Vallein Tercinier Lot 89 Fins Bois for Maltbarn 51%

I’m excited that indie bottlers are looking more and more to cognac. Indie bottlers really pushed the envelope for scotch and they could do the same thing with cognac (if they take the right approach). Maltbarn is a great indie scotch bottler so it was nice to see them pick a VT.

Here are my notes...

Nose: caramel, candy apple, canned peaches, honeydew, and rice pudding

Palate: peaches and apricots...this is really fruity...plenty of vanilla, walnuts, and caramel...some light orange liqueur notes in the background

Finish: great length, has plenty of staying power

Thoughts: this was a great selection - I definitely wouldn’t mind having a few of these in the bunker. The flavors are well integrated and there is no astringency. It’s sold out now, unfortunately, but I bet VT is sitting on plenty of casks like this - seldom do they disappoint.

Grade: A minus

Remi Landier Heritage (first edition) 43%

Ryan, god bless his soul, ponied up $240 to snag this bottle, and I’m thankful he shared.

Remi Landier, which is a grower / producer located in the Fins Bois region, has released two versions of the Heritage, the first version being bottled at 43% and the second version (called the “Coupe No. 2”) was bottled at 45%. The Heritage (both bottles) contain some of the oldest cognacs produced by Remi Landier, which started distilling in the early 1970s. The Heritage is a blend of Fins Bois and Grande Champagne grapes.

Serge reviewed the Coupe No. 2 and gave it an admirable 90 points.

Here are my thoughts on the first iteration of the Heritage:

Nose: pears, buttercream, fig, slightly floral with some tangerine rind

Palate: orchard fruits and sweet cream flavors...butterscotch, mocha, toasted almond and honeysuckle,

Finish: really nice length for 43% and the creamy flavors really hang onto the mid palate for a while.

Thoughts: this is lovely brandy and I'd love to snag a bottle, but at its current price, the sticker shock alone is enough to prevent me from acquiring one of these, unfortunately.

Grade: an easy A minus

UPDATE: The new Coupe N.2 is $500sh which seems a bit steep.

Frapin Chateau Fontpinot 20 Year 1991 41.2%

Man, this place has been dead. Let's breathe some life into this blog again.

This is a quick review of a Frapin vintage dated cognac. Frapin is located in Grande Champagne and has been producing cognac since the 1600s, way before Marie Antoinette had a date with the guillotine. Frapin is a grower / producer and their estate is 240 hectares. The Frapin website provides a lot of details about the house and I've linked the website below.

I purchased a sample of this bottle from an overseas retailer.

N: caramel, pears, apricots, and some brisk sea air

P: toffee candies, red delicious apples, walnuts and apricots...some bitter citrus rind, too. It’s mildly astringent for being lower proof and there is some oak at work.

F: medium length where bitter citrus rind is the last note to taper off.

Thoughts: this cognac was fine. Nothing awe inspiring, nothing offensive. It's definitely overpriced at 150sh usd.

Grade: B -

1995 Domaine de Maouhum 23 Year Old for K&L, 46%

Ryan's Notes

 

1995 Domaine de Maouhum 23 Year Old for K&L, 46%

 

 

Domaine de Maouhum is a small house located in the Bas-Armagnac region. This particular armagnac is a 1995 vintage that was selected by K&L and bottled at 46%.

Nose:  There is fresh fruits, mainly berries and cherries. A little must and funk. Cedar. 

Taste:  This is immediately juicy, with touches of honey over a spread of syrupy fruits - raspberries, cherries, apples, orange. Moving forward there is some deeper notes of milk chocolate and caramel.

Finish: It finishes on gently drying oak.  With some layers of aromatic bitters, and lingering fruit sweetness.

Overall:  This is a well-integrated and utterly fruity armagnac.  Totally satisfying.   This was available for $85. Gone now, but perhaps worth keeping an eye peeled for a future release from this house.

A-