Lheraud 1975 Petite Champagne 47% ~30 year

Here’s a 1975 Lheraud from Petite Champagne. It may seem like I am prone to hyperbole when it comes Lheraud, but I don’t think its hyperbole by any measure. Lheraud is some of, if not “the” best cognac producer. Arguably, of course. But I wouldn’t want to be the person arguing against Lheraud – it’d be like arguing the Beatles weren’t the greatest rock band of the 20th century. I'm all ears...

This guy is bottled at a respectable 47% and was bottled in 2005, so its around ~30 years old. I found it a while back with a cache of other older Lherauds that were lost in distro for years.

My notes

Nose: caramel, crème brulee, toasted marshmallow, figs, and a little chamomile tea in the background

Palate: silky, fat distillate where the crème brulee from the nose translates…It’s a little oaky but not over the top. There are also notes of brown sugar, (good) olive oil, raisins, and walnuts

Finish: nice medium length, not over or underwhelming.

Thoughts
Great stuff as usual. It doesn’t beat the 74 Lheraud from Grande Champagne but it’s still great cognac. If you are looking for a more rich, decadent profile cognac, Lheraud is your man.

Grade: A minus

A smattering of Château Pomès-Pébérère reviews...

Ryan's Review:

So a spread of samples from Château Pomès-Pébérère from the Ténarèze region in Gers en Gascogne.  A quick search online shows this is a small house with less than 100 acres of vineyard. Primarily growing Ugni-Blanc and Colombard, these two grapes make up 90% of their blends. Their eaux-de-vie is aged in 400 liter French oak. These are relatively available and priced well. Often times I find that I know my feelings on a dram well before I’ve reached the end of 2 ounces. It is interesting that I found myself pushing the end of each of these samples

1966, 42%

Nose: A surprisingly fresh aroma. A little juicy. Sweet honey. Dusty books.
Taste: It’s very clean. Dark honey upfront.  A nice spread of stewed fruit. Apples, orange marmalade, plums.  It does show its age, though. Tobacco, leather, light touch of lacquer and walnut bitters, a bit of spiciness pushing through in the finish.
Overall: A clean and dry armagnac, but the oak is surprisingly in check. What we have instead is a really nice mix of cooked fruits and denser oak notes. Really well done. This held up very nicely.

B+/A- territory. But let’s go with A-.

1968, 42%

Nose: Immediately dry and earthy on the nose. Old leather books. Plums. Szechuan and some dry spices from the oak.
Taste: Deep plum notes, but the fruit doesn’t really pop if you know what I mean. There’s more leather and a heavy minerality.  Chocolate and raisins. It’s a darker profile, for sure.
Finish: Sawdust, oak spices, tobacco. Polished oak. Finishes quite dry.
Overall: This one sticks to the trend of clean and tight, but it’s a bit more tired and heavy, and just a tad less fun. Still very enjoyable, though.

B

1975, 42%

Nose: Sweet florals. Tangerines, cherries. Caramel. Some wood varnish and dry spice.
Taste: A similar progression on the palate. A nice spread of fruits. Raisins, cherry, plum.  Honey dipped apples. Moving into the earthier notes of walnuts, gentian, wormwood. But mixed in with those herbal bitters we also have a buttery chocolate note. Spices push through. Mainly cinnamon. 
Overall: In an interesting way the highlight is the oak in all of its complexities. There is an almost herbal liqueur nature to this one with the balance of bitters and sweetness, chocolates and spices. It’s a dense armagnac, but also very refined. Lovely stuff.

Again B+/A- territory, with a nudge towards the A-.