Malternative "Avant" Cognac Borderies 1925 Belgium 49%

Today’s review is of a 1925 Borderies from Malternative, an independent bottler based out of Belgium (owned by Pieter Knape) focusing on bottling 30+ year cognacs. Honestly, it’s nice to see cognac get more attention from indie bottlers run by spirits geeks (outside of the Norwegians who were definitely first to the table and been in the cognac game for at least a minute). 

This bottling dates back to at least 1925 but is likely a tad older - when dealing with spirits this old records simply disappear into the void and bottlers have to rely whatever archival information they can find. It was obtained from a French family related to Rene Rivieres and distilled in the Borderies region. There are not a ton of Borderies options on the market which makes this bottling even more interesting. I will say that I don’t fall for what I call the “terroir trap,” meaning I don’t have strong preconceived notions about a cognac’s profile or quality solely based on where the grapes were grown...at least not yet. Ryan was messaging me the other day saying that he’s been noticing some distinctions between the regions and that there might be some truth to terroir profiling. 

With that said, onto the review…

N: plenty of fruits up front...apricots, citrus, and Trader Joe's dried mango strips...along with some confectionary baking spices, rose petal, and a decadent creamy note that I can’t put my finger directly on, but I want to say it reminds me of ChiChi’s fried ice cream (oh those childhood memories).

P: it's amazing how NOT oaky and fresh this is, even if it spent a substantial amount of time in a demijohn. The fruits from the nose translate to the palate (so apricots and mandrin)...the citrus takes on more of a creamy texture rather than the typical acidity notes, and I’d say the citrus flavors are similar to something you’d get from orange marmalade...there’s some sweet cereal notes hanging around in the background (I’ve been eating Honey Nut Chex so lets say that) and hints of green apples. 

F: very nice length, the whole experience is finished off with a mild smokey note that reminds me of burnt incense (like when it's finished burning and there are small wafts of char in the air that you can subtly taste).

Thoughts: This is a very nice cognac and checks all the boxes for what you’d look for - a standard setter. But with that said, there wasn’t that extra “wow” factor that would cause me to aggressively chase down a bottle. If I was drawing analogies, this bottle is more of a Scottie Pippen than a Michael Jordan. But remember that Pippen is a legend in his own right, and this bottle is fantastic. If I had a spare $400 would I buy one? Heck yeah I would. But this was an extremely limited release and tough to locate these days - so am I going to aggressively pursue one? Probably not.

Thanks Zac for the sample!

Grade: A Minus  

Navarre Cravache D'or Grande Champagne Cognac 45%

 

Here’s another cognac by way of PM Spirits. Ryan briefly reviewed this bottling while visiting the Navarre estate, but I think ultimately it was overshadowed by the incredibly intimate experience he had (Ryan kept telling me he couldn’t keep track of all the fantastic spirits he drank while in France). This is the youngest of the OB Navarres you can buy and is a blend of ~20 year cognac. PM Spirits was nice enough to send me a sample for review.

N: There’s tons of fruits here...mango, lychee, papaya...also getting some woodshop sawdust, citrus peel, and wax candy (orange Starbursts)

P: The body is rich...and waxy, not incredibly waxy but noticeably, indeed. Flavor-wise the mango jumps right out along with papaya, traces of orchard fruits, and pear skin...it also has one foot in white wine, perhaps a tad resiling-esque (I am by no means a white wine expert).

F: nice length and balance, there is literally nothing harsh or offensive about this spirit.

This is truly an everyday cognac. It's something I could drink in the morning, afternoon, or at night...I could drink it with friends, while reading a book, or relaxing and channel surfing on the couch. This is the very definition of “everyday” when spirits geeks refer to the word “everyday.” It’s priced at $150 which is a little more than I would like it to be, but at the same time it's not going to stop me from buying these (cough cough please stock these Binnys cough). To me, this is the Talisker 10 of brandy - something that will always have a place on my shelf...something I’ll take to the grandparents at Christmas...or on camping trips...or to parties attended by carefree drinkers. 

Grade: B+ (a high B+).

Corman Collins 50 Year Old Spanish Brandy

Review by Patrick:

Nose: Insanely dense. Sweet PX sherry smacks you in the face with rich chocolate and currant jelly. After a bit of air, some of that tart fruit comes in which reminds you that you smell a brandy and not just sherry.

Taste: Dark chocolate, almonds, dried apricot, dates. The mouthfeel is uncharacteristically thick for a brandy of this proof, which likely speaks to the amount of sherry influence

Finish: Coffee, toffee, licorice. Just a hint of green apple. It lacks in length but not bitter or unbalanced.

While not a surprise that this is a sherry head’s brandy, it’s worth noting that this is certainly a brandy and tastes nothing like heavily sherried malt. The whole experience is pleasant, though I do find myself wishing that both the distillate could speak more to me and that the finish lasted a little longer. All that said, I found the whole experience pleasant (as a sherried malt lover myself) without any glaring weaknesses.

