Fradon Vieille Reserve Petite Champagne 40%

I have a cool memory of Through The Grapevine bottling and I also love the Bertrand Napoleon (15-20yo cognac produced 3 kilometers away from Fradon estate). So what could go wrong with this 20yo P.C?

Colour: Old gold, vermeil lights. Medium-heavy tears.

Nose: Kinda fruity at first, mainly on dried apricots and young plums. Nicely and softly rancioted on creamy nuts scents. Rich tea-ish notes in the background. Light new wood notes too surrounded by hints of fresh eucalyptus.

Mouth: Nice oily texture carrying pear syrup and bread dough aromas. Full of raisins and prunes, a tad of dried digs too. A little muesli-like with tiny cereal notes. Nice dry aftertaste with strong oaky aromas.

Last Notes: Still very fruity with a breath. Full of quince and peach scents. Great exotic fruit notes in the background, mainly on litchi. Back on the palate, you find a well-balanced mix of licorice and raisins aromas. Still few cereal impressions, which isn’t bad at all. Quite a nice mouth length regarding the standard ABV (40%).

Not my favorite 20yo P.C ever but it is well done, well balanced, and generous. Wonder what could it be with a few more %.