What We Know
- Age of 12-30 years
- Fine Champagne
- Blend is right down the middle with 50% Grande Champagne and 50% Petite Champagne
- 40% ABV
Nose
Vanilla, honey, nutmeg, black pepper, ginger, honeysuckle, rose pedal, cocoa, green tea, almond, apple, lemon, candied orange peel, apricot, yellow raisin, mango
Palate
Vanilla bean, cinnamon, leather, walnut, ginger, toffee, bittersweet chocolate, mineral/gravel, pear, lime peel, lemon juice, lavender, tropical fruits
Finish
Dark chocolate, flowers, and barrel spice with just a bit of rancio
Overall Thoughts
Amber color with flashes of copper and yellow sun beams. This is quite a lovely Cognac. Upon pouring it and walking merely 20 feet to my patio, the aromas began to softly fill my immediate space. The usual suspects of an XO like vanilla and baking spices were present, but a wonderful floral note of honeysuckle and rose pedals came through eloquently because of the Fine Champagne blend.
There was a lot of juicy fruits that were popping up, as well. For an age of 12-30 years, it smelled very fresh and lively. The color is lighter than you might expect an XO to be of this age, but that indicates that most likely no caramel coloring (or very little) has been added. The palate develops over several sips. I was first hit with the chocolatey, toffee flavors. But again, juicy tropical fruits really brightened it up. The finish has a creamy, dark chocolate note being the main player and a hint of rancio. But after about a minute, a strong floral favor came back to my palate and lasted quite a while to give Audry XO a really long finish.
I’m guessing this blend favors more heavily towards the 12-15 year mark than the 30 year, otherwise a stronger rancio presence would be noticed. Not at all to say that diminishes the finesse of this Cognac, however. If you can find it, I highly recommend trying it. Audry XO is meant to be sipped slowly and a few glasses enjoyed over the course of an evening.