B (for sherry lovers)

L’encantada Lous Mouracs 1983 Armagnac for Lincoln Road Package Store 48.6%

 

This bottling comes from the same Tenareze estate of the 1979 Mouracs that was distributed by PM Spirits...it’s just a little bit younger and bottled exclusively for Lincoln Road Package Store in Hattiesburg, MS. For the uninitiated, Lincoln Road is a fantastic independent liquor store that has some of the best barrel picks across many types of spirits; Jaimie Farris, the owner, knows his business. The cost is a tad over $200, so let’s see if it is worth it (TL;DR it most definitely is):

N: this is kind of reaching old Bernheim territory...Heath Bars and maple syrup and maraschino cherry liqueur, oh my! There’s some varnish’ish qualities along with some confectionary grape aromas, too.

P: Dense and rich with fantastic structure...great flavors all around! There’s toffee, chocolate covered coffee beans, cotton candy, and Faygo grape soda (whoop whoop).

F: Nice length with the fruit forward flavors continuing on and drowning out the rest as the party comes to its end.

Grade: A

I hate comparing brandy to bourbon, I mean I really really do. It casts a corn shadow over beautiful grape distillate which should otherwise be respected for what it is...and not be recognized on the basis that it shares some bourbon’ish traits. With that said, this bottling tastes like fantastic bourbon - like the bourbon of yesteryear that people irrationally chase with end-of-the-year bonuses and second mortgages. There is plenty of brandy character, too, which should please the burgeoning American brandy drinkers looking for good brandy (and not just bourbon-like brandy). This bottle is also completely different from the 1979 Mouracs; personally I prefer the 1979 but that comes down to preference and there is no distinctive quality difference between the two bottlings. I bought a couple of the 1983s, and I feel like maybe I should sell something to buy a couple more if they're still around.

L’Encantada Lous Mouracs 1979 Armagnac 50.6%

L’Encantada Lous Mouracs 1979 Armagnac 50.6%

This review is the result of free samples…FREE SAMPLES! To quote Steve Martin in The Jerk, “I’m somebody now.” Well, probably not, but its always cool to receive free stuff (what American doesn’t love Costco for that exact reason). I swear I’m not going to let that bias my opinion, however.

A few quick tidbits of info before the review. One, this spirit is insanely dark…probably one of the darkest spirits I’ve had (similar to the old Velier rums). Two, the importer / distro (PM Spirits) notes are posted below.

With that out of the way, to the opinions!

Justin’s notes:
N: nutty and sweet, some metallic notes show up with some blood orange citrus, too
P: walnuts, walnuts, and more walnuts...but not just the nuts, you get the bitter walnut skin...carob, ruby red grapefruit rind...beyond that oak, cigar box (like when you can taste smells), and a little raisiny sweetness
F: long, creamy...delicious

Justin’s grade: A. Easy A. Easy easy easy A. I Love it and glad I bought 3. History will remember this era of brandy as the golden era and this bottling is just another example of such. I hope they keep coming but I know they won’t, and I smile a little knowing people spend $1,000 plus on scotch / bourbon (cough cough Pappy cough) while I spend half that on multiples of bottles like this. Justified smugness I guess.

Ryan’s Notes:
Nose:  Big cherry notes, walnuts, exotic woods. Lots of what I’d call sugary oak (as opposed to drying oak).

Taste:  Sugary plums, currants, cherry jolly ranchers.  Thick brown sugar. There’s a medicinal sweetness. Manuka honey. Toasted walnut oil.  Adding to the medicinal profile are those awesome lacquer notes you get with the right kind of cask aging. We’re still swimming in oaky sugars, but it’s never drying.  The balance here is excellent  A long finish on tobacco leaves and medicinal cherry that just sticks around for days.

My wife nosed and tasted this one and looked at me and said “you must love this”. She’s right, I do.


PM Spirits Shelf Talker
“Lous Mouracs was a tiny estate in Tenareze, near the village of Larroque-sur-l'Osse. The vines that grew the grapes used to produce this spirit were torn up years ago, and the owner has since retired. On the 10 hectares of land, Ugni Blanc was the primary grape grown, with a small amount of Baco as well. The estate had two cellars – one very dry, one humid.
This single cask aged in the dry cellar, helping the spirit to develop nutty, balsamic-like characteristics. Additionally, this Armagnac spent all 39 years of aging in new, Gascon oak.”

Domaine du Manoir de Montreuil, Pays d'Auge Calvados

Ryan's Notes

We're switching gears and going to Calvados now and we're looking at a 1999 and 1984 vintage selection from Domaine du Manoir de Montreuil.  There's not a lot I can dig up on this producer.  They have very little internet presence beyond what I can find through their importer, Charles Neal.  The highlights: Run by the Giard family and located in the Pays d'Auge appellation of Calvados this is a family run outfit handed down from father to son. Farming on 30 hectares of red and green apple orchards with what sounds like a preference towards traditional and natural methods of farming and heritage varieties of apples.

If you'd like to learn more you can go to Charles Neal's website for further reading: http://www.charlesnealselections.com/domaine-du-manoir-de-montreuil.html

What follows are tasting notes on two vintage cask selections, a 1999 and 1984.



