Louis Bouron XO Cognac 50 Years Old
The XO is, paradoxically, the oldest of the Louis Bouron core range. At 50 years in oak, it carries far more age than the legal XO minimum (ten years), and is the most refined of the family's main cuvees. The blend is built around a higher proportion of Petite Champagne (around 50 percent), which gives it its hallmark elegance.
Where the Tres Vieille Reserve at 40 years old amps up oak intensity, this 50-year-old XO does the opposite. The colour is light, almost gentle, and the wood remains in the background. This is a fine, delicate cognac shaped by time in old oak rather than by aggressive new barrels.
Color: Lighter than the 40-year-old, a fine pale amber. Strikingly elegant for its age.
Nose: Fine, elegant and delicate. White and yellow fruits in syrup, mirabelle and greengage plums. A touch of spice and vanilla. Cake-like notes, in the spirit of a financier or a gateau Nantais. A discreet mushroom note hints at rancio.
Palate: Soft and refined. Fresh fruit rather than candied or dried. A touch of mushroom rancio from extended ageing in old oak. Light spice, more vanilla than the nose suggested, and remarkable persistence.
Finish: Long and lingering. The flavours hold rather than the texture, with no tannic grip. Soft-spoken and confident.
One of the finest cognacs in this age bracket, ideal for collectors and connoisseurs who prize finesse over intensity.
Louis Bouron is a 5-generation family estate at Chateau de la Grange, Saint-Jean d'Angely (97 hectares across Fins Bois, Borderies and Petite Champagne). Their cognacs carry age statements that far exceed the legal minimum for each category, and are bottled without added sugar or caramel.
Presentation of the bottle
Distinct from the rest of the range, the XO comes in a different, rounder bottle with a striking oval label centred on the brand crest and the bold XO mark. A neck band repeats Cognac Bouron / XO. 70cl, 40% vol.
How to drink
Serve at room temperature, neat, in a tulip-shaped cognac glass. The XO rewards patience, give it time to open in the glass and the fruit and vanilla notes will deepen. Outstanding on its own, or paired with a fine piece of dark chocolate.
