Tag Archives: cognac

Several months ago, I was privileged enough to have a friend serve our dinner party a glass of a cognac with some lengthy barrel aging. I didn’t have much context for cognac: Other than Hennessey or Courvoisier, I’d never really had any French brandy. That first drink didn’t haunt me in continuous fashion the way my first glass of Talisker scotch did, but it definitely lingered in my mind, surfacing every month or so. It was enjoyable and unique. I thought I finally decided to do something about it.

Maison Surrenne is a large distillery, boasting eight cellars of brandy covering multiple regions of Cognac. I’d be lying if I understood the organizational structure and how the family history ties into the business and the region, but it’s worth noting that this bottler is apparently still family owned.

My first purchase was their unblended Borderies cognac, with Borderies being the specific sub-region from which the spirit came.  Into my second glass, I can’t disagree with the notes offered on the bottle’s own label: Vines in the Borderies get more sun exposure, which deepens the flavor of the grapes. The single-vintage Galtaud has unusually rich fruit with the region’s typical attributes: profound volume with hints of violets and nut kernels.

Galtaud is the single-still distillery, founded in 1800, at which this cognac was produced. This particular bottling is listed as “Lot 1989: Casks 9, 4 & 16.”  One of 1600 bottles produced, this is 40.5% alcohol by volume and was bottled in 2008.  According to the Maison Surrenne website, the Borderies region is known for its rich soil deposited in years long past by the nearby Charente River.

This is all new to me, but you can certainly taste that richness and depth: Maison Surrenne is delicious stuff. It absolutely smells like violet, toffee (or perhaps nut kernels, a descriptor with which I’m unfamiliar), and even caramel. And on the palate, the floral, violent sensation absolutely hits me over the head. It’s incredibly noticeable, though refined and elegant. The finish is hot, spicy, and alcoholic, but it’s violet again and cocoa nibs that linger for me. There’s a moderate orange/apricot sensation somewhere in there that I can’t quite pinpoint. This isn’t a sweet spirit, but it certainly has a sweetness to it derived from the fruity and nutty qualities. Despite even that, it’s got a long, hot, dry finish full of flowers and alcoholic spice. How can anyone not love such a thing?

Regardless of what wine media-driven adjectives I could possibly ascribe, the bottom line is that this is one classy spirit. For the first time ever, I understand why the stereotypical wealthy baron of cinema asks people to retire to the study for some cognac or other brandy. This is good drinking. Great drinking.

Cognac at this level is, for me, a revelation. Further study is required, and I’ll be working a lot of extra hours to (happily) pay for that self-imposed research.