The French Spirits Forum- Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados

[compliance]

It seems like Chartreuse has been coming up so often recently in different places that I had to try a bottle. Herbal, pine, medicinal, thick and sweet, potpourri and grandma. Can't say I am too into this straight but the mixing potential seems huge. Will be proceeding to cocktails next.

Edited September 13, 2013 by compliance

[tanstaafl2]

It seems like Chartreuse has been coming up so often recently in different places that I had to try a bottle. Herbal, pine, medicinal, thick and sweet, potpourri and grandma. Can't say I am too into this straight but the mixing potential seems huge. Will be proceeding to cocktails next.

The VEP is one of my favorite postprandial sippers but it does take a bit of getting used to if you are new to it.

And yes, it is quite versatile in cocktails! My last word on the subject will be "The Last Word"!

(it's a lovely but powerful cocktail using equal parts of green chartreuse, gin, lime juice and maraschino liqueur)

[Dolph Lundgren]

I opened a 1985 Baraillon from K&L last night, and man, what an Armagnac. The nose was simply amazing with the mixture of fruit and spice - the fruit was not overpowering at all. And on the palate, sku was right on with the mixture of fruit and earthyness. There were faint notes of bourbon like vanilla and caramel along with the fruit - but it wasn't cloying. I really like the balance. The finish was long and warm, but not alcoholic.

I started getting into Armagnac as a change of pace from bourbon, but lately, I find myself heading towards the Armagnac bottles more frequelntly. This is really great stuff. It's not for everyone, but I really enjoy it.

The one thing I have noticed about Armagnac is how different the nose and palate can be. I've had a few bottles where the nose leads you in one direction and the palate does something completely different.

[sailor22]

The one thing I have noticed about Armagnac is how different the nose and palate can be. I've had a few bottles where the nose leads you in one direction and the palate does something completely different.

Matches my observations also.. Same difference for Cognac except that after a great nose you often get......almost nothing on the palate.

[Dolph Lundgren]

Matches my observations also.. Same difference for Cognac except that after a great nose you often get......almost nothing on the palate.

I've tried some "fine" cognacs and found them to be very mild on the palate, too. As bourbon drinkers, we look for that powerful flavor. All of the stronger Armagnacs (over 80pf) I've tried deliver that strong flavor, whereas cognac, eh, not so much...

There are a lot of people out there that prefer smoothness and subtlety over bold flavors and richness. For example, my wife does not let me season her steak or chicken at all, where I pile on salt, pepper and spices. She gets on my case if my food even touches hers.

I have a hard time drinking 80pf bourbon and I'm finding it the same with Armagnac. 90pf + seems to be a sweet spot - its amazing what a 5% increase in alcohol can do.

[sailor22]

its amazing what a 5% increase in alcohol can do.

True, but when you think of it as a decrease in the water added rather than just an increase in alcohol it makes more sense.

[Brisko]

On a whim I picked up a bottle of Chatelier VS Cognac from Trader Joe's (one of their special deals, $20). I don't know anything about cognac but I think it's very drinkable. Subtle, not syrupy sweet like a lot of VS brandies, and with a nice oaky burn at the end. Reminds me a lot of 4RSmB in style.

[sailor22]

After a dinner of Turkey left overs I'm sipping an Armagnac -- Domaine de Barailon 1985, bottled in 2012 Armagnac. This is a lovely pour without any of the cloying sweetness or "grapeyness" that seems to afflict so many French Brandys.

White fruit , chocolate and tobacco on the nose. Palate is softly honeyed with oak, pepper and fruit that provides a sweet and spicy ride that ends with a modest finish of wood, pepper and mellon.

This is a classy Armagnac that is miles ahead of most big house Cognacs and should be right in the wheel house of plenty of whiskey drinkers.

It's available at K&L but their stock is getting low.

[sku]

This is a classy Armagnac that is miles ahead of most big house Cognacs and should be right in the wheel house of plenty of whiskey drinkers.

It's available at K&L but their stock is getting low.

[RVTsteve]

Picked up a Delord 25yr Armagnac from Bevmo who has them on sale for about $10 cheaper than I've seen anywhere. It's only my second bottle of Armagnac my first being the Chateau de Pellehaut Reserve. I'm looking forward to trying more of them.

I also got a bottle of Chartreuse Green V.E.P. just in time for Thanksgiving. It was a big hit with everyone willing to try it. Magical stuff.

