This is the kind of tasting session that you’ve got once in a lifetime. 13 geeks, 38 cognacs, 12 hours. It’s quite difficult to figure out how crazy it was if you’re not a cognac geek. But I swear that wasn’t an everyday session at all!
But first, let’s thank the brilliant host that Brynjar has been. This tasting wouldn’t have been the same without the perfect organization he set up.
With that said, what about this review? You’re gonna find a tasting note for each cognac of this fabulous moment, and you’ll get three episodes (it isn’t that much for this kind of moment). And today it’s Part II.
So let’s start like we end the first part, with something from Prunier. A vintage cognac bottled at 43,9%.
Colour: Orange, old gold lights. Irregular heavy tears.
Nose: Wet mop. Rotten fruits. Overcooked meat. This one seems to have a default.
From there, another bottle from the same reference is served (with 4 years of opening).
Far better. Toffee, caramel sweets. Not that complex but very rich. Powerful toasted notes.
Mouth: Juicy and acidulous. Great fruity notes. Far brighter than I expected with the nose. Again, not the most complex ever but a rich and pleasant profile.
Last Notes: More spiced and a bit oaky with air.
A very relevant Borderies, maybe his single shortcoming is to be in this out-of-reality line-up.
Another vintage one from Prunier. 52,8%, so a bit higher in terms of ABV. Let’s go!
Colour: Orange, amber lights. Irregular heavy tears.
Nose: Warm profile. Full of various spices. Nice fresh notes in the background. I miss a bit of complexity with this one too.
Mouth: Oily texture. Warm heathery notes. It feels a bit oaky in the aftertaste. A lack of complexity and finesse here. Sadly, it feels quite obvious with the other Borderies tasted just before.
Last Notes: Hints of floral notes, but not very Borderies-like in fact. Nice fruity sides and a solid dry day rancio. It feels more like an elegant middle-aged Fins Bois.
Not too bad, not too bad. But I can’t go higher than 88 with this one.
VT. Silver Seal. Borderies. 48,2%. WTF. Let’s go!
Colour: Amber, old gold lights. Irregular medium tears.
Nose: Ample tropical fruitiness. Appealing mix of mango juice, overripe bananas and litchi. Bang! What a kind of freshness too. Vivid citruses notes in the background.
Mouth: Oily texture prolongated by generous acidulous shades. Some nice citruses notes again, particularly on yuzu juice and its earthy shades. Unreal mouth length on mango again.
Last Notes: Still very fresh and fruity. I only miss a bit of depth to reach a stellar level.
Very high quality here. Truly beautiful profile, very elegant with generous Borderies shades.
Grosperrin BORDERIES n°28 53,8%
You know. I know. But I can’t refuse a dram like this. So let’s try that one again.
Colour: Amber, copper lights. Heavy regular tears.
Nose: Heavy, full-bodied cognac. Heavy raisins rancio. Sherry cask profile. Plum eau-de-vie. Rustic and refined at the same time. Leathery rancio bomb.
Mouth: Perfect acidulous taste. Awesome mouth length. Mushroomy rancio bomb, following nose’s impressions.
Last Notes: Heady violet notes. Borderies DNA written in golden letters.
Still very impressed by the energy of this N°28. Bold, powerful AND venerable Borderies.
First encounter with this N°48. Let’s go!
Colour: Amber, gold lights. Irregular medium tears.
Nose: Heady Borderies perfume. Full of bright spiced notes and great violet sweets notes. A tad of earthiness in the background.
Mouth: Oily texture with hints acidulous notes in the aftertaste. Heavy profile, full of wet undergrowth shades.
Last Notes: It remains bright, and you get a bunch of various candied citruses scents.
Very nice Borderies profile. Quite different from N°28 but it has its own charm.
A few Grosperrin’s vintages then, including that 1960.
Colour: Dark amber, gold lights. Irregular medium tears.
Nose: Earthy and heady at first. Maybe a tad too oaky and a lack of depth.
