A glass of Cognac on a wooden barrel
Cognac is among the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages. Along with rum, it was among the first spirits exported globally. Cognac exports began sometime during the 16th century. By the 17th century it was being sold in London. During the 18th century many of today’s great Cognac Houses were founded: Martell (1715), Remy Martin (1724), Delamain (1725/1762) and Hennessey (1765), among others.
By the 18th century Cognac was being exported to the Americas. Officially, the first documented shipment of Cognac to the United States was by Hennessey in 1794. Cognac, however, was being served at George Washington’s military camp during the Revolutionary War, courtesy of the Marquis of Lafayette. Washington served Cognac at his inauguration in 1779.
More importantly popular drinks, think of them as 18th century cocktails, like Cherry Bounce, had Cognac as a prime ingredient. It’s likely that Cognac was being exported to the 13 colonies long before the Revolutionary War.
Today, America is Cognac’s largest market, accounting for 14.8 million 9-liter cases. In 2019, North America accounted for approximately 40% of Cognac sales.
The dozen or so largest Cognac producers account for over 95% of the Cognac sold in the United States. These are well known brands with outstanding product line ups. There are, however, more than 250 Cognac producers in France.
Many small, family-owned companies, whose production is too small to interest American importers or who find it too expensive to bottle their Cognac in the 750-ml size that the US market has historically required, never manage to export their Cognac to the US.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has recently revised its acceptable bottle sizes to include 700-ml bottles. That may simplify exporting to the US, but securing distribution is still a major obstacle.
Max and Sophie von Olfers
Enter Cognac Expert, the brother-sister duo of Max and Sophie von Olfers. They are third generation Charentais with deep roots in the region and the Cognac trade. Cognac Expert functions like a traditional negotiant, an intermediary between producers and consumers, which resells the products of other producers and also acts as a specialty bottler.
The company’s website features more than 1,000 different Cognacs, including rare editions and Cognacs fashioned from historical grape varieties like Colombard and Folle Blanche, in some cases from historic vineyards whose vines predate the 19th century phylloxera epidemic.
Below are tasting notes from a selection of rare Cognacs, including some that are only available directly from Cognac Expert.
L’ESSENTIEL is the brand that Cognac Expert utilizes for its rare Cognac bottlings. The brands motto is ralentir, réfléchir, réunir: slow down, reflect and reconnect. That’s a great inspiration when you are enjoying a rare Cognac. According to the company:
By purchasing L’ESSENTIEL, you’ll be supporting the Cognac producer directly, and helping them to maintain their livelihood.
To date, eight expressions of L’ESSENTIEL have been released. These bottlings are very reasonably priced, typically under $200/bottle and sell out fast, so if you want to explore these rare Cognacs you have to grab them quickly on release.
Some examples of the L'ESSENTIEL Cognac Core range
L’ESSENTIEL, Tres Vieux Cognac, Bon Bois, 44.5%, 700 ml
Only 70 bottles of this expression were released. That’s typical of most L’ESSENTIEL bottlings. The Cognac was produced by Valleina Tercinier Cognac, a historic producer founded in 1850. It’s based on grapes produced in the Bon Bois region. This region is often under-underrated. Unlike the chalk soils of Grande Champagne and Petit Champagne, this region has heavy clay soils and is subject to a pronounced maritime influence.
The color is a light amber with an orange cast. On the nose, there is a pronounced tropical fruit cocktail aroma, featuring notes of dried apricot, peach, papaya, mango and melon, accompanied by sandalwood and spice notes of cinnamon, with just a hint of pepper and a slight savory note.
On the palate, the peach notes are very intense, accompanied by flavors of fresh figs, melon and mango. There are some dry herbal notes, with a touch of tannic bitterness, chocolate and cinnamon.
The finish is long, sweet, with lingering peach and melon flavors.
Appearance 8/10, Nose 28/30, Palate 28/30, Finish 29/30, Overall Score: 93/100
L’ESSENTIEL, Maxime Trijol, Vieux Cognac Grande Champagne, 40% ABV, 700 ml, 80 bottles released
Maxime Trijol is another historic Cognac producer. It has been producing Cognac from one of the prime terroirs in the region for six generations, and is among the larger family owned companies. Its Cognacs are exported to over 50 countries, including the United States, but they can be hard to find in the US – especially their rarer bottlings.
The color is a dark amber. On the nose, it offers the classic profile of a Grande Champagne Cognac with pronounced floral notes, followed by aromas of prune, dark dried fruit and candied citrus peel, along with hints of vanilla and licorice and a bit of wood.
On the palate, the Cognac is smooth with a pronounced licorice notes, along with dried dark fruit notes, candied orange zest, and expresso and chocolate notes.
The finish is long, sweet, with marmalade, dried fruit, some chocolate, featuring a lingering licorice note and a very slight bitterness at the end.
Appearance: 9/10, Nose 29/30, Palate 29/30, Finish 29/30, Overall Score: 96/100
L’ESSENTIEL, Chateau Montifaud Cognac, Petit Champagne, 40% ABV, 700 ml, 80 bottles released
The Chateau Montifaud has been in the Vallet family since 1837. The family maintains approximately 325 acres of vineyards across the Grande and Petite Champagne appellations. This particular Cognac is produced exclusively from vineyards in Petite Champagne.
