François Voyer 20yo 52% (2026 release)

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.

My very subjective note: 88/100