Mouth: Nice texture, but you feel this astringent oakiness previously perceived. Great fresh fruity notes with mouth length.
Last Notes: Appearance of nice tropical fruits notes, vegetal shades (smash basil) in the background.
Quite unbalanced, but a fresh profile that fits my tastes. The earthiness is less prominent with air.
Another kind of Grosperrin’s Borderies from the 60’s
Colour: Dark orange, orange lights. Irregular heavy tears.
Nose: Crazy profile, it goes wild with tobacco and spices at first. Dry floral notes then, more Borderies-ish.
Mouth: Intense palate carried by an oily texture. Zan, licorice and white pepper shades. Great mouth length on cocoa powder.
Last Notes: Deep kind of cognac. I wrote aside my tasting note “to taste again later !!!”. Stunning with the way it evolves constantly. A thin eau-de-vie, maybe a bit fragile, but one that shows many shades of spiced and floral notes.
That’s a solid 91. Really like that one.
Another vintage, still from Grosperrin, still from the 60’s.
Colour: Dark orange, gold lights. Regular medium tears.
Nose: Very fruity profile at first. Full of nice nutty notes too. Impression of a delicate plum eau-de-vie, even a liquor like umeshu.
Mouth: Quite different from the nose. You get nice buttery rancioted aromas. A tad earthy in the aftertaste.
Last Notes: Overripe fruits surrounded by a tad of oaky shades.Great evolution with air, but not as good as the 1961.
Great vintage cognac with its very own DNA. Not my favorite, but that goes higher than 90.
Grosperrin n*64 53,3%
I’m a huge fan of this one. And I’ve already reviewed it.
But to be honest, that’s not the easiest Borderies to guess on blind tasting. As an organizer of a blind tasting event only based on spirits, I’ve put this one in the final tasting session, and almost nobody found that was a Borderies.
Anyway, if you haven’t try that one yet : you should!
Another N°64 from Grosperrin, but not the same cask and different origin.
Colour: Dark amber, old gold lights. Irregular medium tears.
Nose: Full of tropical notes at first. Rich perfume that needs a bit of air. Funky kind of Borderies here.
Mouth: Oily texture. Still some nice fruity notes but it’s quite imprecise. Wait. Incredible mouth length on mango juice that last for a while.
Last Notes: Nice balance between tropical notes and fresh peppery shades.
A tad imprecise but it remains very convincing.
I’ve already reviewed that one too. An as for the original bottling, that’s a marvelous one to taste. I know I’ve scored it a bit higher before, but face to face, theses two N°64 seem to be at the same level.
GRosperrin Borderies N°70 53,8%
Another Grosperrin, but this time an ealy 70’s.
Colour: Dark amber, gold lights. Irregular medium tears.
Nose: Very oaky in the beginning. Quite unbalanced, with a lack of precision. Hints of fruity notes, especially on cherry jam.
Mouth: Thick texture. Heavy bitterness. Confirming nose impressions, an obvious lack of balance.
Last Notes: A few honey notes in the background. Austere kind of Borderies.
Not a very talkative one. But that’s part of the game with vintage cognacs.
Heritage RENE RIVIERE XXO 47%
When we’re talking about Borderies, Heritage Rene Riviere has to be quoted. Maybe one of the most remarkable kind of Borderies. I would not say that’s easy to guess an HRR in a blind tasting session, but you always get some obvious clue. Let’s begin with this X.X.O.
Colour: Dark amber, gold lights. Heavy irregular tears.
Nose: Generous zesty notes at first. Full of citruses shades. What an appealing heady perfume.
Mouth: Thin texture, you feel that’s a kind of delicate cognac here. Nice floral shades. Acidulous fruity aromas then.
Last Notes: Nice evolution with air, even if I was expecting a bit more to be honest. And a tad imprecise to be honest.
The nose was so appealing. But I’m not that convinced by the palate, with a lack of depth and precision.
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