Cognac

Expert Review

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points | Deep amber and bright in the glass, look for cedar, vanilla bean and coconut accented by peach and a light violet note. It s light and silky, with a bracing flicker of alcohol heat.

Producer Description 

Courvoisier VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) is an elegant and sensual blend of cognacs up to 10 years old from two of the finest crus in the Cognac region. It’s been expertly crafted using a minimum of 50% Grande Champagne grapes blended exclusively with Petite Champagne grapes, entitling it to carry the prestigious ‘Fine Champagne’ designation.

Aroma accounts for around 75% of what we taste, so we take great care to nurture complex aromas throughout our process. Our ‘Le Nez de Courvoisier’ programme highlights three signature aromas for each of our cognacs and traces them back to specific moments in the process.

Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Heady Summer Flowers. Producer Description.

Producer Description 

Heavier and weightier with a marked presence, featuring intense notes of pear, tree fruits, vanilla, and to a lesser degree of nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak.

Lovely warm almost enrobing mouthfeel to it, it is heavy, silky, and weighty like on the tongue. All the elements of a good mixing cognac or a casual sipper.

Expert Review

Vinous 96 Points | The nose is alive with fresh flowers and mint, along with richer aromas of dried apricot, pastry dough and a hint of rancio. The freshness carries onto the palate, where there’s great linear structure, nuttiness and attractive acidity, and the surprisingly intense grilled walnut finish. This is a lively, drinkable style of XO that offers excellent value. 

Winemaker Description

Wide spectrum of aromas of late summer fruit, combined with rich floral notes of white flowers such as jasmine. The perfect expression of Fine Champagne opulence on the palate with mature flavors of juicy plums and candied oranges, with a hint of hazelnuts and cinnamon. Velvety, rich, and lingering. 

Expert Review

Jason Wilson of Vinous writes | Aged eight to 10 years, this is a traditional VSOP that offers solid value. Amber-colored, with aromas of violet, ginger and vanilla. On the palate, there are rich dessert flavors of gingerbread and orange pound cake, and a decent finish of cinnamon and pepper.  

Producer Description 

Aged eight to 10 years, this is a traditional VSOP that offers solid value. Amber-colored, with aromas of violet, ginger and vanilla. On the palate, there are rich dessert flavors of gingerbread and orange pound cake, and a decent finish of cinnamon and pepper. Producer Description.

Producer Description 

Created by Pierre Frapin 100 years ago, Fontpinot cognac has always been a delight to demanding epicureans. As opposed to a ubiquitous passion for planning, roots of the pleasure of tasting continue to work serenely and unstoppably at Frapin. To celebrate the centenary, Cognac Frapin is publishing a limited-edition anniversary packaging. Inspired by the original version, the label brings up to date the symbols of ownership and the colors popular during the Roaring twenties. The bottle is presented in a rough wooden box inspired by the straw-lined crates used at the time.

A real treasure of Cognac Frapin, Fontpinot XO can lay claim to the Chateau appellation because it is made exclusively from grapes harvested, distilled, aged, and bottled at the Chateau Fontpinot. Distillation over lees and a long aging in dry cellars provide its distinct character.

With an average age of over 20 years, this expression has a nose of candied fruit, marzipan, and rancio. The long aging brings toffee, almond butter, and spice to the palate before a long, elegant finish.

Producer Description 

Each bottle of Domain De Canton begins with a selection of only the finest, fresh baby Vietnamese ginger. It is then blended with herbs, spices and cognac to unlock it's fresh essence.

Producer Description 

Born from the cask and named after a royal approval, Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal is a truly distinctive cognac; particularly smooth with a blend of uniquely oaky eaux-de-vie.

This unique blend of Rémy Martin1738 Accord Royal commemorates the reward of excellence bestowed on Rémy Martin by King Louis XV of France in 1738.

Particularly smooth, with a blend of uniquely oaky eaux-de-vie. The long and particularly soft barrel toasting brings extraordinary smoothness to 1738 Accord Royal, as well as subtle notes of toasted bread, vanilla and brioche.

