Tesseron Masterblend 100s 40%

Masterblend 100 is one of the most coveted assemblages from Tesseron (ask the Norwegians their opinion about that one). It draws from the house’s “réserve ancestrale”, a unique collection of heavy glass demijohns preserving the oldest eaux-de-vie assembled by Abel Tesseron at the end of the 19ᵉ century. The blend brings together 100 different Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, originally selected and tended by Abel himself, then finally bottled by the third generation, Alfred Tesseron. Only 143 bottles were produced.

Colour: Mahogany with orange lights. Medium, irregular tears.

Nose: Full of roasted shades: dark chocolate, cocoa powder. Bold and structured. Very precise, layering scents one after another. Coffee liqueur, soy sauce, balsamic and umami tones. Massive nose, slightly less refined than Extrême, but deeper.

Palate: Coffee-driven again, with a superb very old Port-like aftertaste. Great blackcurrant notes. Plum eau-de-vie with delicate kirsch. Meat juice, rancioted butter. Powerful yet refined – haute couture. Finishes on licorice, clove and Sichuan pepper.

Last Notes: Becomes more vivid. Orange liqueur. Still a dark profile. Dry floral notes (potpourri). Exotic fruit rises, overripe banana, passion fruit. On the palate again, resinous honey, melted tannins and acidulous red berries. Stunning mouth length, finishing on blackberry juice and leathery rancio.

Victor Hugo said cognac was “God’s liqueur”, but this one is closer to Evil’s perfume. Hypnotic, dark, enchanting. Finesse, complexity, depth.

My very subjective note: 93+/100

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