The Cognac was matured for more than 30 years in “roux casks” and then in old French Limousin casks in the Chateau’s cellars. Roux casks are old casks, typically five to fifteen years old, that are “neutral” so they don’t impart tannins to the Cognac. They are used to mature Cognacs that are intended for long aging.
The color is a dark amber with a gold sheen. On the nose, the Cognac exhibits dried floral and herbal notes, accompanied by stone fruit aromas of dried apricot and peach, along with tropical fruit notes of melon. There is also a distinctive licorice note and some cinnamon.
On the palate, this is an exceptionally smooth Cognac with a distinctive oily palate weight. It’s sweet, almost candied, with notes of dried apricot, golden raisins and fresh fig, with a very slight woodiness. There is a hint of old leather and the slight waxiness typical of ultra-aged Cognac.
The finish is long, sweet and incredibly smooth with a lingering dried apricot and licorice note. This is an exceptional, meditative Cognac that truly lives up to the brand’s motto of slow down, reflect and reconnect.
Appearance: 9/10, Nose 29/30, Palate 30/30, Finish 30/30, Overall Score: 98/100
The Hine Antique XO 100th Anniversary 1920-2020 Edition
Hine, Antique XO, Grande Champagne Cognac, 100th Anniversary 1920-2020, 40% ABV, 750 ml
Hine is a well-known Cognac producer whose core range is widely available in the US. The Cognac House dates back to 1763. Several months ago, the company released the HINE Antique XO 100th Anniversary 1920-2020 Cognac spirit – a rare, limited edition Cognac whose blend includes ultra-rare, 100-year-old spirit (eau-de-vie) – to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Hine XO Cognac.
This expression is Hine’s standard XO blend of 40 different eau-de-vie to which eau-de-vie from the 1920 harvest has been added. That means the blend contains spirit ranging in age from 10 to 100 years. Only 1,920 hand-numbered decanters were produced, with 270 released for sales in the US.
The color is a light amber with a gold sheen. On the nose, there are pronounced floral, potpourri notes, especially the lilac and iris notes that Hine is known for. There are fruit notes of apple, dried apricot and orange zest.
On the palate, the Cognac is very smooth. There are sweet fruit flavors, featuring stone fruit notes of apricot and peach, tropical fruit notes of melon, mango and a hint of pineapple. There are also notes of milk chocolate, freshly baked buttery croissant and some fragrant cigar box.
The finish is exceptionally long, sweet, with lingering dried fruit notes and a slight hint of bitterness at the end.
Note that the label of this particular expression indicates that this is the 100th Anniversary edition. Don’t confuse this with the regular Hine XO. The 100th Anniversary Edition retails for around $350 a bottle versus the regular Hine XO bottling, which retails for around $200 a bottle.
Appearance: 8/10, Nose: 27/30, Palate 28/30, Finish 28/30, Overall Score: 91/100
Ferrand, Legendaire Cognac
Ferrand, Legendaire Cognac, Grande Champagne, Hors d’Age, 42.1% ABV, 750 ml, 500 bottles released
Legendaire is an ultra-aged Cognac consisting of a core blend of eau-de-vie ranging from 60 to 100 years old. The term Hors d’Age means ageless. It does not carry a specific age designation but is typically used to describe extremely old Cognacs that are at least 25 years old and typically much older. The Legendaire’s list price is $3,500 but it can often be found for less.
Ferrand is another ancient Cognac House whose roots date back to the 17th century. Its vineyards are located in Segonzac in the heart of the Grande Champagne appellation. Now controlled by Alexandre Gabriel, the company manages approximately 500 acres of vineyards, 200 acres of which it owns outright.
The color is amber with a gold and orange sheen. On the nose, it offers up the traditional rancio profile of an ultra-aged Cognac, with aromas of prune, dried fig and dried orange zest. There are notes of aged leather and furniture wax, accompanied by additional elements of sandalwood, cigar tobacco leaf, chocolate, cinnamon, saffron and nutmeg.
As the Cognac opens up notes of floral potpourri emerge, especially rose petal and jasmine.
On the palate, the Cognac is smooth and creamy. There is a distinctive woody note, accompanied by a slight bitter note. There is a pronounced spiciness, featuring black pepper, clove, cardamon, paprika and a slight, earthy, chili note, accompanied by flavors of vanilla, butterscotch and almond.
There are additional fruity notes of orange zest, dark dried fruits of prune and blackberry with hints of raisin and fig, followed by some milk chocolate.
The finish is extremely long, featuring old leather, cinnamon, walnut and licorice, along with lingering tropical fruit notes. There is a very slight bitterness at the end.
Appearance: 9/10, Nose 29/30, Palate 29/30, Finish 27/30, Overall Score: 94/100
These are all outstanding Cognacs. Pricewise they vary from under two hundred dollars a bottle to several thousand. They all offer layered, complex aroma and flavor profiles that showcase unusual terroirs or the influence of ultra-aging, and are an introduction to the complexity of Cognac that is rarely seen in the US.
Santé
