From our friends in Hasselt comes this new Delamain cognac called ‘Les Tarins Verts’. They’re developing a very interesting series of expressions from this house, exquisitely initiated at their Delamain dinner. Today Malternative Belgium presents a new release, a 1985 Vintage no less.
Cognac Delamain 1985 – Grande Champagne (51%, Malternative Belgium 2026, 252 btl.)
Nose: elegant, fragrant, with subtle hints of dried pears, quinces, figs and raisins, along with fresher apricots. Then some mentholy touches, clover honey, delicate linden blossom and some pine notes. Back to honeycomb and a bit of furniture polish. Fine leather and a greener hint of lemongrass too.
Mouth: a great fruity core, with more pears, quinces and apricots, even a hint of lychee. Then almonds and leathery notes again, as well as beautifully elegant rancio and light tobacco. Gradually it picks up a little white pepper and green oak, with oriental tea and mint towards the end, along with some cocoa. It remains very vibrant until the end.
Finish: medium, still fresh with a nice combination of tangerines, honey and crushed verbena leaves.
Never flamboyant – a slightly reserved cognac, if you will. A slight oakiness as well. On the other hand it stays very refined and keeps developing new aromas. Good to see they’re developing proper vintages in cognac, but I’m still wondering whether this is truly worth a premium. Now available from Malternative Belgium.