What We Know
- Average age between 20-53 years
- Small percentage of 1969 vintage
- Grande Champagne, blend
- Ugni Blanc and Colombard (up to 5% in the blend)
- Distilled on the lees
- Combination of Limousin and Tronçais oak for aging
- 10 months in brand new oak before being transferred to older casks for remainder of aging
- Both humid and dry cellar aging
- 42.3% ABV
- Additives: None
- Concours Général Agricole Ministere de L’Agriculture Silver Medal 2013/2015, Concours des Vignerons Independent Gold Metal 2016, San Francisco World Spirits Competition Double Gold 2017
Nose
Vanilla extract, butterscotch, flaky pastry, black pepper, cinnamon, dried coconut, dark roast coffee, tobacco, furniture polish, chocolate, walnut, dust, fresh rain, stewed pear, orange zest, cherry, plum, overripe pineapple, fig
Palate
Honey, caramel, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, mocha, anise, old oak, tobacco, cocoa, roasted hazelnut, gravel, grapefruit zest, candied orange, apricot, passionfruit
Finish
Honey sweetness followed by baking spices and cocoa, passionfruit lingers long after
Overall Thoughts
Burnt orange and rust like color tinted with merlot. Lots to unpack on the nose. The glass is dominated early on by earthy notes like leather, tobacco, and dried coconut. As it sits and gets some oxygen, stewed pear and orange zest start to show. There’s a certain freshness to this cognac on the nose that I can only describe as the smell of a fresh rain fall. That minerality also comes with a dusty, antique furniture quality and some walnut. Typical rancio notes, for sure. Even some overripe pineapple comes in to play. There’s quite a bit going on in the glass, a real bouquet of aromas.
On the palate, most notably right away is how vibrant the fruit is. Apricot, citrus zest, and even passionfruit show very nicely. It’s a lot juicier than the nose indicates. We definitely have cocoa and roasted hazelnuts in there. Lots of baking spices in terms of cinnamon and allspice. It strikes a nice balance between the fruit, sweetness, and barrel influence. The finish is fairly long. Honey with allspice are upfront, but the passionfruit I tasted before now really hits home. It lingers for a good deal of time.
Drouet Paradis de Famille Hors d’Age is certainly a bottle worth exploring if you can. The producer is relatively new to me, but both this expression and their VSOP really left a good impression. As the name suggests, there is eaux-de-vie in here from the family’s paradis cellar. Most notably there’s a bit of 1969 from when the parents of the current day owners bought a four hectoliter still and started producing their own cognac. The age range is 20-53 years in this blend. Coming all from Grande Champagne, we know this cru does its best after long aging periods. It’s clear that a lot of care was put into this.
Not only are there no additives in any Drouet cognac, but this specific bottle sits at a little higher ABV than the standard. With it being 42.3% ABV, it has a sharper and more focused approach to its flavor. Certainly not linear, but any time the alcohol percentage is above 40%, I feel like the intention was specific to showcase certain aromas and flavors. This cognac certainly has a rancio note that we get from eaux-de-vie that has been aged for long periods of time. I very much enjoy the weight of this cognac on the palate and the finish is spectacular. It’s wild how the passionfruit lingers for well over 10 minutes.
Only 500 bottles are released every year of the Drouet Paradis de Famille and I really feel fortunate to have one considering that the 1969 vintage in this blend isn’t going to last forever. It’s a great price for something with this age range and cru. Even the bottle design is eye catching and says that it’s unique. If you’re looking for textbook rancio at an affordable price, look no further.
Check out more information about Drouet by clicking HERE.