1738 Accord Royal can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail.

CLASSIC COCKTAIL

Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal is especially recommended for classic cocktails such as the Sidecar, the Collins, or in signature cocktails made by the most talented bartenders. 1738 Accord Royal mixes marvelously with citrus flavors.

Producer Description 

Remy Martin V.S.O.P is a blend from the prestigious vineyards of Cognac - Petite and Grande Champagne. Twice the age of a standard VS, this gold color and versatile cognac embodies the perfect harmony of powerful and elegant aromas. It is well-balanced and multi-layered with notes of vanilla, stone fruit, and licorice. Enjoy it neat, on the rocks or in cocktails

Nose : Dominant notes of vanilla resulting from ageing in French oak casks, reveal subtle hints of apricot, apple, and floral notes.

Taste: A perfect harmony of stone fruit and subtle notes of licorice.

Body: Well-balanced and multi-layered character with silky texture

Producer Description 

Dark amber color. Aromas and flavors of chocolate covered candied orange, baked apple tart, apple cider, baking spices, clove, and sandalwood with a tannic, crisp, bone-dry medium body and a warming, medium-long finish manifesting notes of candied orange, cocoa nips, peanut brittle and toffee, and lemon zest. Grilled apple topped with cinnamon, this is lively and delicious, and perfect for fall cocktails.

Producer Description 

The recipe for Mathilde Orange XO dates back 200 years. Sweet orange peels are first macerated in a grape spirit and then distilled. A refined and aged brandy is added to the orange peel distillate and the spirit is then aged before bottling.

The result is a liqueur with a refined nose, with an intense orange aroma and a hint of vanilla. The flavor is powerful, the aromatics are potent and the body is rich. The spirit gives remarkable length on the finish and an overall voluptuous, round taste. 

Expert Review

Wine Enthusiast 96 Points | The palate is balanced between the citric acid, alcohol, Cognac and wood, with the Cognac always prevailing. Concludes with finesse, a sweet-sour presence, and an incredibly lush texture.
Flag of France

Producer Description 

Introduced in 1927 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Grand Marnier Maison, Cuvée du Centenaire is an exceptional blend of refined XO Cognacs from the Grand Crus of Grande and Petite Champagne combined with the essence of wild tropical oranges.

Producer Description 

Bursts of summer florals typical of this region. Linden flowers, elderflower and apple blossom are followed by ripe orchard fruits. Freshness and youth. On both the nose and palate, enjoy the combination of fruits and floral - pears, apples, and a hint of linden flowers. 

Light yellow colour, vine flower and fruity taste (pear, apple). Powerful but round and smooth, Light and delicate tannins.

Winemaker Description 

This sippable, dark gold Cognac offers aromas of butterscotch, dried apricot and golden raisins. The flavors grow even bolder and rounder on the exit, warmed by a cinnamon spark.

Floral, fruity aromas lead to hints of toffee, anise.

Distilled entirely from fruit grown in Cognac’s Petite Champagne appellation & aged a minimum of 7 years in French oak, this is an elegant, fresh brandy from a historic family-owned house. 

Producer Description 

This special and rare cuvee has been bottled especially for Christmas from its oak cask.

This Petite Champagne originates from an old family reserve handed down from father to son beginning with the house's creation in 1872 by Edouard Normandin's great, great grandfather, Jules Normandin.

Normandin Mercier cognacs are matured in the family chateau’s traditional cellars near the town of La Rochelle, the historic medieval port that made Cognac famous many centuries ago. The proximity of the ocean, the natural regulation of hygrometry and oceanic temperature all favor the ageing of the cognacs, giving them fullness, elegance and a unique character.

Producer Description 

Nuance and complex, this shows a floral lilt up front, sequeing into more substantial vanilla and honey aromas.

The palate is relatively dry, with cocoa and leather lightening to ginger spice and hints of tropical fruit.

Expert Reviews

Vinous 96 Points | Delamain’s youngest offering, at 20 to 25 years old, is also one of the standard-bearers of Grande Champagne (the blend was created in the 1920s and hasn’t changed). Light amber, with a delightful nose full of pear, marmalade, quince and orange blossom. The pear and quince carry onto the palate, where a distinctive membrillo-like flavor emerges — a unique note I find in a number of Delamain expressions. There’s gentle spice and warm citrus on the palate, gliding to a long, delicate finish. The definition of elegance.

