Sunday duet

GC and FB side-by-side

cognacs from different crus

From Verrières to Malaville

Laurichesse Le Chai de mon Père Fût N°301 45%

Laurichesse again, but this time as an OB. 40yo+ (distilled in the 70s). Cask strength. And Verrières. Let’s go!

Colour: Amber, orange lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Juicy and vivid notes at first. Fresh tangerine, banana stew, lemon zest jam. Lingering chalky notes in the background. Delicate floral shades of lavender and jasmine. Beautiful bouquet.

Palate: Quite oily, with a delicious acidulous attack on passion fruit juice and licorice sweets. Very high acidity. Great mouth length, with a touch of nutty notes, like chestnut cream. But what an exotic profile! Quite monolithic, driven by this acidulous highway, a clear signature of its chalky terroir.

Last Notes: Still fresh and vivid, with hints of menthol and kiwi juice. A touch of infused notes, leaning towards verbena and chamomile. Back on the palate, acidulous notes again, this time on raspberry and blackcurrant juice. It ends on beautiful quince liqueur aromas.

A vivid Grande Champagne profile, with this typical sharpness from Verrières. Lovely. Give it another 10/20 years to gain depth and smooth out its sharpness, and you’ll be very close to a golden cognac.

90+/100

Aubineau Fins Bois 57/58 48%

Another Aubineau here, but this time a Fins Bois from the late 50s. Let’s go!

Colour: Dark amber, orange lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Heavy rancioted notes on wormwood and overripe peach. Quite an earthy profile, with a touch of French Indies rum DNA. A few herbal shades in the background, mainly basil and parsley.

Palate: Dry and bitter texture. Quite a rustic profile. Nice honeyed tones, followed by a bunch of overripe fruits. Peppery notes develop with the mouth length, mainly black pepper and nutmeg.

Last Notes: With air, a touch of musky notes appears. Ample oaky shades too, making it slightly less readable than before. Back on the palate, strong tannins and a few nutty notes (cashew nuts, crushed almonds). It ends on yuzu jam and dark chocolate.

An interesting Fins Bois profile, with a very typical rustic side. But I miss better oak integration here.