the tongue picks up a minute-but-growing bitterness, perhaps brambles or hazel covered in lichen. The next sip unveils darker fruits, berries and currants. A lovely blueberry muffin, figuratively dripping with butter, and oozing fruits. Finish: despite being the same ABV, this one has more punch, more character, and much bolder flowers. It is fruity and a half, for starters: quince, carambola, yellow kiwi, juicy nectarine, Korean pear, plump green grapes all parade endlessly, embellished by a drizzle of hazelnut oil. The second sip is a mixture of nectarines and blush oranges, perhaps it has a few raisins too. It does not attain the berry or currant notes from the palate, yet it is pretty all the same. This one is much more to my liking. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, CS)
Cognac Château de Beaulon 12yo XO (40%, OB, b. ca 2019): nose: earth, engine grease, oily rags, a mechanics' overalls, after a day spent changing engine oils, and even a toolbox (yes, it has a metallic side). Earth, cardboard heated in the sun, oak bark. Further nosing adds petrichor, polished hazelnut shells, but also stale marzipan, before fading out almost entirely. Later on, spices appear: sumac, zatar or ras el hanout. Mouth: beeswax and WD40 at first, then an avalanche of blackcurrant jam, as unexpected as it is sudden. It is also most welcome! After a few seconds, grease for tools returns. That is when dolmas appear, rather timidly. The second sip is sweet, borderline syrupy, choc-full of prune juice in which cassia bark has macerated. Lovely. Finish: long, sweet and fruity, it has tons of dark-fruit jams; blackberry, blackcurrant, perhaps even elderberry. In the long run, that is dusted with spices; ras el hanout is my guess, though it could be ground black pepper too, which adds a nice twist. It is a long finish, gently warming, and the initial fruity sweetness dissipates to leave but the spices, high on the roof of the mouth. Good. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, CS)
Enough Cognac for one day!
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