Wine Enthusiast 95 Points | Bold and butterscotchy, this easy-drinking Cognac also has dried fruit and nutty tones, plus a saline touch that's reminiscent of salted caramel. There's a spicy flourish on the relatively dry finish. Delamain notes that it is one of the only Cognac houses to exclude VS and VSOP expressions from its portfolio, 'its range starts where others end, with an X.O.

Producer Description

A blend of long-aged XO Grande Champagne Cognacs, Delamain Pale & Dry benefits from a lengthy two-year marriage period in cask after assemblage before being bottled, resulting in a beautifully smooth roundness and flavour integration on the palate.

Producer Description

Tesseron Lot 76 Tradition XO Cognac is an exceptional blend of reserve stocks of Grande Champagne Cognac, matured to perfection in old casks. Very clear and bright in the glass with alluring aromas that present a sensation of fruit compote layered with hints of honey and leather, all lifted by floral tones – very elegant. On the palate it is generous on attack, and presents a wonderful, spicy vitality, complementing a harmonious, rounded style.

Expert Review

Producer Description

Made solely with the two best 'cru' of Cognac, Grande and Petite Champagne, 'Composition' reveals a truly magnificent terroir driven taste profile. Fresh, elegant, suave and aromatic. 'Composition' is an artistic visionary work with a natural balance of strength, smoothness and all the attributes you can expect from a Cognac carefully crafted by the Tesseron family house.

Producer Description

This three-year-old bottling from AOC Domfrontais is made from 70% pears and hearkens back to old-school Calvados in the best sense. Light amber in color, the nose is wild and rustic, with earthy aromas of poached pear, pear skin, along with toffee and crème brûlée. In the mouth, there’s great acidity, fresh fruit, along with green, herbal notes, and a pop of fresh fennel on the attractive finish. 

Eye: Beautiful straw yellow color.

Nose: Aromas of vine flower & linden with a touch of vanilla.

Palate: Round, rich, and harmoniously balanced. Fresh, original, with notes of vanilla and toast.

Expert Review

Jason Wilson of Vinous writes 96 Points | Falling between VS and VSOP level, this four- to five-year-old is light golden and simple. It’s fruity on the nose and a little grapey, and on the palate, there’s a lot of creamy vanilla and a touch of spice. Not particularly a cocktail brandy due to its price. It is what it is. 

Producer Description 

The single distillation source used to produce Martell VS fine cognac means that it has a clean, rich flavor that cannot be matched by other brands. Martell VS is a high-end cognac, produced in the town of Cognac — the only place true cognac is made — in the department of Charente in France.

The smooth and flavorful cognac's luscious and fruity notes and flavors of vanilla and citrus are paired with a slightly bitter undertone for a well-balanced drinking experience. With both woody and spicy notes, as well as the fresh flavor of pear, Martell VS tastes great on its own but also pairs well with popular mixers such as orange juice and triple sec.

The hints of candied almonds and spices are reminiscent of your favorite baked goods, making for a well-balanced and delicious drink. With over 200 years of history at the Martell distillery in France, Martell VS is the perfect high-quality cognac to add to your favorite cocktail.

Winemaker Description

A fairly intense style of Cognac. The aromas leap out of the glass with notes of orange zest, cinnamon, potpourri, and licorice. Leather muskiness and dried fruit join in after.The palate is powerful and sweet with notes of fresh baked apple, ripe peaches and spices. 

Producer Description

A very subtle, aromatic Cognac. Its subtle vanilla bouquet also has floral overtones of roses and violets, leading into hints of prunes and apricots. Pierre Ferrand Ambre is superbly balanced on the palate. The aromas found on the bouquet linger on the palate for several minutes.

Producer Description

Rémy Martin Tercet is a unique Cognac Fine Champagne blended from aromatic eaux-de-vie with notes of fresh and tropical fruits. Reflecting the House style, Tercet lights up a new path for cognac.

Three talents came together to create Rémy Martin Tercet: our Cellar Master, Master Distiller and Wine Master. Three men of their time, each carrying the heritage of generations of Masters before them, combined their unique expertise to reveal the best of what nature offers.

