What We Know
- VSOP (youngest in blend at least 4 years old)
- Fine Champagne, blend of Grande Champagne (at least 50%) and Petite Champagne
- Use of lees unknown
- Ugni Blanc
- Limousin oak, humid cellars
- 40% ABV
- Additives: Yes
Nose
Vanilla bean, caramel, nutmeg, hint of flowers, milk chocolate, buttered croissant, red apple, Bartlet pear, orange zest, white peach, under ripe mango, yellow raisin
Palate
Vanilla extract, fruitcake, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, flaky pastry, fruit blossoms, marzipan, stewed apples, candied orange, apricot, plum
Finish
Stone fruits, vanilla, apple pie, green banana
Overall Thoughts
Copper orange color with goldenrod reflections. This is a very fruit forward nose. Red apple, white peach, and orange zest are all very prominent. There’s some under ripe tropical fruit and yellow raisin, as well. Some sweet notes come through such as vanilla bean and caramel. Baking spices are not very present and wood aromas are incredibly subtle. Vine flowers are a bit hard to pick out, but they come around with a little time in the glass. Again, the nose is all about the fruit. A bit of a faint alcohol note is also apparent.
On the palate, it’s a bit more complex than the nose, but not by much. The key similarities are once again fruit. Stewed apples and candied orange lead the charge with some apricot on the back palate. It feels sweeter than it probably is from the dominate vanilla flavor. A nice marzipan flavor rounds everything out and adds a really nice balance to it all. The alcohol burn from the nose is gone and it shows a nice right down the middle balance. Not too much of anything, but also nothing really stands out more than anything else. The finish is focused on stone fruit and a wonderful green banana flavor that keeps creeping back up.
It’s no surprise that you’ll know by now that A. de Fussigny Superieur is a very fruit heavy cognac. Nose, palate, and finish, there’s no way around it. After trying several expressions from this house, the Superieur isn’t my favorite from them. The nose and palate are relatively linear, so I’m not looking to drink this neat. However, I believe it would be a great cognac for mixing in cocktails. Also, the price point leans towards its mixability.
If you were to drink this on its own, you wouldn’t be blown away. Being a Fine Champagne, which usually takes several decades to reach peak maturity, you’ll taste the youth in this bottle. It’s apparent in that alcohol burn on the nose and the relatively straight-laced flavor. Overall, it’s well balanced and non-offensive on the palate and finish. Much like Pierre Ferrand 1840, this is more suited for a mixing cognac. Do you want a neat sipper? Seek out some of their longer aged expressions.
