Newsletters are like busses, you wait ages for one and then two turn up in quick sucsession. The reason for this newsletter is to let you about my little trip to Cognac and Armagnac last week. I had the oportunity to visit our principle suupliers in the region and though that you might like to know about the wonderfull array of products that they produce and hopefully encourage you to try them.
COGNAC LEYRAT - DOMAINE DE CHEZ MAILLARD
This historic property was recently purchased by Francis Abecassis from the Leyrat family in 2003. Their 70 hectare Estate in the Fine Bois district called Domaine de chez Maillard is completely organic and produces complex and elegant Cognacs from their well exposed chalky hillsides. Francois Abercassis who has a background in wine making is currently extending the poperty and has brought in the
New Zealand distiller Simon Palmer to oversee the distilling and blending. In fact while I was their the finishing touches are being done to their brand new winery and a new cellar complete with a large number of new oak casks.
While talking to Simon I discovered that there are two fundamental distilling processes that are used in the regio. The first is called the Martel method, in which the seconds are added to the next bach of wine, and the Hennessey method in which the seconds are added to the brouillis (the product of the first distillation) before being distilled for a second time. The Martel method gives a spirit with a distinct floral lightness and is the prefered method here. The Martel method, while being cheaper tends to give a heavier style of spirit.
Simon lined up a number of samples of new make spirit for us to try and see how the spirit evolves during its distillation. I was immediately struck by how less oily new make Cognac is compared to new make whisky. The samples were as follows.
First Ditillation
Heads at 55% - Very stong and fruity with pear drop aromas.
Middle cut at 30% - Still quite pungent with a greater earthy and grapey aroma.
Tails - Vey pungent, almost wheaty with earthy hay and straw notes
The Brouillis - The pungency has reduced somewhat, it has become elegant and slightly aromatic with a floral grapiness
Second Distillation
After 1 litre of Heads - Has a pungency similar to the tails from the first distillation, but it has strted to develop a lovely sweetness.
After 10 Litres of Heads - The pungency has reduced dramatically and the elegance is beggining to emerge.
15-20 minutes later at 75% - A lot cleaner with a further increase in elegance.
Close to the cut at 60% - The spirit has become a lot more neutral in character and it is developing a slight wheaty aroma.
Tails at 10 mins later at 58% - Amazing the differnce such a short period of time has, the earthy wheaty aroams are now quite pungent.
The seconds at 40% - The spirit has taken on an oily, rubbery character, reminiscent of plasticine.
Tails at 5% - Pungent and oily, with a soapy plasticine note and animal nuances. No suprise that this is disgarded!
So after this master class in distilling it was time to taste the final product. They produce a house range consisting of a VSOP and three XO's, which are rather good, but the range we are stocking are the a selection of their finest casks called Lot 10, Lot 71 and Lot 50. When Francis bought the property all the recipies for the belnd were in old Edgar Leyrat's head, so they had to nose all the casks in the warehouses and catogorise them into families and Simon set about creating new blends, which this time he has written down!
So here is the range.
Lot No10 40% ?32.90
10 year old Spirits.
Clean, crisp and youthful with elegant, light, dried fruit, earth, nuts, slight oak note, rich fruit, a spirity edge and a slight floralness. Dry, soft, crisp yet smooth, intense, slightly oily, youthful nutty, earthy, dried fruit which builds nicely. Very long with a light spicy note. More mature on the palate than the nose suggests.
Lot No71 43% ?72.90
20 year old Spirits.
Clean, crisp and intense maturing aromas. Full of stunning whisky-esque orange dried fruit and earth with a touch of marzipan and spice ? Lots of juicy fruit and a hint of salinity. Dry, soft, very smooth, intense, oily orange and citrus fruits, dried fruit cake, spices ? cinnamon and pepper. Delicate, light bodied, very long with a slight floral note and hints of dried orange peel and more spice. Wow it goes on for ever with a touch of oak in the finish
Lot No 50 43% ?127.90
50 year old Spirits.