A singular Cognac Fine Champagne, bold, fresh and fruit forward with a surprisingly long finish.

Rémy Martin Tercet can be enjoyed neat to reveal its boldness, with one large ice cube to enhance its freshness, or paired with fresh pineapple or in a pineapple dessert to reveal its roundness.

Expert Review

Forbes Magazine: This is an exceptionally smooth Cognac. Matured for four years. On the nose, it offers up rich floral aromas of violet, jasmine, roses, white flowers and peonies, along with intense fruity notes of sweet caramel apples, honey and both fresh and dried fruit, especially prune, peach and apricot, along with Sauterne like notes of golden raisin and fig, as well as some passion fruit and a touch of vanilla. There is also an earthy, black tea like quality in the background, and a hint of waxiness.

Recently, Camus, the largest of the family owned Cognac producers, released a new addition to its core range of Cognacs—labeled Intensely Aromatic. The Cognacs were the culmination of a two-decade long effort to craft Cognacs that are notably more aromatic and flavorful than the norm.

Camus’ Cognacs have always had a reputation for being particularly aromatic. To further enhance that character Camus developed a proprietary distillation protocol, which it calls “Intensity,” that measurably increases the concentration of terpenes and esters in their Cognac, producing what the company describes as an “instant of intensity.”

Terpenes are a large and diverse class of organic compounds, produced by a variety of plants. They are closely associated with floral aromas. Esters are chemicals produced by the interaction of alcohols and fatty acids, and are closely associated with fruity aromas.

In crafting Intensely Aromatic, the firm utilized older casks made from lightly toasted, fine grained oak. The age and toasting of the casks minimized the aroma and flavor components that were contributed by the cask wood and further enhanced the prominence of fruit and floral aromas.

Producer Description 

Intense, powerful and well-balanced. Some salty notes with hints of dried fruits and exotic spices.

The Landier family traces their winegrowing roots in the region back to 1890, when Rémi's grandfather Julien Girard settled in the town of Cors and planted his first vines. Throughout the 1900s, the family continued to grow their vineyards and began work on the distillery; in 1973 the Rémi Landier brand was launched by his son, Jean-Yves.

Today, the Cognac house is still family-owned and managed by its fifth generation, Géraldine Landier.

PM Spirits founder Nicolas Palazzi, aka Captain Cognac, met Géraldine some years ago while she was working for European spirit purveyors extraordinaire La Maison du Whisky. While traveling in France, Nicolas was introduced to Géraldine by good friend and master cooper Jean-Noel Pelletan.

Sensing a forward-thinking open-mindedness, Nicolas stayed in touch with Géraldine who eventually moved from Paris back to Cognac to help run the family business. When we first began brainstorming producers with whom to work with on COLLAB releases, Rémi Landier was a no-brainer.

These releases represent the start of something new and pay homage to a Cognac house which has, since its inception, shared the same values and ethos that PM Spirits was built on.

This VSOP Cognac was aged for over five years in a combination of used French oak and toasted, new French Oak barrels. It is a single terroir Fins Bois Cognac with no additives, bottled exclusively for PM Spirits and the US market. Producer Description. 

Producer Description 

Matured in French oak casks for at least 20 years, Remi Landier XO Artisanal Cognac is a blend of Fins Bois eaux-de-vie that has aromas of violet, honeysuckle and dried apricots on the nose. The palate offers notes of orange, cinnamon, oak, gingerbread and summer flowers. 

Producer Description 

Elaborated from the finest terroirs in Cognac which are Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne and Fins Bois whose harvests took place during the decade of 1990. 

Lot n°90 owes its unique character to long aging in oak barrels, which gives it richness and complexity, the main grape variety being Ugni Blanc. 

To the eye, Ce Cognac already offers a beautiful, seductive golden color. 

The attack on the nose, very fresh, reveals notes of pear and quince, which evolve towards herbaceous elements, aromas of fruit Secs, nuts and almonds. 

As for the palate, it is firm, of good length, powerful, reflecting the aromas presented by the nose: a quality Cognac, typical and young.