Following up from the earlier JLP “Jean” review, here is a review of the “Bernadette,” the other fall special release by JLP. Below is the story on the Bernadette:
“Le Cognac de Bernadette
In 1974, Bernadette Grimaud took over her father’s Bouteville, Grande Champagne vineyards.This bottle contains 500 milliners of a barrel of the eaux-de-vie that she distilled from her very first grape harvest that same year. At the time, she worked 15 hectares of Ugni Blanc vines. During her career as a wine-grower and distiller she went on to add three more hectares to the vineyards she inherited from her father, Gabriel, who, likewise, had followed in his own father’s footsteps.
Pierre Grimaud, Bernadette’s grandfather, had come to the Charente from the neighboring Deux-Sèvres department with his four brothers, in order to repopulate the Cognac region after the Phylloxera crisis forced many farmers off their land. In addition to tending his livestock, Pierre decided to replant grafted vines. The vineyards flourished and when Gabriel, Pierre’s son and Bernadette’s father, took the reins of the family business, he installed a pot still shortly after World War II. The 15 hectoliter still, modern for the time thanks to the auger system supplying the charcoal pellets to burn, is the one Bernadette used her entire career. Having no heir, she turned to a young Bouteville wine-grower to pick up where she left off.
Bernadette was a pioneer for women in cognac. Her mark remains in the finesse of the flavors contained in this bottle. The result of a manual harvest, native-yeast fermentation, small-pot still distillation, and maturation in a single cask until 2018, this cognac is remarkably elegant.”
Another great story and one thing of particular worth noting: this was distilled by a woman. The spirits industry tends to be a bit masculine and dominated by men seizing their family heritage and following their grandpappies traditions of making booze...seldom do we hear about a daughter taking over the means of production from her father. The gender landscape in spirits is definitely changing and women the likes of Rachel Barrie and Marianne Barnes are taking the helm of production at well known distilleries. But the keyword in the previous sentence is “changing.” Historically, there are not many stories about women being involved in the production process of spirits. That’s not the case with the the JLP Bernadette, which from my perspective makes this bottle pretty remarkable.
Lets put ‘Ole Bernadette's first swing at distillation under the microscope and see if she retained what she learned from her father…
Nose: sweet sugar candies jump out right away, including Smarties and Pixie Sticks...a bunch of citrus fruits including tangerines and grapefruits...nectarines show up, too...then there are some sweet floral qualities, too, like lilacs and honeysuckle...some muted blueberry underneath all of that.
Palate: it starts with less-citrusy citrus fruits, such mandarins...then melons (honeydew), nectarines, orange liqueur, vanilla, and a final rich, tannic-earthy thing I can’t put my finger on (horse saddle?)...It’s not too tanic or woody though, not at all, and the overall spirit is incredibly balanced and bright...the alcohol is almost non-existent, but that doesn't mean there is a lack of flavor - this is a great, complex spirit...it's something I can just let sit on the tongue and slowly drip into the back of my throat while the waves of flavor just keep crashing over my palate.
Finish: it just goes, and goes, and goes...still going....it ends with a nice bitter citrus note.
Thoughts: I love this bottle. I bought 4 more and might still need to get one or two more. It reminds me of the VT Tres Vieux Fins Bois (which I personally loved) but with a little more staying power...the finish and balance on this bottle gives it a slight edge, and since I gave the VT TV a A minus, the Bernadette gets an...
Grade: A
Vintage liquors and Cognac Expert have this in stock - definitely worth snagging at least one.
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