Clean and incredibly aromatic with luscious orange fruit, mature quite heavy complex spices ? cinnamon and pepper along with a delicate rancio of dried citrus fruit and prunes soaked in alcohol.. Immense depth which overloads the senses with soft liquor like sun dried apricot fruits.. Dry on the palate, opening with the softest, subtle spices imaginable, followed by dried orange/ apricot fruit, drying wood tannins and very intense tangy spices ? cinnamon and clove. Quite a feminine style which gently caresses the senses with a lovely elegance and length.
COGNAC RAGNAUD-SABOURIN
The second visit of the day was to possibly the most prestigious private estate in Cognac, producing the finest Champagne Cognac?s from 50 hectares in the Grand Champagne District. It was founded in 1850 by M. Gaston Briand, who was the instigator of the identification of the different terroir?s of
Cognac in 1909. This led to the 1936 classifications of the different Cru?s, and funnily enough his vineyards are at the heart of the Grand Champagne District.
The property is currently run by three generations of the ladies of Ragnuald Sabourin, Patricia, Annie and Denise. Here we got to see the fabled family cellars, in which they have a substancial stock amounting to 15 years worth of sales, including the 'paradis' where this fabeled spirit is now housed in glass demijohns. Having this level of stock allows them to blend some very old spirits in their Cognac's and by using the Martel method of distillation they produce an elegant spirit with stunning depth. Their range is as follows.
Alliance No10 VSOP 41% ?42.95
100% Ugni Blanc
Has youthful, winey upfront aromas of earthy stewed apples, honey with a touch of orange/ apricot fruit. On the palate it is quite oily with a delicate intensity and hints of light dried sweet fruit, spice and nuts. Quite weighty with a lovely freshness and a long dry finish
Alliance No20 Reserve Special 43% ?56.90
100% Old Vine Ugni Blanc
An incredibly complex, aromatic, crisp and powerful nose. Mature and earthy with delicate spice and an underlying apricot/ orange fruit, developing rancio and hints of vanilla oak. The palate is soft, fruity and creamy with a lovely depth of softly spiced dried fruit which mellows into a stunning marzipan & almond richness. Full bodied and flavoured with a long weighty finish.
Alliance No35 Fontvielle 43% 93.90
60% Ugni Blanc, 40% Folle Blanch/Colombard
An exceptional
Cognac with an incredibly intense, pungent bouquet of waxy orange/ apricot fruit, beeswax, and loads of spice. It has a superb balance of power and elegance, restrained yet pungent with dried fruit rancio, sweet spices, a touch of vanilla, old real honey and coffee. There is no let up in intensity on the palate with the the waxy/ oily beeswax and floor polish flavours combining with the dried fruit rancio, mature apricot fruit, sweet spice and coffee notes. The flavours come in waves, this is awesome, mouthfilling, multi-dimensional with a superb balance of sweetness and dryness.
XO in Decanter 40% ?95.90
100% Ugni Blanc
25 years old with quite a mature bouquet. Lots of dense orange/ apricot fruit. Fuller and fruitier than the No20 with an amazing, complexity. Very oily with a marked floral note (lime tree & hyacinth). Mellow on the palate, mature, floral and fruity. Superb depth and complexity, slightly nutty and winey with a lovely developing sweet spiciness. Its rancio character comes through on the finish with its dried fruit notes. Very long with a soft, dry finish.
Florilege 46% ?131.90
60% Ugni Blanc, 40% Folle Blanch
From spirits that have been aged for 45 years & has naturally reduced to 46%. A slightly agressive but elegant bouquet. Quite earthy whisky-esque aromas of apricot/ orange and quince, along with honeyed dried fruits, deep, dusty spices and hints of vanilla. Very intense on the palate, quite dry with lots of initial wood tannins, tangy, mouth watering apricot/ orange fruit. Again reminiscent of a cask strength whisky with an aggressive intensity. Very long with quite a floral finish. Superb balance between age and freshness.
Le Paradis 41% ?598.00
Is a blend of very old spirits, 90% were distilled in 1901/2/3 and 10% were distilled before the Phyloxera epidemic in 1870.
Wow, an awesomely deep and enticing bouquet with a rich rancio of dried fruits, coffee and vanilla. Pungent and complex, dripping in luscious honeyed fruit and spices. Incredible depth which still has a lively edge. Soft, oily and luxuriant coating the mouth with an awesome array of flavours. Stunning, sexy with a honeyed dried fruit rancio and layers of tangy, complex cinnamon and herbal spices. Words cannot describe the complexity of this
Cognac it floods the mouth and its flavours seep into every corner of the mouth. A truly awesome length, the flavours ebb and flow and finishes with a spicy flourish.
