Máxime Trijol VSOP

Máxime Trijol VSOP

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
House: Máxime Trijol
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Amber gold
ABV: 40%

N: Vanilla, black tea, honeysuckle, dried apricots, leather, thyme.

M: Light body, loose, thickens slightly, a little sticky.

T: Sweet. Dried apricots, cherries, honey, raisins, sugar cane.

F: Medium. Sugar cane, honey, cherries, hints of thyme.

Comments:

I file this VSOP as 'in between' the last XO I had and the last VS I had. I suppose this means that age designations do work, in some general sense, with brandies. Indeed, based on the limited sample that I've had so far, they are surprisingly reliable. I found that I could tell older brandies from younger, simply from how the flavours meshed together. However, within the categories, it was difficult to pinpoint relative age.

Anyway, I found this particular brandy quite intensely sweet. It was perhaps even a little sickly, although it remained just the right side of the line for me. The top-notes were dried stone fruit, even some sugar cane, but there was sufficient herby fragrance to keep it interesting.

Verdict:

I like this.

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.

Jules Gautret VS Cognac

Jules Gautret VS Cognac

Brandy: Cognac
From: Petite Champagne
House: Jules Gautret
Style: Blend
Colour: Dark gold
ABV: 40%

N: raisins, soy sauce, nail varnish, cloves, lemon zest.

M: light body, slippery, loosens, cool.

T: bitter sour. Lemon zest, pear drops, brown paper, white grapes, hints of cookie dough.

F: short. Fresh baked bread, soy sauce, white grapes, sultanas, vanilla.

Comments:

This brandy is marked VS, and it's about 2 years old. I've not had many this young, and I don't think I will going forward. There's a balanced quality to aged spirits, something very pleasant and mellow, like time somehow melds the flavour notes together, rounding off all the harsh edges and making them fit more harmoniously.

Instead, this brandy is unbalanced, lots of flavour notes that clash, one on top of the other. It's a little confusing. However, all the components of a great spirit are there - the fruit, the texture, the spice - and it just needs some time to come together.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Roger Groult Reserve

Roger Groult Reserve

Brandy: Calvados
From: Pays d'Auge
House: Roger Groult
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Pale green gold
ABV: 40%

N: Green apples, raisins, cloves, camphor, peaches, fresh cut grass.

M: Light body, warm, volatile, tingly.

T: Bitter. Cloves, cinnamon, camphor, pomegranate molasses, vanilla, thyme.

F: Short. Camphor, cocoa nibs, green apples, pomegranate molasses.

Comments:

I've recorded some thoughts on a couple of expressions in the premium end of the Roger Groult range, and it's time to have a taste of the entry level expression. This is probably less than 3 years old. It smells fantastic, rich, herbal and complex. There's very malic green apples, some sweet peaches, and so many vegetal, herbal notes.

On the tongue however, the sweet notes largely disappear, and the herbal notes take over. It's spicy and fragrant though, with a slightly harsh under-note of camphor, very reminiscent of Chinese herbal medicine. The apples and other fruity notes reappear on the finish, alongside bitter cocoa.

So, for Roger Groult at least, the premium expressions hold up by maintaining the beautiful intense notes on the nose through to the tongue. For this brandy, the herbal, bitter notes take over. It's not unpleasant though, and I enjoyed the chance to taste a different sort of calvados.

Verdict:

I like this.

Vecchia Romagna 35yo Riserva

Vecchia Romagna 35yo Riserva

Brandy: Stravecchio
From: Emilia Romagna
House: Vecchia Romagna
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Amber gold
ABV: 40%

N: damson jam, raisins, dried apricots, cinnamon, blackberry cordial, hints of konbu.

M: Heavy body, slippery, unctuous, mouth coating.

T: Sweet salty. Damson jam, cinnamon, black tea, konbu, dried apricots, cornflakes, hints of dark chocolate.

F: Long. Cinnamon, dried apricots, cornflakes, black tea, hints of mint.

Comments:

Time - there's nothing like it for aging spirits, and it's as true for brandy as it is for whisky. Time passes quicker in wood than in glass, although it does pass in glass. 35 years in wood has made this brandy smooth and unctuous, lipsmackingly good in the mouth. It's no slouch on the tongue either, chockful of dried apricots and cinnamon, with a savoury hint of konbu.

Time has a flavour, although it's undefinable. It's almost a merging of flavours, a shaving off of harsh edges, somehow blending all the various flavour notes into a harmonious whole. And you can always tell, I think, if a lot of time has gone into a particular spirit.

Verdict:

Magnificent.

Metaxa 7 Stars

Metaxa 7 Stars

Brandy: Greek Brandy
From: Athens
House: Metaxa
Style: Single distillery, infusion
Colour: Amber
ABV: 40%

N: honey, red grapes, thyme, orange peel, pistachio, hints of mastic.

M: medium body, slippery, loosens, mouth filling.

T: Sweet. Thyme, honey, orange peel, pine, marmalade, rose, raisins, hints of star anise.

F: Short. Mint, pistachio, mastic, orange peel, red grapes.

Comments:

Is this a brandy or not? Well, I don't know. It's not pure spirit though, it's a mixture of distillate of different ages, and fortified, aromatised wines (vermouth?). I can certainly taste a number of botanicals, and the clarity of flavour must certainly come from the infusion of those botanicals rather than happenstance of aging.

I guess it's closest to brandy, so it counts for the purposes of this blog, and since I can't find any other Greek brandy brands (except maybe some very rare pomace brandies, I'm going to go ahead and call it Greek brandy.

It's very herbal indeed, and sweet to boot. Maybe it's an acquired taste. I drank an entire sample with an open mind, and I certainly enjoyed the clear, strong botanical flavours.

Verdict:

I like this.

Hermitage 2005 Chez Richon

Hermitage 2005 Chez Richon

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
House: Hermitage
Style: Single vintage
Colour: Amber red
ABV: 40%

N: Red grapes, black tea, soy sauce, tangerines, hints of coffee.

M: Light body, loosens, slippery, slightly tingly.

T: Sweet salty. Toffee, red grapes, peaches, black tea, coffee, hints of chocolate.

F: Medium. Chocolate, black tea, tangerines, hints of soy sauce.

Comments:

In the whisky world, the role played by a blender is somewhat underappreciated, because most blends that people encounter tend to be aimed at the casual drinker rather than the enthusiast, and therefore are priced at a relatively low point. And because one gets what one pays for, they taste accordingly. But there are some amazing blends out there, because the blender's skill is to showcase a certain style of whisky by combining alright, good, and spectacular distillates in such a way that the result is delicious.

In the brandy world, I have less intuition for the role a negociant plays, but I understood a little more after tasting this brandy. It's really very good indeed. It's young, I wouldn't say it's XO, but it's got a deep richness of flavour with savoury umami notes that burst on the tongue. There's also some bitter complexity in the finish that I enjoyed very much.

Must find some more expressions from Hermitage - older ones, if the young brandies are anything to go by. The oldies must be truly spectacular.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.