Jean-Luc Pasquet L'Esprit de Famille "Le Cognac de Jean" 49.6%

This fall, JLP released two different 500ml bottles sourced from casks they purchased. The stories that accompany these bottles are chock-full of French romanticism and family heritage - I love it. These days, so much gets lost in the wake of corporate spirits growth and acquisition, fictitious narratives about brand history, non-transparent sourcing, etc..."True" family stories about historical production and relationships, like the ones accompanying the "Jean" and "Bernadette," are fleeting. I like JLP - and what they bottle for that matter - and these releases are just another one of the reasons why I do.   

Here's the background straight from JLP:

Le Cognac de Jean is a blend of 1969 and 1977 eau-de-vie from Jean Biais, who was a fellow vintner, distiller, and our neighbor. 

Just after the Second World War Jean, who was originally from Cognac, married Mauricette Clavaud and began working with his father-in-law on the family’s Eraville property. Jean and Mauricette had about a dozen hectares of vines in Grande Champagne (Eraville) and Petite Champagne (Chateauneuf) as well as livestock in the beginning, but no distillery. Jean decided to install an eight hectoliter, wood and charcoal-burning pot still in 1960 and another 14 hectoliter one a couple of years later, after falling in love with the intricacies of the distillation process.

Jean was also passionate about the life of his village; he served on the mayor’s council for a number of years and founded the town social and hunting clubs. Beyond his involvement in his community, he was elected as the first president of the regional wine-growers’ union. He played an pivotal role, alongside Jean Brillet and Paul Hostaing, in negotiating the first contracts between vintners and the big cognac houses they supply. Since then, these agreements have become the norm.

After 40 years, Jean retired, leaving his 14 hectares of vines to his two daughters, Clairette and Josette, who continue to make cognac on the property today. Jean passed away in 2005 at the age of 84, but his legacy remains.

Our bottling of Le Cognac de Jean ties our two families together, and we are proud to pay tribute to our friend and neighbor. When Jean-Luc arrived in Eraville, it was Jean who welcomed him and helped guide him. Subsequently, Jean-Luc has aided Clairette in the cellars, actually blending these two vintages with her. This is a cognac of character, like the man who crafted it from grapes to eau-de-vie. Intensely spicy yet round, bursting with aromas of citrus, oak, and ginger, Le Cognac de Jean finishes in a warming black pepper fade.

Amazing! And with that, here is my take:

Jean-Luc Pasquet L'Esprit de Famille "Le Cognac de Jean" 49.6%

N: violets and red grapefruits initially - I'd call it an earthy citrusness - followed with some other sweet candy notes...with more air I just get more and more citrus (and some lemon)

P: there is some bitter citrus but it doesn’t pop as much as the nose (but its definitely not weak, either)...vanilla, sweet walnuts, rose petals, and a nice spicy/peppery quality...I’d call this farmy cognac but I heard someone describe this as "rustic" and I think that’s a better description

F: the citrus returns and then a final floral note bullies off all the other flavors resting on the palate...there’s nice length and no lack oomph

Thoughts: I like this and will pick up another bottle at some point. While it's not overly complex, it’s very tasty cognac and if you're a fan of brandies containing the notes I listed above you'll definitely dig this one. It actually reminds me of some of the good VT Petite Champagnes I've had. Overall, I like the JLP Tres Vieille a sliver more, so I'm giving the the JLP "Jean" a very solid...

Grade: B+

I'll review the second bottle from this series, the "Bernadette," shortly, but as a quick preview I'll mention that I immediately bought 4 more bottles of the Bernadette after trying it (and will probably buy one or two more)...It's a fantastic cognac and my first bottle is just about drained already. Both the Jean and Bernadette can currently be found at Cognac Expert and Vintage Liquors.