This bottle is an old one…how old is anyone’s guess…but the label leads you on to believe that, at least from a price-to-age ratio, you’re getting a steal. Lucky, lucky you, Mr./Mrs. Consumer.
From the label: “Inconceivably rich. In 1922, Surrenne filled an oak tonneau with old petite champagne cognacs. Concerned about evaporation because the tonneau gets direct sun from the half-moon casement over the entry door, Surrenne’s successive cellar-masters topped the tonneau every year for 79 years, always with old petite champagne of very high quality. Never used, this rare solera-like blend contains a high proportion of cognac aged more than 100 years. From the Madame facility in Jarnac. Bottled unfiltered from tonneau no. August 19, 2013.”
Cool.
Now if you’re wondering where this comes from, Maison Surrenne is Germain-Robin’s label for cognac sourced from Tiffon. I don’t know the history behind the name Maison Surrenne, but I imagine the pseudonym is similar to the use of alter-names in scotch world because of NDAs and brand protectionism (like “Speyside Distillery”).
Germain-Robin has been bottling the Tonneau no.1 for a while, starting around 2001. The earlier bottles were at or near cask strength (around ~42%), but for some reason in the early 2010s they brought it down to a standard 40% (or possibly had to bring it up with younger, high proof spirit due to evap). Either way, I’ve read in some cognac forums that the earlier bottles were dynamite while the later bottles were a massive disappointment, with little room in between.
Here’s what I think of the 2013…
Nose: sweet and herbal, with some mint, chocolate, graham cracker…mint chocolate graham cracker??? Also baking spices, like cumin, and a little ginger
Palate: velvety mouthfeel for a low proof drinker…chocolate, walnuts, nutmeg, molasses and caramel
Finish: thick and hangs on for a while despite the proof, but I wouldn’t call it long. Definitely something you want to start the night with rather than cap it off with
Thoughts
I’ve got no complaints here. Would I buy another bottle? Probably not. Do I regret buying this bottle? Nope. I think Binnys has them on clearance for $200, which isn’t bad, but there are cheaper, similar options. Also, there is a caveat here: people have said there is a massive drop-off in recent bottles (~2015sh), so buyer beware. I’d say the 2013 is good and definitely has a solid proportion of older Petite cognac, but maybe not as much as the earlier bottlings. I'd love to try one of the 2000s bottles!
Grade: B Plus
Additional information about Maison Surrenne
http://craftdistillers.com/wp-content/uploads/MS_infosheet.pdf
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