Once the preserve of royals and high society, refined cognac is attracting a wider audience with its elegant, silky-smooth warmth says FUNKE OSAE-BROWN
Chukwudi loves the smooth velvety taste of the cognac. He sits on his patio this humid Saturday evening in February. He swings the wine glass with his left hand as he uses a toothpick to select a piece of peppered gizzard. He raises the brownish piece into his mouth as he munches it noisily. That is just the way he loves to enjoy his Saturday evenings. He washes it down with Château de Montifaud XO from Petite Champagne, a blend of thirty to thirty-five year old eaux de vie (brandy) and is fruity with a soft finish of toasted almonds, aromatic spice and maple syrup.
Chukwudi knows the taste of the cognac before he checks the label on the bottle. He can tell accurately what vintage it is. For him, tasting a cognac begins with choosing a glass that will let the cognac express its full personality. The preferred choice, he tells me, is a tulip glass. According to him, using a tulip glass retains the aromas and reveals them with great delicacy throughout the period of sipping the wine. “To have the best tasting experience, make sure the cognac is at room temperature,” he explains.
Chukwudi tells me he shops for his cognac from Berry Bros & Rudd in Mayfair, London. According to him, Berry Bros & Rudd have many hidden treasures. In the store of the wine merchant are many bottles of cognac hibernating under fine layers of dust. One of their oldest cognacs is a 1830 Berry Bros Grande Champagne. The ravaged label on the bottle tells of the allure of this sublimely elegant spirit.
History has it that until the early 20th century, cognac was the spirit of royalty and high society. Whisky, its main rival today, was in comparison the drink of the working classes. In the past two years, there has been an increase in the global interest in boutique cognacs. In terms of taste, structure and character, cognac has been seen by consumers as the most graceful, poised and erudite of all spirits in the way it is produced. Customers are seduced by its smooth, silky taste.
According to researchers, cognac is produced mainly from Ugni Blanc grapes and is made up of a blend of eaux de vie. It must be twice distilled in copper stills and aged for at least two years in French-oak barrels. It is an AOC-controlled spirit from six cognac regions in southwest France, the most prestigious of which is Grande Champagne.
Unlike armagnac, which is often sold as a vintage, cognac rarely carries an age statement and the art of the master taster is knowing which eaux de vie to blend. VSOP denotes one in which the youngest eau de vie was stored for at least four years. An XO is one in which the youngest was stored for at least six years but on average for upwards of 20 (in 2016, that minimum storage period will be 10 years). Cognacs are often divided into pre- and post-phylloxera varieties (the phylloxera insect blighted many vineyards in the mid-19th century). Pre-phylloxera cognacs, prior to 1873, came from grapes such as Colombard and Folle Blanche, which lent a sweeter tone, whereas those made after tend to be drier.
There are so many different styles of cognac. Some of the leading cognacs for sale today include a Delamain Le Voyage which is regarded by wine connoisseur as the best in the market. Tiffon Vieux Supérieur is a fantastic all-rounder with layer upon layer of flavours, including plum, and an elongated caramel finish. Also, François Voyer’s easy-on-the-palate XO has a smooth, woody taste packed with ginger and walnuts. Tesseron Lot 90 is made by Alfred Tesseron, the Bordeaux producer of Château Pontet Canet, and benefits from a long ageing in oak, lending it a toasted richness with a satisfying treacly aroma.
For the top notch cognacs, you may want to try Hine Grande Champagne 1975, a punchy cognac full of robust spices and oak. Also, Frapin Extra is a big and brooding classic postprandial tipple, as is Delamain Très Vénérable which comes with vanilla and honey notes. Ragnaud Sabourin Paradis is not bad either. It comes in its own decanter which makes it stand out on the drinks cabinet and on the palate with its rich fruitiness. One of the rarer bottlings from Hennessy, which celebrates its 250th anniversary, is the wonderfully elegant Paradis. It comes with peppery notes and hints of dried flowers. There is the limited-edition Hennessy XO Exclusive Collection by Tom Dixon, a fine cognac packed with pepper and fruitcake and in a stylish silver carafe created by the designer.
But for real showstoppers, the Delamain Le Voyage may be the best of all. It is exceptionally smooth, packs a leathery, berry punch and comes in a Baccarat decanter inside a fan-shaped box. The elegant Tesseron Extrème is a rich, smoky but mellow cognac with an abundance of nuts and spices and a satisfying finish that endures. Meanwhile, Rémy Martin’s Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6 comes in a bottling of 738, comes in a black crystal decanter and is made from forty to hundred years old brandy.
For lovers of cognac who are after vintage says Lekan Alimi, a lover of wine, one of the most exceptional collections of aged cognac is the 1948 Otard and 1788 Clos de Griffier Vieux. According to Alimi, visual examination is very necessary when appreciating or tasting a cognac. “Visual examination is the first contact with the cognac and it is paramount,” he explains. “What you need to do first is to fill the glass with a little serving of cognac. Hold the glass by the foot so you can swirl the cognac easily, slowly and gently. Raise the glass to eye level, if possible against a white background, to examine its colour and appearance.”
He further explains that how one drinks cognac differs. “For people, it is best enjoyed slowly at room temperature from a tulip glass while for others, a balloon glass will do. For some, the ageless pairing with a fine cigar is perfect.”
However, Alimi says he prefers to take his cognac with cube of ices which makes him feel like he is going on a journey. “For me, the journey begins from my lips, and then it goes into my palate before I start feeling the individual flavours like spices, leather, vanilla.”