[T Comp]

Picked up a Delord 25yr Armagnac from Bevmo who has them on sale for about $10 cheaper than I've seen anywhere. It's only my second bottle of Armagnac my first being the Chateau de Pellehaut Reserve. I'm looking forward to trying more of them.

I also got a bottle of Chartreuse Green V.E.P. just in time for Thanksgiving. It was a big hit with everyone willing to try it. Magical stuff.

I have a little bit of Delord 25 in my glass right now. But the 3 beautiful samples of the K&L exclusives from a while back a generous California member sent me : the aforesaid Domaine de Baraillon, Domaine D'Ognoas and Chateau du Tariquet XO, blow the Delord away. Thought I'd mention it since your in the Golden State.

[ChainWhip]

I'll need to find a mule to bring up some Armagnac / Calvados from KL soon... That new Camut 15yr looks intriguing.

[Tucker]

I'll need to find a mule to bring up some Armagnac / Calvados from KL soon... That new Camut 15yr looks intriguing.

I have a bottle of the K&L Camut 15 year Calvados from 2012. It's superb, very vibrant and spicy while retaining a good bit of fruitiness.

[Dolph Lundgren]

I opened a bottle of the K&L 1993 Domaine du Miquer and it's real great stuff, too. A little pricey but worth it i think. It has great depth and is really thick in the glass - nice legs.

[ChainWhip]

Sipping on some K&L Comandon Cognac from a sample - not sure what to make of it yet...

[Guest]

Had a couple glasses of delord xo last night, found out that it makes a very nice manhattan too.

[jasonh]

If the French do one thing right, it's spirit and liqueurs. I was in France this spring. Some things I have learned:

Cognac and Armagnac – The stuff worth drinking is old and expensive. The majority of the spirit needs to be at least 20 years old. The realm of those with means, although the young stuff can be good in cocktails.

Calvados – I prefer the younger expressions over the old. The barrel takes over on the older stuff and it loses its apple notes. Decent sippers can be had for $30 to $40 a fifth here in the US.

Marc/Fine –French version of grappa. Tastes much like good grappa but with a distinct note of raisins.

Absinthe –Generally anything produced by Emile Pernot and Combier (Jade) is a safe bet for exceptional absinthe.

Pineau des Charentes – (pronouced approx.: pay-know duh sharanta) I don’t find it that sweet, but it’s all relative. Reminds me of a fino/manzanilla sherry. Very enjoyable though, and the fortification with cognac adds balance.

Ratafia – Tried this when I was in the Champagne region. A fortified non-aromatic wine made from still wine used for Champagne and fine. Also quite enjoyable.

Liqueurs – Chartreuse in all its expressions is awesome. The tour of the distillery was only in French, and my French wasn’t good enough to really catch anything they were talking about, but it was still one of the high points of the trip. The smell of the distillery and the cave they aged the VEP in was amazing. If you like Chartreuse, try to hunt down a bottles of Liqueur de Sapin and Genepi.

Edited December 10, 2013 by jasonh

[tanstaafl2]

If the French do one thing right, it's spirit and liqueurs. I was in France this spring. Some things I have learned:

Cognac and Armagnac – The stuff worth drinking is old and expensive. The majority of the spirit needs to be at least 20 years old. The realm of those with means, although the young stuff can be good in cocktails.

Calvados – I prefer the younger expressions over the old. The barrel takes over on the older stuff and it loses its apple notes. Decent sippers can be had for $30 to $40 a fifth here in the US.

Marc/Fine –French version of grappa. Tastes much like good grappa but with a distinct note of raisins.

Absinthe –Generally anything produced by Emile Pernot and Combier (Jade) is a safe bet for exceptional absinthe.

Pineau des Charentes – (pronouced approx.: pay-know duh sharanta) I don’t find it that sweet, but it’s all relative. Reminds me of a fino/manzanilla sherry. Very enjoyable though, and the fortification with cognac adds balance.

Ratafia – Tried this when I was in the Champagne region. A fortified non-aromatic wine made from still wine used for Champagne and fine. Also quite enjoyable.

Liqueurs – Chartreuse in all its expressions is awesome. The tour of the distillery was only in French, and my French wasn’t good enough to really catch anything they were talking about, but it was still one of the high points of the trip. The smell of the distillery and the cave they aged the VEP in was amazing. If you like Chartreuse, try to hunt down a bottles of Liqueur de Sapin and Genepi.