1999, 42%

Nose: Primarily of overripe apples and dark caramel.  Confectionery fudge-like richness. Some oak influence comes through. A little musty. Black pepper.

Taste:  Mulled cider. Candied apples, cherries. Rich caramel and toffee. Vanilla.  Slightly tangy towards the finish and light hints of oak. The finish tapers off fairly quickly.


This is very good.  It's heavy handed on the sugars, although it never gets sickly sweet.  All the fruits and candies play nicely.  The profile is immaculate, actually, and if I had to introduce somebody to calvados, this wouldn't be a bad choice.  But, still, the profile leaves me wanting a bit more.  It's possible the lower proof is at play here as I believe they did reduce this cask down to 42% over the years.

B

Available at Astor Wines for $150.




1984, 50%

Nose: There's no mistaking the apple DNA here as the initial aroma is of spiced apple sauce. There are berries, too. Mainly raspberries.  These fruits give way to darker sugars and loads of baking spices. Clove, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, all swimming in a base of oaky caramel.

Taste:   Like the nose it's all sweet fruits up front.  Baked apples and pears.  Cream.  Caramel. Spiced apple butter. Cinnamon, cloves.  Where it departs from the nose is these cooked fruit sugars give way to a medicinal sweetness.  Acetone notes of lacquer, spicy tannins, hints of tobacco, charred wood.  These heavier flavors play well with the orchard fruits through the mid-palate and linger well into a long finish.

This aged well, and while undeniably apple-y, offers a nice complexity beyond its more youthful sibling.  Not to get caught up on proof, but I do think the 50% is a better fit for this spirit.  I split this bottle with a friend, and I kept coming back to it. In fact, I found myself placing it just slightly out of sight to make it last a little longer.

A-


This was originally available through Astor Wines for around $215, but is now out of stock.  Let's hope Charles Neal brings us more vintage releases from this producer in the future. 

Lheraud 1973 for "Legacy Brandy", 48%

Ryan's Notes

 

When I visited France last summer I promised Justin we'd check out Lheraud.  How could I not? It was one of our gateway cognacs... I'm thinking specifically of a 1966 Fins Bois and a 1974 Grande Champagne.  Two cognacs that I think would make a believer out of anybody.  Their vintage selections might be where the glory is, but we shouldn't forget their less expensive but still impressive Charles VII.  Lheraud also puts more attention to detail and aesthetics then any other producer I'm familiar with, and there's certainly a sense of grandeur to their whole presentation, especially with the vintage selections.  Usually this would be a turn off to me, however my experience in drinking Lheraud cognac is that the quality of the vessel is often a reflection of the cognac inside it. This is maybe that rare case where the whole package is a welcome part of the experience, from the giant box, to the hand written letter, to the gorgeous bottle, to the excellent cognac inside of it - and I have to admit, I've become a sucker for it.  With a visit to Lheraud on the books, I was curious at what to expect and I think what we encountered was perhaps partially what I was anticipating.  From their pristine grounds to the immaculate cellars I almost felt like I was walking through a stage set for a cognac house rather than one that is actually functioning.  It wasn't until after the tour was over that I realized we never even saw a still.  That raised the question to me of whether or not they do actually produce their own cognac, although Justin and I have since found some photo evidence to suggest that they do distill.  The tour was unlike any others that I experience on that trip, mainly because it felt like we were being shown the "bottle" instead of the "cognac".  At any rate, we finally sat down for a tasting through their core range.  It was at this point that I suggested the idea to our tour guide that perhaps a group of us enthusiasts here in the states might select a cask to have bottle especially for us.  There was excitement at the idea and I was sent home with a few vintage samples.  Two of them were fantastic, and one of them was a clear stand out, a 1973 Grande Champagne.  We've since had a portion of this cask bottled for Legacy Brandy at 46 years of age and 48% abv. Tasting notes are below.

Pristine cellars full of very old cognac dating back to the 1800s

Pristine cellars full of very old cognac dating back to the 1800s

calligraphy station for handwritten notes inside each box

Lheraud
1973 Grande Champagne
Bottled for "Legacy Brandy" on Feb 24, 2020
48%

Nose: Honey, raspberries, pecans, fresh citrus, tobacco leaves.

Taste: Immediate fruit sweetness with a thick honey viscousness that fully coats the tongue. Mixed berry jam - blueberry, strawberry, raspberry. Ripe apples dipped in honey.  Candied orange.  An almost cotton candy like sweetness.  Transitions towards wood varnish, tobacco, cedar, white pepper, szechuan.  There's a second wave of fruit - more towards tropical - passion fruit.

Some spirits take time to unfold their flavors and leave an impression, but this cognac makes its mark immediately with punchy rich fruit sugars and a mouthfeel that coats the tongue and sits heavy for its 48%.  The influences of the oak are prominent but not even close to overbearing. We're at 46 years of age at the time of bottling, but I'm fairly certain that the sample we tasted to choose this cask was a bit younger.  I've got to wonder how much longer this could have gone in the oak. It seems like it could've taken on another 20 years.  On the other hand, it's rather perfect just how it is now.