Frapin Chateau de Fontpinot XO

Frapin Chateau de Fontpinot XO

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
House: Frapin
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Amber, red highlights
ABV: 41%

N: raisins, figs, dried apricots, dried orange peel, cinnamon, dark chocolate.

M: light body, slippery, loose, tingly.

T: Bitter sweet. Raisins, figs, almonds, elderflower, orange peel, hints of coffee.

F: Medium. Figs, elderflower, cinnamon, coffee, hints of dark chocolate.

Comments:

This is my first Frapin, a very first taste of what the smallest of the great cognac houses can do. Rather surprisingly, it's superb. This is an XO, but it's not a particularly premium one. Yet it's intense and rounded, yet refreshing and light. There is a gigantic wedge of dried fruit, shoved into my mouth, but it's offset with some floral, spicy notes, even some slightly bitter top-notes reminiscent of coffee and dark chocolate.

This brandy has something I prize very much - complexity allied to intensity. There are many interesting dimensions to explore, and I very much enjoyed sitting contemplatively with the glass in my hand. The pleasure I derived from nosing, tasting and thinking this beauty was immense. I look forward to trying more brandies from this house.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.