Jean-Luc Pasquet Kongesønnen XO

Jean-Luc Pasquet Kongesønnen XO 42,2%

Grapes of Throne

Colour : Light gold

Nose : Very welcoming. Apricot and orange jams at first. Licorice sweets.  It becomes very round with air. Almond paste, roasted pears. Maple syrup. Brown sugar and a little cinnamon too. Is that speculoos ? There are scents of freshly cut wood. This freshness, typical of a young Grande Champagne (15-20yo here), is underlined by a greedy bitterness, something like lemon meringue pie and young peaches. 

Palate : Very sweet texture. Pastry notes are still there. Pears cake. That’s quite buttery. But this roundness is counter-balanced by a great freshness, again. It goes on linseed oil and freshly sanded wood. A little of pinesap. A great dash of white pepper and subtiles notes of ginger. The mouth is rather long, ending on honey and apricots jam.  

Last Notes : This Kongesønnen has a great consistency. Everything is well balanced. It’s fruity now. Young pineapple. Candied cherry. A little licoricy. It ends on verbena infusion as a gentle au-revoir to the palate. 

The King’s son (translation of Kongesønnen) may claim the Best Bargain of Grande Champagne throne, he probably deserves it. In a very different style, I find it a bit more greedy than the Grosperrin Cépages (another expression of the Grande Champagne youngness), but it can’t reach the 88 points because of its lack of body/character (only my opinion by the way).

My very subjective note : 87+/100

More info on JLP website