Two Champagne cognacs side-by-side

Chalky duet

Champagne cognac side-by-side

Juillac-le-Coq and Angeac-Charente (not to be confused with Angeac-Champagne, in GC). Both houses were founded in the 19th century (1866 for Montifaud, 1880 for Fillioux) and are still separated today by roughly 15 kilometers and the Né river. With that in mind, let’s taste two core-range cognacs from these estates.

Jean Fillioux XO Grande Reserve 44% (2022 bottling)

30yo+, 44% and a privileged terroir (Juilllac). What could go wrong with this XO from La Pouyade?

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

Nose: Charming rancio with undeniable chalky notes at first. Orange zest jam. Leathery notes, slightly lifted by touches of oud. Massive kind of GC blend. Dark tea shades. Deep nose.

Palate: Oily texture, with immediate acidulous aromas on cola sweets and apricot juice. Delicious warm spice notes on paprika. Smooth tannins in the aftertaste, though they could have been a little better integrated, in my opinion.

Last Notes: Vivid juicy notes on vine peach and pear–almond juice. A tad of earthy, mushroomy notes on shiitake and boletus. Strong nutty/oaky shades in the background, mainly linseed oil and dried walnut. Back on the palate, acidulous notes again: raw tangerine and blueberry juice.

Great GC expression. A fine translation of a privileged terroir. I only miss better oak integration to score it higher.

87+/100

Montifaud Napoleon 40% (2021 bottling)

Well, that one is the quiet version of the Special Cigar cuvee. So 15yo+, full PC and 40%. Let’s go!

Colour: Old gold, orange lights. Medium regular tears.

Nose: Delicate floral shades on orange blossom at first. Citrus sweets, mainly bergamot and lime. Gentle honeyed tones. Everything is delivered very precisely, maybe a tad too shy.

Palate: Full of quince jam notes at first. Nice texture, but I miss a bit of mouth length here. Good level of acidity in the aftertaste, showing a Champagne terroir. A few nutty notes then, mainly walnut pie.

Last Notes: Clean profile on lilac and vine peach. Lime and verbena infusion notes. Emerging rancio on cooked plums and tobacco, like a calmer version of the Cigar edition. Hints of vegetal notes on honeysuckle and hawthorn.

Delicate kind of PC. I miss depth and length, but honestly this is pretty well done. I still prefer the Cigar version, but this one is quite relevant too.