Another dash of Champagne

GC & PC today

40yo+ Champagne cognacs

A nice gem discovered during Whisky Live Paris 2026 and a few other stuffs…

VaLLEIN TERCINIER Grande Champagne N°67 GOurmet Pool 47%

And we begin with one discovered during this very last Whisky Live edition. 53yo (bottled in 2020), 235 bottles. Let’s go!

Colour: Dark amber, orange lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Distinct Champagne notes at first, with sharp chalky shades. Warm spices on cumin and paprika. Hints of oaky scents, with a few cashew nut notes. You can also anticipate some kind of exotic shades in the background. Promising nose for sure.

Palate: Intense exotic notes, mainly on papaya and mango. Quite structured, but you still get a nice balance between tannins and the whole aromatic spectrum. Ample pastry notes in a second time, mainly on plum pie and praline (the nice kind you get in a Paris-Brest). It ends on licorice and over-infused green tea.

Last Notes: A bit darker with air, with a strong roasted scent on ristretto and freshly ground coffee. Nice mouth length, with great acidulous aromas (cola sweets, tangerine), but I was expecting a bit more from a 60s VT, to be honest. Yummy jammy notes, everything candied by decades in a wet cellar. It ends on bright chalky shades, precious wood and a tad of mentholated notes too.

A truly great 60s GC. Quite immediate, expressive and complex. Easy 90, but I don’t know if I can score it much higher. In the 91+ league, I aim for full balance, depth and perfect oak integration. And this VT 67 by Gourmet Pool is lacking a little bit in all these categories. Well, let’s say a solid 90+.

Beyond that score, I talked about this one with Guilhem Grosperrin (who tasted it too), and we both think this N°67 could lead to terroirs like Saint-Preuil or Segonzac (hills).

Many thanks to Charles and Kieran!

90+/100

FERRER PRUNIER PETITE CHAMPAGNE 1979 53,7%

I discovered Ferrer during Rhum Fest Paris 2026, and I was quite impressed by their first cognac bottlings. Let’s start with this late-70s vintage PC.

Colour: Amber, gold lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Grapefruit juice, banana gum. The kind of cognac that could be illegal, considering its close DNA to a fruit gum. Vivid tangerine juice notes. Well, it reminds me a lot of young Voyer from Verrières mixed with a firm chalky PC like the Delamain bottled by Malternative Belgium. Funky PC, quite close to a 50/60yo Jurignac, maybe a bit sharper.

Palate: Bang! Immediate bitter/sweet bite of grapefruit juice (again), immediately followed by generous passion fruit aromas. Way more on the Jurignac side now, with a stunning funkiness that could convince every single rum lover. It also owns this kind of elegant rancio you find in high-end GC/PC (Vallein Tercinier GC Lot 74, for example).

Last Notes: Vine peaches and fresh apricots with air. Very refined nose, with hints of floral shades on lavender and violet blossom. Back on the palate, you get a full spoon of acidulous blackberry notes. Great mouth length, maybe it could have been a little longer.

Fully Hors d’Age approved. With a bit more depth and complexity, it could have reached a stellar level. Stunning PC that reminds a lot of Jurignac terroir. Don’t know if they have such info at Prunier.

91+/100

FERRER PRUNIER GRANDE CHAMPAGNE 1969 49,7%

Another Ferrer, still from Prunier. But this time, a late-60s GC (yum?).

Colour: Dark amber, orange lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Full of citrus and ginger notes at first. Delicate floral bouquet then. You feel a nice mix between Champagne vivacity/chalky side and an intense oak influence, as you get a full bunch of black pepper shades in the background. Hints of herbal scents, mainly bay leaf and basil.

Palate: Pinewood and vanilla at first. Hints of exotism on green banana and pineapple juice, but everything is surrounded by a strong tannic envelope. Nice raisin and overripe plum aromas in the aftertaste. Kind of old Port wine shades too.

Last Notes: Lingering herbal shades, following the first impressions. Hints of yellow Chartreuse indeed. Warm nutty scents on roasted hazelnuts. I’m not a huge fan of the alcohol and oak integration with this one. It ends on basil-infused olive oil and apple juice.

Interesting GC, but I have the feeling that we’re missing part of the potential here, as the oak could be more « digested » and the alcohol more integrated.

87+/100

FERRER GRANDE PRUNIER CHAMPAGNE LOT 23 57,2%

And a last Ferrer here to close this Champagne session. 1923. 57,2%. Obvious Prunier curriculum vitae. Don’t have the details on the aging and the time passed in a demijohn. Let’s go!

Colour: Dark amber, orange lights. Irregular medium tears.

Nose: Heady perfume, full of musky and leathery notes at first. Toasted shades, with an undeniable oak footprint. It tends to become lighter minute by minute. Fresh figs, strawberry juice. Even a few chalky shades in the background.

Palate: Ample texture. Quite fresh at the very beginning, stretching into a nice mouth length with mentholated aromas. Musky shades again, even meaty, reminding me a bit of Grand Veneur sauce and its little red berries. Noble kind of cognac, with a classic tannic structure, but also a GC with its own charm.

Last Notes: Heady floral sides with air, mainly on cherry blossom. Noble acetate scents. I miss a bit of funkiness with this nose, to be honest. Back on the palate, you get subtle blackberry jam notes. Really convincing palate now, confirming that there is a delta between the nose and the palate. It ends on violet sweets and mint gum.

Massive GC with what I would call a classic tannic structure. I miss a bit of depth and fun, especially on the nose (nose: 87+, palate: 90+). But it remains a nice pick from Ferrer, especially with this kind of pedigree.