COGNAC MAXIME TRIJOL
Our last stop of the day was with Jean-Jacques Trijol . His family established the company in 1859. Since then five generations have passed on their knowledge as growers and distillers. The property now has 20 hectares in the Grand Champagne district. In 1954 they became a broker in wines and Cognac before becoming a professional distiller in 1962. They now have 22 25 hectolitre Charente stills and are one of the largest distilleries in the region. They distill on the lees to produce a richer style of spirit and when asked if they use the Martel or Hennessey method, Jean-Jacques replied "both" with a hearty chuckle, but didn't elbaorate further except to say it was a 'hybrid'.
Here we were introduced to the concept of blending, and were set a task of blending a VSOP cuvee from a selection of three spirits - a 10 year old, a 15 year old and a 40 year old. After completing four samples I submitted my blend for adudication. I had used 24% of the 10 year old, 40% of the 15 year old and 36% of the 40 year old. It was unanimously agreed that it was a very good blend, but unfortunately too expensive and consequently would have retailed for ?37.00 whereas their current VSOP retails for just ?29.90. I guess I have expensive tastes!
After that bit of fun we got down to the serious job of tasting their range.
VSOP (carton) 40% ?29.90
VSOP (wooden box) ?36.90
From a blend of spirits which are a minimum of 10 years old.
A very intense and powerfully complex nose. Fruity with a marked earthy character. Hints of aged honey, apricot, nuts, cinnamon & wood combine with underlying citrus aromas. The palate is very smooth & soft with again a marked earthiness. Full with aged, mellow, honeyed fruits & spice & a very long finish.
Reserve in a decanter 40% ?64.50
From a blend of spirits which are a minimum of 15 years old.
Sunning aromas of deep, rich dried fruits, liquid toffee/ honey and complex, sweet spices. I could nose this all night long with hints of vanilla and cloves. Soft, dry and subtly intense. A lovely richness of powerful dried fruits, nuts and loads of cinnamon and exotic spices. Very long with a lovely complexity and its spicy intensity lasting.
XO in a Decanter 40% ?71.90
From a blend of spirits which are 25-30 years old.
Wow what a nose. Deeper with a greater age. Mellow & mature with lots of seeped apricot/ peach aromas and soft sweetly spiced dried fruit rancio. Awesome depth with a floral/ violet top note and hints of rich coffee. Quite rich & honeyed with hints of creamy spice. A very subtle yet intense palate. Elegant yet powerful. Stunning with a miriad of flavours - rich raisins, toffee, dried fruits, a subtle spicy/floral middle with oak & sandlewood notes. An incredibly long & complex finish leaves the mouth coated in exotic oils & honeyed walnuts. Absolutely stunning.
Extra in a Decanter 40% 100.95
From a blend of spirits around 40 years old.
Awesome aromas which have a lovely crisp intensity. A marked similarity to the VSOP but amplified. Lovely soft orange/ apricot fruit with buckets of luscious, liquid honey. It is more delicately spiced than the XO and has a greater degree of luscious natural honey. Stunning in the mouth rich and fruit with an incredible rancio of honeyed dried fruit, raisins, sultanas and the sweetest, delicate spices imaginable. Opens up into a very floral/ violet middle and has a multi-dimensional quality with a superbly balanced, delicate yet powerful finish.
Ancestral 46% ?294.00
From a blend of spirits that are a minimum of 80 years old.
Wow the aromas are just so complex that every time you put your nose into the glass a new aroma is detected. Rich honeyed dried fruit rancio, raisins, sultanas, rich cinnamon, cloves, earthy spices and wood notes. Stunning palate, liquid rich honeyed fruits combine with wood tannins and spices, tangy orange fruits drift in to mingle with the soft sweet spices. Stunning depth and complexity with a very long soft, fruity finish.
