Fradon Petite Champagne
And we start with a millesime from Grosperrin’s cellars that has been bottled at 50,8%. Let’s go!
Colour: Amber, gold lights. Huge heavy tears.
Nose: Massive nose on exotic fruits. Here is another HRC (heavily rancioted cognac)! Not very briny like the Vallein Tercinier PC 70 (52%). Very heady and flowery on lavender and rosewater. So much gourmandise in there! Very honeyed with a bit of air. Magnificent caramelized apple notes are arising. Stop it!
Mouth: Very oily texture. Wonderful acidulous aromas on raspberry juice and fig jelly aromas. Huge exotic fruit notes on mango juice and roasted pineapple. Crazy mouth length. Remember me a lot the famous banger that I’ve tasted with La Corbeille de fruits. Subtle umami notes on white truffle. Stunning mouth length on blackcurrant/blackberry jelly. A tad of licorice sweets notes in the aftertaste.
Last Notes: A tad more roasted with air, and now you get some coffee beans and cocoa powder scents. Some nutty shades on roasted almond and walnut. Still very fruity on poached pears and rhubarb marmalade, but there is this obvious rancio on ristrettto and fresh wood notes (sandalwood). Back on the palate, you keep the same magnificent acidulous texture. A full spoon of raspberry syrup. You also get sunny shades on sugary melon notes and caraway seeds. Nice au-revoir on nougat and heavy licorice syrup aromas.
A perfect combination of aromas and complexity. Extreme finesse and stunning evolution through the tasting. Love this one, to be crystal clear.
Another millesime from Grosperrin’s cellars, and this one is also from the same origin as the 1970, so it comes from a very specific terroir (Chateauneuf-sur-Charente is very close both from G.C and Fins Bois, only a few kilometers away from Pasquet’s cellars.
Colour: Amber, orange lights. Huge heavy tears.
Nose: A tad rounder than the PC 1970. Much more on pastry notes too. Warm spices notes. Full of caraway and nutmeg powder. Generous white melon notes surrounded by mango juice tones. Still has a pastry touch with a bit of air. Bread yeast, bread dough, sesame seeds. A great wave of citruses, mainly on candied lemon zest and orange juice. Figs and raisins in the background.
Mouth: Wow. Same acidulous texture as the 1970, but with a nice touch of herbal notes. Incredible balance between peppery and herbal notes in fact. White pepper, Timut pepper, dried basil, dried parsley. Hints of fresh mint leave too. But it remains fruity too with a nice amount of fig and plum marmalade aromas.
Last Notes: Still very focused on citruses notes. Hints of flowery notes with potpourri and orange blossom. Elegant rancioted tones on old leather and black tea scents. A tad spicier than before on paprika and black pepper. Still generous notes of candied citruses. A bit Jamaican rum-like with its fresh/fruity funky balance in the aftertaste.
A tad unbalanced but what a kind of P.C! Clearly not the bad side of this cru. I especially like the freshness of this millesime.
This cognac has quite the same story as Le Cognac d’André (N73 P.C bought by Grosperrin and split with JLP). Let’s taste this older one.
Colour: Dark amber, gold lights. Regular heavy tears.
Nose: Full of caramel and buttery notes at first. Nice touch of hazelnut cream too. Heavy roasted notes on strong coffee notes and burnt wood. Hints of licorice syrup. Great dark chocolate shades.
Mouth: Oilier than the Le Cognac d’André as far as I remember. Still has a nice chocolate DNA with hints of caramelized walnut. Kind of liquid brownie in fact. A tad of fresh menthol notes in the aftertaste but it remains heavily chocolated. A little of acidity though the mouth length, something on walnut oil and grapefruit juice.
Last Notes: Nice Rhone Valley red wine notes with more air. Nougat and licorice sweets scents in the background. Full of nutty notes. Back on the palate, you still find dark chocolate aromas, this time immediately followed by candied citruses notes. A tad of mint tea in the aftertaste.
Subtle but with a strong DNA on roasted notes. Surprisingly well-balanced after all. Same pleasure as Le Cognac d’Andre, same level in my humble opinion. Solid P.C, it has to be said.
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 %.
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