Pierre Ferrand 1840

What We Know

• Age of mostly 3-4 years, small percentages of older stock (up to 20 years)
• Grande Champagne, blend
• Ugni Blanc
• Distilled on the lees
• Mix of Limousin and Tronçais used, 350L barrels
  • 25% of barrels are new oak just for the first few years, 75% are used barrels
• 45% ABV
• Additives: 14.5g/L of dosage (sugar and caramel)
• Independent Wine Growers Contest 2010 Gold Medal and 2017/2018 Silver Medal, General Agricultural Competition 2017 Silver Medal

Nose

Vanilla, honey, nutmeg, ginger, fruit blossom, jasmine, eucalyptus, toasted bread, candied almonds, green apple, pear, lemon zest, orange, honeydew, cherry, mango

Palate

Vanilla, cloves, dried coconut, hay, nougat, buttered pastry, orange juice, grapefruit peel, pear, papaya, apricot, white peach

Finish

Lingering sweetness of honey and apples ending with fresh grape

Overall Thoughts

Soft orange with yellow/copper reflections on surface. The nose has some nice floral notes of fruit blossom and jasmine. Vanilla and honey open up with toasted bread and apples. Overall, it’s a fairly lively nose. A bit of honeydew and tropical fruits are present, as well. On the first sip, it’s rounded with vanilla and baking spices. There’s a wonderful buttered pastry and sweet nuttiness mid palate. More tropical fruits, as with the nose, but heavier on the stone fruits and a pop of grapefruit peel. The finish is short to medium with honey and apples with a great grape essence finale.

Now don’t get too jazzed up on sipping this Cognac. It certainly isn’t made for putting in your favorite snifter and savoring. As a young 100% Grande Champagne, it just hasn’t had time to mature and open up in to its full potential. But that’s okay. Pierre Ferrand 1840 was created for using in cocktails. It mimics the old school Cognacs from the mid-late 1800’s that Jerry Thomas and other famous bartenders of the time were putting these spirits in cocktails and creating the classics we know today. The Julep, Sazerac, Sidecar, and French 75, among others, were Cognac based.

So, to be fair in my review, I decided to also make a cocktail with it, an Old Fashioned to be specific. After full consumption of said beverage, my verdict is that I absolutely agree with Maison Ferrand in their recommendation of 1840 in a cocktail. It stands up very well and actually has more ripe fruit juiciness than during the solo tasting. This is a solid choice of Cognac to use for mixing.

The Grande Champagne terroir is evident with the clear floral aromas and a little bit more weight than some other VS Cognac’s from other crus. Is that the dosage talking? Perhaps, but again we’re using this in mixed drinks which require some extra body to them. The ABV is higher than the industry standard of 40%. It comes in at 45% and that seems to further help it stand up in cocktails while also emphasizing some of those fruity characteristics. It’s worth grabbing a bottle and mixing up some great Cognac drinks for yourself and friends.

Check out more information about Maison Ferrand by clicking HERE.