Jean Luc Pasquet L'Organic Folle Blanche L.XI Cognac (700ml)

A one-of-a-kind and very contemporary offering from the family house of Jean-Luc Pasquet. Like most bottlings from this estate, this is completely organic, but this time around, it employs 100% Folle Blanche Cognac Grande Champagne eau-de-vie. Typically, Ugni Blanc is the hero in this appellation, however small patches of land are reserved for rarer varieties. The Folle Blanche grape variety now makes up less than 1% of cognac vines despite being prolific before Phylloxera devastated the French vineyards in the late 1800's. Pasquet harvest, distill, and mature the Folle Blanche grapes separately, beginning in new oak for their first year then transferring to older barrels before being bottled when ten years old. To our knowledge, this is the only example of its kind ever released. The resulting cognac packs a punch, while delivering complex flavours that contrast both sweet and spicy to perfection. Cognac-expert.com added, "As you immerse the senses in the tasting, blissful fragrances of menthol, musk, Mirabelle plums, peaches, sandalwood and orange zest set the tasting alight before the eaux-de-vie has even passed your lips. Next, the silky nuances of honey prevail on the palate – with further hints of Mirabelle plums and spices."

Other reviews... [2010 harvest tasted] This is a single vintage harvested and, I suppose, distilled in 2010, so a ten years old that fully stems from J-L Pasquet's own estate. Colour: gold. Nose: there's what's maybe not often to be found in cognac, some tension and a vegetal brightness that would go way beyond raisins and peaches. Melon skins, some muscovado sugar, even touches of ripe barley and sugarcane (how funnily 'fusion' is that?), also broken branches and hay, a little peanut butter, dandelions… I'm really not experienced enough to be able to recognise folle blanche, but if that's the thing, well hurray for folle blanche!  Mouth: pretty oily and quite curiously, a little malty, with those fine pastry-like notes that are sometimes to be found in malt whisky too (raisin rolls, panettone, kougelhopf…), then rather the expected sultanas, peach and apricot jam, honey, liquorice… Notes of blood oranges too, vanilla, and even a little rye. Finish: rather long, tighter than your usual cognac. Orange blossom water, earl grey, kumquats, liquorice, touch of clove, some menthol in the rather refreshing aftertaste…  Black radish. Comments: the aftertaste makes you ready for more. A cunning plan. Seriously, this is 'modern' cognac, in the very best sense of that word. For us. 88 points - whiskyfun.com