What We Know
- Vintage bottling, 20 years old
- Petite Champagne, all barrels from 1992
- Ugni Blanc
- Distilled on the lees
- Limousin oak, 250-400L barrels
- Aged fully in various used barrels with a medium toast level for entirety of aging
- Humid cellar
- 40% ABV
- Additives: None
- Approx. 2500 bottles released annually
- Spirits Sélection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2013 Gold Medal, 2013 Wine Enthusiast 91 Points, International Wine and Spirits Competition 2019 Bronze Medal
Nose
Vanilla bean, honey, fruitcake, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, flowers, toffee, cedar, leather, chamomile tea, hazelnut, dust, candied apple, pear, lemon peel, orange zest, dried apricot, white peach, mango, raisin
Palate
Caramel, honey, black pepper, nutmeg, ginger, dark chocolate, tobacco, sandalwood, marzipan, pear, candied orange, dried cherries, overripe pineapple
Finish
Juicy apple and pear move into bitter chocolate, ends with flowers and dried figs
Overall Thoughts
A pale honey and gold color with some bright orange flashes. The nose is dominated at the beginning by fruits and sweet notes. Lots of candied apple, dried apricot, and white peaches. Vanilla bean and honey give some great liveliness. After some time for oxidation, more earthy aromas are present. Flowers and chamomile tea on the lighter side and toffee, cedar, and leather on the bolder side. A pleasant appearance of hazelnuts and an alluring dusty quality peak through, as well.
The palate has some similarities to the nose like honey, orange, and nutmeg. It isn’t as fruity as your mind might lead you to believe. After a second and third sip, the Cognac gets a little deeper with flavors of dark chocolate and tobacco. They come through very softly. A little almond marzipan and caramel give a wonderful roundness. It’s fairly light in body with a distinct sandalwood element. Lastly, the finish begins very fruit forward then quickly becomes dry and floral. It has a medium finish and just a tingle of alcohol on the front of the tongue.
Prunier has created somewhat of an uncommon bottling in regards to the age statement on it. The idea behind the Prunier 20 Year is that is hearkens back to a 19th century style of Cognac. Vintages were really common up until WWII. They ended up falling out of favor for more generalized blends and consistent flavor profiles. In 1986, Prunier decided to recreate that style after seeing some of their vintages go up for sale at an auction and bidders were actually interested in them.
Now, almost every year Prunier releases a new 20 Year expression, but the vintages will change from year to year. This specific bottle I have is a 1992 Petite Champagne. It’s wonderfully light and delicate. What’s most notable to me is that it’s very dry and crisp with a soft body. This Cognac spends its entire life in a used barrel, so the color is on the lighter side as there’s not much wood influence. This is also partly from the humid cellars where the barrels rest. Another reason is that there are no additives used in any vintage expressions from Prunier.
Give this one some time to open up and keep revisiting it. The Prunier 20 Year is a sipper which you can contemplate over. You’re bound to keep finding new aromas and flavors that pop up and leave just as quickly. It’s a wonderful bottle for those that really enjoy to take their time with a pour and like their Cognac dry and delicate.
