A Voyer triptych

One experiment and two tributes

GC from Verrières

Three brand-new Voyer that will be unveiled at Wine Paris 2026…

François Voyer 12yo Double Cask 42,7%

10 years of classic ageing, 2 years in Swiss oak (Bussigny forest), more precisely in a specific barrel made by Jean-Noël Pelletant, a renowned cooper.

Colour: Gold, orange lights. Irregular medium tears.

Nose: Bright profile with warm spiced notes. A refined spiciness, quite close to some mizunara whisky profiles. Fresh fruity notes follow, mainly raw plum and quince jam. Slightly rough oak in the background.

Palate: Oily texture, with a small amount of acidity. Lingering vanilla notes, hints of pear and almond. Easy on the palate, but I’m quite disturbed by this kind of oak, maybe a bit too sharp for a cognac, even more so for a chalky 12yo GC. Perhaps this type of wood would fit better with a FB or BB? Just my own hypothesis.

Last Notes: A few cereal notes surrounded by fresh waxy aromas. It remains quite sharp and angular with air. Hints of herbal notes on thyme and chive. Back on the palate, you get subtle umeshu-like notes.

Fresh and uncommonly spiced. Quite interesting, but I’m not a huge fan of this oak profile for cognac.

84+/100

François Voyer 20yo 52%

Verrières again. Bottled at natural strength, this release was conceived as a tribute to Anne-Marie Vaudon’s arrival at the estate 20 years ago.

Colour: Gold, hay lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Classic insolent GC, always turbulent around 20 years of age. Sharp and vivid, obviously chalky. Massive orchard notes on fresh pear. Hints of floral aromas on dandelion and lilac. Nice honeyed tones in the background.

Palate: Quite oily, with immediate funky juiciness on tangerine and grapefruit. A great acidulous side, reminiscent of some high-end rosé wines like L’Anglore. Hints of malted notes in the aftertaste. Quite wild — maybe lacking a bit of wood and alcohol integration.

Last Notes: It remains very floral, with rosewater and lilac notes. A few hawthorn aromas. Intense vine peach in the background. Back on the palate, vivid citrus notes on yuzu and bergamot. It ends on prune cake and white pepper.

I’m always stunned by the insolent freshness a 20yo cognac can retain. No surprise here, especially from the Verrières terroir. As I said, I only miss a bit of wood and alcohol integration to score it above 88.

88/100

François Voyer 25yo 54,3%

Another tribute release, but this time to celebrate Pierre Vaudon’s arrival at Voyer, 25 years ago.

Colour: Amber, orange lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Cooked fruit notes and a touch of nuttiness at first. A baby rancio on crushed hazelnut and generous pastry notes (croissant aux amandes). Opulent candied citrus in the background. Not the most readable nose, but it’s probably gasping for air.

Palate: Heavy tropical fruit notes on the palate, with guava and passion fruit. Everything is delivered with intensity here, the palate is literally screaming its aromas. Lingering tea-like notes on black tea. It ends on cherry sweets.

Last Notes: Precious wood aromas. Full of exotic notes, mainly green banana and pineapple juice. Hints of cocoa powder too. Back on the palate, a smiling acidulous note on mango juice.

A massive GC expression, with funky edges. I only miss a bit of alcohol integration and precision to score it higher.