What We Know
- Average age of 2-4 years
- Blend of Petite Champagne, Fin Bois, and Bon Bois
- Ugni Blanc
- Distilled on partial lees
- Limousin oak, 400 L barrels
- Humid cellar
- 40% ABV
- Additives: Sugar/caramel (≈2-4cc/100 L)
- IWSC 2007 Gold Medal, London International Wine & Spirit Competition 2007 Bronze Medal, Wine Enthusiast 2017 88 Points
Nose
French vanilla, honey, fruitcake, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, fruit blossoms, white flowers, licorice, soft oak, peppermint, green tea, gravel, almonds, green apple skin, lime, orange peel, grape must, unripe mango
Palate
Vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, finger, rose, orange blossom flower, sawdust, hay/straw, hazelnut, chalk, green apple, pear, grapefruit pith, peach, honeydew, papaya, yellow raisin
Finish
Bright, fruit juiciness with soft oak tannins and fresh grape must
Overall Thoughts
Apricot in color with flashes of clover honey. The nose is very fresh and lively. The first impression is of green apple skins and citrus. Fruits come to the forefront and there’s an unripe mango aroma that keeps coming back. A wonderful white flower element and green tea is also predominate. Freshly pressed grapes are strong next to some light barrel spices, almonds, and French vanilla ice cream.
The palate is tannic/dry and reinforces the grapes and green apple from the nose, but there’s more of a papaya and tropical fruit flavor added to it. Hazelnut and clove drive the midpalate into roses and orange blossom flowers. The finish is very bright and juicy with a little bit of oak.
Prunier VS is a unique younger expression. It has the fun, fruity elements that most VS have, but due to the blend it offers a little bit more. The percentage of Petite Champagne really gives wonderful flowers, the Fin Bois has that undeniable fresh pressed grape note, and the Bon Bois pumps up the tropical fruits. That green tea element was out of the ordinary, but a welcome surprise. Even though I keep coming back to words like fresh, juicy, fruity, etc., this is actually a fairly dry Cognac. Minimal sugar/caramel color is added.
I’m really satisfied by how the blend gives just enough barrel tannins, and yet not a lot of the barrel spice. I believe they’ve found a comfortable middle ground where they don’t use a high percentage of new oak, but also don’t use neutral barrels. It seems to be down the middle, maybe 6-12 year old barrels, and just right for what they’re creating. Strictly a guess on that. The price is on par for most other VS level cognacs, but for the quality, blend, and overall flavor I’d say it stands above. Try this in light bodied cocktails like a highball for it to really shine.