BARON DE SIGOGNAC - ARMAGNAC
Day two began with a master class in the art of Armagnac distilling. It differs from Cocgac in that it is a single distillation process and once the still has been powered up it is a non-stop process. This year they distilled for 22 days continuously, and there is even a bed in the still house! Although I'm sure it is a lot warmer when the still is up and running!
Next up it was a chance to blend a VS level Armagnac from four samples - a 2 year old Ugni Blanc, a 2 year old Baco, a 3 year old Ugni Blanc, and finally an 8 year old Ugni Blanc. This time we had just the one shot and having learnt from my previous blending attempt, I kept the percentage of the older sprit to a minimum. The blend consisted of 35%, 40%, 10% and 15% respectivly, and was probably not as successful as my Cognac, due to the high percentage of the weird foxy/ animally Baco that I used, but then I do like it a bit wierd!
Finally we had the oportunity to taste the products of the professionals>
VSOP ?25.95
100% Ugni Blanc
Quite intense, straightforward aromas of rich orange fruit, vanilla and soft sweet spices. It has a lovely crispness in the mouth displaying its youthful character yet has a lovely mature core.
10 Ans de Age ?29.90
50% Ugni Blanc, 50% Baco 22a
Smooth, toasty, deep, polished & aromatic with that characteristic rusticity on the edge. Soft on the palette. Citrus orange, tobacco smoke, tangy with hints of spice & marzipan. Good depth, a touch fleeting with sultanas/ raisins on the finish.
20 Ans de Age ?46.90
50% Ugni Blanc, 50% Baco 22a
Big, aromatic, pungent nose with aromas of toffee apple, dried fruit, cinnamon, herbs and coffee cream with hints of orange preserve and earthy smoke. Dry with a lovely complexity of stewed apples, cinnamon, spices, tobacco, and caramelised orange. Superb length, very spicy throughout and a long finish with smooth dried fruit after taste.
BARON DE LUSTRAC - ARMAGNAC
One of the top Courtier-Eleveur companies in the region. Jose Barbe, the Maitre de Chais managers the cellars of around 20 small properties, many of which have long ceased production. Although bottling is centralised at their own small chais, the Armagnac's remain ageing at the domains where the company has access to spirits going back to the 1880?s.
First we paid a visit to Domaine Notre Dame, on of the properties that they look after and tasted directly from the cask and then it was back to their chais to taste a range of their vintage dated Armagnac's.
1976 Domaine Cammes Baco 42% ?61.00
Aged entirely in new oak casks. Lovely mature, classic Baco aromas of slightly foxy/ animal tinged dried fruit rancio of figs, prunes and old honey with a touch of delicate smoky spices. On the palate it has a lovely depth with not as much vanilla as you would expect from its ageing, with the dried fruit and honey flavours lingering.
1965 Domaine Notre Dame Folle Blache 42% ?116.00
Awesome, absolutely stunning bouquet. Luscious and dripping in rich honeyed fruits. It has developed a lovely floral/ violet note along with the stunning depth of dusty wood spices. On the palate it is multi-dimensional with layer upon layer of rich honey infused dried fruits. Exceptional length and blance with a very long finish.
1950 Domaine Moreau Tenezare 42% ?171.00
Very soft and mature aromas. Very spicy with soft honeyed fruits. The aromas are quite weighty and welcoming. On the palate it is soft and mature with all the flavours harmoniously belnding into one another. It?s like wallowing in a comfy old sofa. Just delightful.
1941 Domaine Bayouin Baco 42% ?271.00
This amazing spirit was only bottled in October 2005 after spending 64 years in the cask and as you would expect the nose is redolent with a huge depth of rich aromas, heavily laden with heavy spice and wood notes. The rancio is rich, honeyed, oily and very mature with wood, wood and yet more wood spices, and a hint of coffee and tobacco smoke. This is an ideal companion to a good cigar!
Both Baron de Lustrac and Baron de Sigonac produce a vast range of vintage dated Armagnac's, a full list of which is on the web site.
I hope this newsletter will inspire you to taste some of these exquisite spirits and if you would like any further information, please let me know.
Sincerely
Chris Goodrum
Anniversary Vintages We are frequently asked to source whiskies and Armagnacs for anniversaries and birthday.
So if you're looking for a particular vintage to celebrate a special occasion, look no further. Vintage whisky, armagnac & cognac.
