Grosperrin Bois Ordinaires Oléron 1991 56.7%

Vintage Bois Ordinaires from Oléron Island. Needless to say, that kind of stuff is pretty rare. And another old bottling from Grosperrin. 

Colour: Amber, gold lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Fresh breeze of menthol and pinewood at first. Ample rusticity. Obvious salinity, full of iodine and anchovy scents. A disturbing vegetal side almost bordering on some Chartreuse notes, but with a certain kind of rusticity and oak influence.

Palate: Rich but with a rustic dryness in the aftertaste. Full of heathery notes and a few malted shades too. A bit like having a bowl of muesli but with seaweed topping. It ends on quince jam and verbena infusion.

Last Notes: A bit more floral with air, but it remains quite heathery. Angular vanilla scents (like when you smell a brand-new cask). Hints of green tea notes. Back on the palate, you get cider apple notes, which creates Calvados-y impressions. It ends on fennel and cooked thyme.

Turbulent kind of cognac. Maybe that’s why he was exiled to Oléron Island. Aside from this (useless) Bonapartian joke, that’s a good reminder of what a rustic cognac could be. Very expressive with solid tannins and a pointy palate, not a beginner one. And what a tricky dram to taste blind.

My very subjective note: 87/100