The first cognac session of 2026, I believe.
Cognac Grosperrin Petite Champagne D67 A52 (49,0%, C. Dully 2020, cask #F15, 482 btl.)
Nose: peach, orange peels and stewed pears with floral honey and blood orange. Vibrant and fresh, with a tart fruitiness. Whiffs of rose petals, but also mineral notes and minty notes over time. Just a light mushroomy rancio in the background and growing hints of wet soil and leaves.
Mouth: quite oily, with hints of peppermint up front, with honeyed sweetness (acacia) underneath. Tobacco leaves as well. Mid-palate it settles down slightly and opens up to tropical fruits like mango and passion fruits. They are overtaken by tea-like hints, a little clove and plain pepper. The earthiness stays strong.
Finish: fairly long, still quite spicy, with some barrel-driven notes, more earthy dryness, sour fruits and liquorice.
Great flashes of bright exotic fruits from Petite Champagne, even though they have to withstand a firm earthy side. A great profile and it seems to be available still.
Cognac Lhéraud The Traveller No.7 ‘Lot 90 + 20 Years’ – Petite Champagne (49,4%, Wagemut 2025, 1475 btl.)
Nose: really fresh, with the elegance and fruitiness we’re always looking for. Bright apricot and jasmine, along with mint and quinces. Then golden raisins, orange peels, light vanilla and a gentle acidity. Tobacco leaves and some polished oak in the background.
Mouth: sultanas and honey at first, with flashes of mango. Mid-palate it diverts towards liquorice, salted caramel, pure chocolate and a dry woodiness. Drops of chicory coffee and leather, as well as some clove oil and tannins.
Finish: long, quite herbal and spicy. Pepper, walnut bitterness, some toast and hints of black tea.
This is a combination of 50% Lot 90 with 50% of 20 year old cognac. The elegance is great, and the nose has a lovely fruitiness to it. Only on the palate it becomes slightly more astringent than I expected. Still really good though. Score: 90/100
Cognac ‘Tree of Life’ Lot 46 – Fins Bois (49,5%, Whiskay 2025, 120 btl.)
Nose: a whiff of alcohol and menthol, which makes it a slightly sharp onset. It quickly turns towards peaches, orange peels and quinces, with a drop of honey. Then also a good dose of aromatic floral notes, like orange blossom and jasmine.
Mouth: half spicy, half fruity. Some sweetness of peaches and oranges again, with a little almond paste underneath. Hints of cardamom, peppermint and a little chilli. Lemony notes too. A light bittersweet oaky note towards the end, with liquorice and soft leathery touches.
Finish: long, balancing honeyed and resinous notes. A whiff of eucalyptus and oak polish too.
This is a bit of a duplicate review. The biggest part of the outturn was bottled by Passion for Whisky as ‘Le Temps Retrouvé’. Here’s a chance to have the same cognac from Whiskay. Score: 89/100
Cognac Jean-Luc Pasquet ‘Lot 85’ – Petite Champagne (50,36%, Distilia ‘The Virtues’ 2025, 168 btl.)
Nose: a deeper fruitiness here, of baked apples and dried apricots, with stewed pears and damsons. This luscious character is amplified by cinnamon, light hints of roasted walnuts and a light mossy note. Later also a light coppery hint and toasted wood. Always elegant though.
Mouth: I love the volatile, polished character which adds a rummy touch, almost. A little chocolate, lots of minty notes, with flashes of bright fruits in the middle. Peaches, sour plums, a little passion fruit. Then back towards heavier notes of liquorice, black tea and herbs.
Finish: long, on elegant herbal tea, more mintiness and a hint of resinous dryness in the end.
A sin or a virtue, that’s up to you. I’m just saying it’s a really good cognac caught in the middle between elegant freshness and robust depth. Score: 90/100
Cognac Famille Cabanne 2001 – Borderies (53,8%, OB 2025, Batch #1, 100 btl.)
Nose: relatively young, but finding a great balance between fruitiness and grassy notes. Pears, peaches, with mint and verbena. Candied oranges, light hints of fresh fig. Then tiny hints of bay leaf and the typical floral notes of Borderies, like violets.
Mouth: a more firm grassiness now. Combined with the floral hints it becomes quite heady. Then some gin-like botanicals like juniper, angelica root and liquorice. Light fruits underneath – orange and pear, mixing with lemon and grapefruit. Quite herbal in the end. Already well beyond the primary elements, just a little rough around the edges.
Finish: medium, with a mild gingery note, citrus peels and hints of oak.
We tend to have this subliminal idea that anything from the years 2000 is just very young, which isn’t the case of course. The nose of this Borderies exceeds the expectations for its age, even though it gets rougher on the palate. Available from Wine4You for instance. Score: 86/100
Cognac Daniel Bouju ‘Très Vieux Édition Dully’ Lot 74-84 – Grande Champagne (52,1%, C. Dully 2025, 200 btl.)
Nose: dark stuff. Thick sultanas, dark chocolate, liquorice and cedar wood. Then hints of demerara rum, cigar boxes and old oak. Worn leather, a little barrel char and hints of herbal tea or dried mint leaves as well. Maybe a little black cherry in the background.
Mouth: dark plums, molasses and plenty of sweet herbs. Then it goes to liquorice and tobacco, with leather and a few drops of Fernet Branca. Cedar wood, plenty of rancio, some thyme syrup and just a light hint of bitterness. Very thick. Some exotic wood and resinous touches in the end.
Finish: long, on dark wood, dark chocolate and some drying tannins as expected, as well as some mentholy notes.
This is batch 5 of this cognac, composed from the same casks as previous batches, from the vintages of 74 to 84, matured together for two years. A very good example of this style, with an overt woodiness and a slightly plump character. I’m more a fan of the elegant style but there’s no denying the quality is high here. Score: 90/100