You should use the standard font color or make sure you pick a light color because black and grey are very difficult to see against the default background!

As for spirits in France I, and probably many others here, would suggest that if you dig a bit you can find excellent small house cognac that doesn't cost a fortune and that increased age is not an absolute. However armagnac seems to be the real value, at least for the moment, especially for those who already enjoy quality whiskey!

You really just scratched the surface when it comes to the largely unknown world (outside of France anyway!) of French vin de liqueurs. In addition to Pineau des Charentes from cognac and ratafia from the Champagne region there is Floc de Gascogne made with Armagnac and rinquinquin from the Rhône region. The Languedoc region produces cartagène and the Jura wine region produces Macvin du Jura, which uses marc as the fortifier. Some of these are tough to find in the US (rinquinquin and cartagène are two I have not been able to find) but I have seen (and had!) the others with Pineau des Charentes probably being the most common.

Genepi is interesting if a bit less complex the chartreuse (especially the VEP!) but it is also less expensive and interesting to experiment with. I have yet to have the pleasure of Liqueur de Sapin.

[tanstaafl2]

After a dinner of Turkey left overs I'm sipping an Armagnac -- Domaine de Baraillon 1985, bottled in 2012 Armagnac. This is a lovely pour without any of the cloying sweetness or "grapeyness" that seems to afflict so many French Brandys.

White fruit , chocolate and tobacco on the nose. Palate is softly honeyed with oak, pepper and fruit that provides a sweet and spicy ride that ends with a modest finish of wood, pepper and mellon.

This is a classy Armagnac that is miles ahead of most big house Cognacs and should be right in the wheel house of plenty of whiskey drinkers.

It's available at K&L but their stock is getting low.

Edited December 19, 2013 by tanstaafl2

[tanstaafl2]

Seems like this is now gone from K&L wines?

May have a chance to place an order with K&L which I usually can't do due to my location and was thinking of trying an Armagnac since so little is available locally With this one seemingly gone is there another recommendation from what is available without drifting too far beyond $100? Pellehaut 1987 perhaps? Or the younger 1998 Baraillon?

[sailor22]

They have three stores in the state and stock moves around sometimes.

I recently received a Darroze 20 "les Grandes Assemblages" from K&L that I'm happy with. Bold and sweet and spicy and grapey and oaky and really an enjoyable ride. It was right at the $100 mark.

[Guest]

Well I am a happy dude today! Went to a general goods/ deceased estate auction and scored pretty big, obviously there were no other booze collectors in the crowd, picked up the following:

Chabot xo armagnac circa 1960s boxed

Hennesey vsop 1980s boxed

Martell napoleon cordon noir 1980s boxed

Veuve cliquot 1961

Rozes tawny port 1960s

Some random wine from burgundy 1958 vintage

Chech creme de menthe 1960s

2x yugoslavian plum brandies 1960s boxed

A very old bottle of grappa, maybe 50s

Half a dozen cheap wines not of note and most likely past their best before

Random barware including a really cool gilded wine coatser and stopper set

All for the low low price of $200!!

Already drinking the Chabot and my word it is good. Cannot wait to crack the martell and the veuve is destined for NYE, this stuff will not go to waste in my possesion.

[tanstaafl2]

Quite an interesting and somewhat eclectic collection of bottles. Was it all from the same estate/owner?

[Guest]

The martel and hennesey were a seperate lot that I bought as a sole bidder for $80, which I thought was really lucky because just the hennesey alone I have seen sell for over $100 in the past, let alone the martell which I had never seen for sale before.

All the other items were one lot, now this is crazy part, I had come late and missed the bidding on it, when I asked how much it went for they told me it was passed in at $40! I tried offering them the $40 but apparently someone did some research post bidding and realised that the veauve was worth over $300 so I had to pay a little more, damn that would have been the bargain of the year if I hadnt been out drinking the night before and slept in.

[tanstaafl2]

The martel and hennesey were a seperate lot that I bought as a sole bidder for $80, which I thought was really lucky because just the hennesey alone I have seen sell for over $100 in the past, let alone the martell which I had never seen for sale before.

All the other items were one lot, now this is crazy part, I had come late and missed the bidding on it, when I asked how much it went for they told me it was passed in at $40! I tried offering them the $40 but apparently someone did some research post bidding and realised that the veauve was worth over $300 so I had to pay a little more, damn that would have been the bargain of the year if I hadnt been out drinking the night before and slept in.