Jean-Luc Pasquet L’Essentiel 42%

JEAN-LUC PASQUET L’ESSENTIEL G.C 42%

Essential Grande Champagne ?

“L’Essentiel” is the name of the great selection made by Cognac-Expert. This specific range includes many cognac houses (Jean-Luc Pasquet as for this one, but also Maxime Trijol, Michel Forgeron, Vallein Tercinier and so much more). This cognac is a +/- 25yo Grande Champagne. 

Colour : Pale gold, yellow/orange lights. Regular  medium  tears.

Nose : Fig jam at first. Apricots jam.. A lot of fruitiness and a lot of honey too. Roasted hazelnuts. Stewed bananas. Orange crème brûlée. A little of peaches syrup.  Lightly spiced. Cooked fruits for sure, particularly on prunes jam. Fresh licorice and honey again. 

Palate : Oily texture.  Very fresh at first, on licorice and menthol. Candied citruses. It’s rounder with air. Bourbon vanilla. Caramelized apples pie. Multi-flower honey. Orange zest caramel. A little of bitter chocolate. A nice bitterness and acidity on olive /walnu oil. An aftertaste on vanilla cream and almond paste. The mouth is rather long and the ABV seems to be at the right height. Great ! Let’s go further. 

Last Notes : With more air, it goes on cherry jam. Then it’s spicier and shows more freshness. Licorice syrup. Wet wood. Clearly on something like humidor scents. Violet sweets. A dash of cinnamon. Caramelized apples and pears. Orange blossom.

Back on the palate now. Generous almond paste notes. Chocolate and cherry sweets. Candied plums. Violet sweets again. Green lemon cheesecake with its typical creaminess. This is a nice balance between gourmandise, bitterness and freshness. Candied cherry and licorice, a bit like in the Jean-Luc Pasquet Kongesønnen. Ends on pastry notes with an hint of freshness. The crème brûlée is here for sure (totally agree with Cognac-Expert tasting notes on this particular point). A great wave of fresh licorice that stays for quite a long time. Candied citruses to say goodbye 

This Jean-Luc Pasquet l’Essentiel is more convincing than the Vallein Tercinier from the same range. The wood has a better integration, tends to appear with sweet and precise notes. A very nice 25yo Grande Champagne. 

My very subjective note : 88/100

More info on Cognac-Expert website