Cognac Grande Champagne Frapin Château Fontpinot XO (41%, OB, b. ca 2019): nose: it smells like a ginger cat roasting his buns in the sun, accompanied by warm cereals and polished or oiled shelves, which is to say I find it resolutely waxy. Pledge, WD40, then earthy cola, root beer, polished chestnut shells and well-oiled gardening tools. How strange! Next up is puffed caramel rice, which is odd, for a Cognac. Lime and mandarine leaves arrive later, adding a herbaceous touch. The second nose has something rather incisive, penetrating -- probably more of that WD40 getting to my head. All the same, the earthy cola always comes back. Mouth: wow! this is sweet. Sweet and peppery, filled with Szechuan pepper and green pepper from the peppermill, alongside candied pineapple cubes, crystallised sweet-citrus segments, and cinnamon and ginger powders, sprinkled onto a lemon tart. The pepper is as strong as it is surprising. The second sip dials down the spices in favour of earthy fruit -- apricot, pineapple, yellow kiwi covered in dusty earth. Nice. Finish: long and very fruity, this has tinned peaches, overripe apricots, perhaps even mangoes. It is juicy and fresh, something that is underlined by a haze of crisp apple, and a smidgeon of menthol. Retro-nasal olfaction brings Jurançon vin jaune, or better: Maitrank or Pineau des Charentes. It is easy to imagine that the sweetness would backfire, if taken in large doses, but one dram is fine. The nose is a bit disappointing, but this picks up from the mouth onward. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, CS)
Cognac Grande Champagne Paul Beau Hors d'Âge (43%, OB, b. ca 2019): nose: nose: it is hard not to feel that these Cognacs are all very similar. Anyway, this has -- guess what! -- earthy fruits. The fruits in question are perhaps fresher, lighter, and more fragrant than in the previous, with lychee coming through. And then, it has a similar aerosol smell too; let us settle for WD40 again, fresh, if not a little chemical. Yale keys, covered in lubricant, lemon-scented car-body polish, and that synthetic foam they use in shipping boxes to pad, e.g., IT components. The second nose opens the floodgates to fruits (mirabelle plums and white peaches), and throws in a small bunch of flowers (narcissus, snowdrops, wilted lilac) in a plastic vase to boot. Mouth: soft at first, close to watery, it soon finds its feet and churns out fresh fruits in eau-de-vie. Lychee again, dry green grapes (Chenin blanc), snowberries, white peaches, and elderflower cordial. Carambola juice enters with the second sip, as do greengages and green gooseberries, but without the tartness usually associated with gooseberries. The plastic vase from the nose morphs into oilskins, amusingly enough. Finish: bold and long, the finish is sweet and remotely acidic, teeming with the afore-mentioned fruits. That vanishes relatively quickly, and leaves the mouth covered in a bitterness reminiscent of that which results from chewing on grape pips. The second sip has a fleeting note of raspberry and bulrush. Quite nice. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, CS)
Cognac Grande Champagne Très Vieux Édition Dully (53.4%, C. Dully Selection, D74-84 - A35-45): this one was custom blended for C. Dully Selection by Daniel Bouju. Nose: well, at cask strength, this is, of course, frankly more assertive. It is darker, for starters, and I do not just mean in terms of colour: there are dark berries at play, here, such as prunes, blackberries and myrtles, but also a lot more earth (potting soil), leather and shiitake mushrooms. The second nose has unlit menthol cigarettes, oily blonde tobacco and freshly-poured tar. Mouth: super concentrated on the tongue, here are oxtail broth, the juices of dark grapes, raisins and peaches (with a couple of lychees added for fun), shoe polish and toothpaste, oiled gardening tools and mint. The second sip seems to keep only the fruits and the mint, though chewing on it allows tar to re-emerge too. After a moment, spices catch the attention; ginger powder, mostly, yet also a pinch of ground cinnamon. Finish: it initially appears simple and shy, then reveals itself, little by little. Polished floorboard, black shoe polish, shaving foam, tiger balm, soft potting soil, and, in the background, the same dark fruits as on the nose: prunes, blackberries, and myrtles, in some kind of jelly, now. Further sips are more immediately and obviously fruity, with peach and lychee juices taking centre stage, and rosewood in their wake. I like this. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, CD)
Cognac Borderies Grosperrin 54yo 1965/2019 (56.4%, Grosperrin for C. Dully Selection, C#A1): nose: ah! I have a feeling we will end today's session on a high note. This one is the most assertive of all, and also the most noble on the nose. It presents an endless interplay of fruits, flowers and wood that is truly mesmerising. At first, it is green grapes and pears, then rosewood, before rose and tulip petals invade the scene. Not for long, however: wood comes back; lacquered jewellery cases and cabriolet chairs covered in spilled makeup powder, then quince and mirabelle plums. Phwoar! The whole is refined and elegant, and calls for attentive nosing. Jasmine rocks up, white lilac, and, after a moment, passion fruit -- yes! Even further, a pinch of earth comes up, distant coffee grounds of the sort posh-coffee enthusiasts claim smells of peach shavings and lychee. The second nose has deeper and slightly more-exotic wood (sandalwood, balsawood), and incense too. Mouth: it has the ultimate balance on the tongue. After trying several at 40% that felt spicy yesterday, it is a wonder to see that this one, at more than 55%, is so reserved on that front. We have the dryness of earth or spent coffee grounds, alongside the juiciness and fruitiness of plump green grapes, sweet greengages, and, yes, passion fruit. The latter is discreet, but well present. Subsequent sips put the accent on fruits (white-peach skin, plantain, dragon fruit), though the dryness remains. There is even a minute note of rosewater-flavoured milk chocolate, via retro-nasal olfaction! Finish: long, comforting and elegant again, it starts off with warm apricot jam, evolves to give more wood, then fleetingly slaps you in the face with passion fruit, as if it were a silk glove. This finish produces wave after wave of different tastes; at times, it is wafts of fragrant flowers (Jasmine, white lilac, lily-of-the-valley), at times wood (rosewood, orchard-tree wood), at times fruit (grapes, sultanas, white peaches, Korean pear, lychee). Each sip is as complex, merely switching the order of the above, if anything. Beautiful. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, CD)
Enough Cognac for two days!
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