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Marancheville Tres Rare Lot N°14/45 Grande Champagne Cognac

Exceptional 94 /100

see 10 reviews

Vintage year
1945
Vintage year
1914
ABV
40%
Bottle size
700ml
Growth area
Grande Champagne
Cognac age
Special

Taylor C.

Reviews written: 41 (see reviews)

Average Score given: 86

Review Overview: Best & Most rated, All Reviewers & Reviews

Bio:

French wine, and the concept of terroir, captured my interest early on. Naturally, curiosity took me to spirits, in particular Cognac. Today I'm proud to be a member of the Cognac Expert team managing B2B projects, working on Cognac Expert Originals, and writing bottle reviews for the English Blog. I love to taste anything and everything - rum/rhum, whisky(ey), Armagnac, etc. - but no other spirit grabs my attention quite like Cognac, and all of its subtleties and nuance. Santé !

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Marancheville Tres Rare Lot N. 14/45 Grande Champagne

Exceptional 91 /100

The Cognac pours a golden amber color. Considering its age, it’s quite a light and fresh color. Very promising.

To merely use the words aromas or smells would be to entirely understate the nose of this Cognac. Instead, one should talk of perfumes to describe all that the nose encounters in and around the glass. First up is a very fragrant cedarwood perfume. There are traces of vanilla competing for the nose’s attention, but they remain under the wafts of this fragrant wood note. The combination of fragrant wood with the vanilla underneath is very elegant and fine. With a little time in the glass, the fruit appears in waves: spiced orange peel, orange Jolly Rancher candy, and a fresh cut mango at perfect ripeness (maybe even one day overripe). For whatever reason, I also kept imagining a spiced orange incense. In short, the perfumes waft out of the glass. It’s all so elegant, refined, and classy. Fantastic!

A couple of things stand out right away after the first few sips. One, the refinement and elegance of the mouthfeel. The taster will know what he or she is tasting is seriously on another level. Two, the fruit is present in abundance. About the fruit: tinned mandarins, candied orange, fresh mango, dried apricot, and various artisanal pates de fruits (apricot and mango). For the maturity of this Cognac, the bags and bags of fruit are outstanding - and completely unexpected. The tannins from the wood are best described as fine tannins, as they gently grip the sides of the mouth as the Cognac is swallowed - nothing rustic, nothing edgy. The Cognac has a good presence in the mouth - it’s mouth coating - but it remains easy to access and always high in elegance. Maturity with flashes of youth let’s say. When was this put into demijohns? The trio of fragrant wood, orange-meated fruits, and soft spices is quite memorable.

The N.14/45 Cognac does not end there, though. It’s long. For minutes between sips, the tongue stays covered in the fruit flavors. Sipping too frequently would rob the taster of the opportunity to experience the lasting waves of flavors. Eaux de vie from the Grande Champagne really seem to be able to deliver fruit with maturity, all while maintaining elegance and precision. Sure, other crus deliver fruit and mature notes but not without some rustic or heavy (old wood) elements creeping in - in my experience at this moment in time.

Note: This Cognac contains a roughly equal blend of the two lots (1914 and 1945. Both were put into glass demijohn twenty years ago. So that's quite some time aging in oak.

Tags

  • Candied Fruit
  • Cedar
  • Dried Apricot
  • Mango
  • Orange Zest
  • Rancio
  • Spices
  • Vanilla

Flavour

Wood 7/10

Spice 6/10

Fruit 9/10

Flower 5/10

Bottle / Package Design 4/5

Where is the Love? Ordinary Nice Beautiful A sight to be seen!

Value for Money 5/5

Overpriced Low Average Bargain Steal

Tasting

Nose

What aromas do you get when you sniff the Cognac? Do you get hints of fruits or flowers - perhaps it's sweet? Is it intense or rather flat - and most importantly, is the nose coherent to taste and finish? The nose is the most important part when tasting Cognac.

24/25

Mouth

A small sip: Allow your taste buds in the various areas of your mouth to distinguish the different flavours. This part of cognac tasting is described as ‘the palate’. Don’t just swallow it down; allow the liquid to touch all the regions of the mouth. Doing this is necessary as the taste buds pick up contrasting flavours in the different areas of the mouth; on the tip of your tongue to the sides, for example. Take a tiny sip to prep your palate for the sensory experience to come. Take a second larger sip, and gently roll the cognac around, etting it come into contact with every corner of your mouth. Focus on the perceived textural sensations. Are the sensations round and rich or fresh and elegant? Is the overall mouthfeel intense, balanced, disjointed, or lacking presence? In short, how does the cognac feel in your mouth?

17/20

Taste

Quite simply, what do you taste as you gently roll the cognac around in your mouth? Pay close attention to any flavors of fruits, flowers, oak, and spices - or a complex combination of those elements. Are the flavors cohesive with the Nose and the Mouth, giving a sense of balance and complexity?

22/25

Finish

The ‘finish’ is the experience you get after you’ve swallowed the cognac. What flavours can you detect? Is it a flat or rough finish and rather sharp, or is it a slight 'punch' you like? How long does the finish last? Also think about overall balance: How does the finish compare to nose and taste?

19/20

Overall Impression

Consider the Nose, Mouth, Taste, and Finish simultaneously - the cognac as a whole. Is there cohesion between the four categories, or does the cognac shine in some areas and appear dull in others? Quite simply, is the memory from the tasting experience one that will last your lifetime; is the memory good but nothing extraordinary; or is the cognac’s impact entirely forgettable?

9/10

Total: 91/100

  • 80-84: Recommended
  • 85-89: Highly Recommended
  • 90-95: Exceptional
  • 96-100: Superlative
Flat Acceptable Fine Excellent Ethereal Thin & weak Disjointed Balanced Exquisite Bland Ordinary Good Excellent Spectacular Non-existent, or rough Acceptable Good Memorable Endless Uninspiring, or rough Ordinary Good Excellent Memorable
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