What We Know
- Aged for at least 4 years
- Fins Bois, single estate from Chez Maillard
- Ugni Blanc
- Distilled with lees
- Limousin oak for aging, 350-400 L barrels
- First four to six months in new oak, then transferred to older barrels
- 40% ABV
- IWSC 2012 Silver Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2015 Silver Metal
Nose
Vanilla, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, fruit blossoms, light oak, hay, almonds, green apple, pear, lemon zest, orange peel, grape must, dried apricot, white peach, honeydew, yellow raisin
Palate
Honey, butterscotch, allspice, gingerbread, toffee, oak, spearmint, toasted hazelnut, pastry, pear, orange zest, white peach, mango
Finish
White flowers and honey ending with oak tannins
Overall Thoughts
Bright goldenrod color with some reflections of clover honey. The initial nosing shows vanilla and honey mixing with apple and pears. Bright lemon zest and orange peel lift up some wonderful floral aromas of fruit blossoms. Stone fruits play well with honeydew. Oak influence is mild, but noticeable with cinnamon and nutmeg. The palate begins with a rich honey and butterscotch wrapping around orange peels with highlights of flaky pastry. Gingerbread mingles with a little bit of toffee and hazelnut. Much light the nose, you can’t hide from the juicy fruits like peach and mango. The finish is medium length and consists of flowers driving into a dry oak aftertaste.
The Leyrat VSOP Reserve is not only a single estate Cognac, but also single cru. Being from Fins Bois, I expected lots of fruits and some flowers. I certainly got that, but it was also a lot more refined than I imagined it would be. Overall, the nose and palate were very well balanced and nothing overtook anything else. Each component really helped to support the others in their own right. I’d say the driving forces in my glass on both the nose and palate were honey, pears, and white peach. The oak is very gentle in this expression, so don’t go for this one if you’re looking for a lot of spice.
Before Edgar Leyrat sold his estate to Francis Abécassis in the early 2000’s, he did not use any additives in his Cognac. I’m unsure about what is used in the present day, but I feel there might be just the smallest touch of sugar added. I believe I paid right around $50 for this bottle and I’d say it’s worth it. It’s probably a little too delicate for cocktails, but on the rocks, with soda water, or neat after a meal would all be wonderful options to enjoy this Cognac from Leyrat.
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