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Chainier XO Grande Champagne Cognac
Recommended 84 /100
- Leeftijdscategorie
- XO
- Groeigebied
- Grande Champagne
- Flesgrootte
- 700ml
- Alcoholpercentage
- 40%
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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Chainier XO Grande Champagne
Recommended 82 /100
Nose: Nice nose here! It smells like there is a lovely alliance between fruit and spice. It does not have the age where a strong oak signature might stick out, and even though twenty years old is anything but young for a Cognac, it does not yet have the maturity to hit the wafty aroma profile like other more mature Grande Champagne Cognacs. From the first sniffs, it seems to do a good job straddling youthful bright fruit and spicy oak maturity. There is a pastry note as well. At the risk of sounding random, I also pick up a generic woodsy men’s perfume - Jovan Musk was the cheap men’s perfume I recall lying around the bathroom back in the day. Out of curiosity I looked up that perfume's base notes and they are as follows: lime, pepper, carnation, lemon, amber, lavender, spearmint, exotic spices, woods and musk. Not too surprisingly, with the exception of carnation (no idea what that smells like), those aroma notes are somewhat spot on for this Cognac. I find it funny how the mind can unknowingly wander when tasting and take me to a smell so random as Jovan Musk, a smell I haven't smelled in twenty years, easily.
Anyways, this is a very positive nose. This Chainier XO smells like a benchmark Cognac.
Palate: Yes. The first thing I notice is the freshness of the Cognac. There is zero ounce of heaviness. This is elegant and light on its feet. It has a round mouthfeel without being too high on the richness scale - so the richness does not compete with the feeling of freshness. As far as fruits go, imagine a fruit cup (Dole was my brand of choice as a youngster) with sweet pineapple, peaches, pears, and the stray grape or two. And let’s not forget the fruit juice/syrup in that cup as well. There is also a slight taste of vanilla and a more general feeling of tasting something dessert-y. But again, there is no feeling of sweetness or heaviness here. The Cognac is balanced and lively; each sip invites the next. I’m really enjoying this. It ticks all of the boxes for an XO quality Cognac, and more.
Finish: The finish is moderate at best, and the flavors and other sensations only linger for a short while before leaving entirely. But I keep coming back to this feeling of freshness. This Cognac, from the entry all the way through to the finish, feels so bright, so lively. The drinkability is off the charts here.
Tags
Smaak
De proeverij
Neus
Welke aroma's ruikt u bij het ruiken van de Cognac? Zijn er tonen van fruit of bloemen - wellicht is hij zoet? Is hij intens of eerder zwak - en het belangrijkste, past de neus bij de smaak en de afdronk? De neus is het belangrijkste onderdeel bij het proeven van Cognac.
20/25
Welke aroma's ruikt u bij het ruiken van de Cognac? Zijn er tonen van fruit of bloemen - wellicht is hij zoet? Is hij intens of eerder zwak - en het belangrijkste, past de neus bij de smaak en de afdronk? De neus is het belangrijkste onderdeel bij het proeven van Cognac.
Mond
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
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?
Smaak
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
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?
Afdronk
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?
15/20
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?
Algehele indruk
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?
8/10
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?
Totaal: 82/100
- 80-84: Recommended
- 85-89: Highly Recommended
- 90-95: Exceptional
- 96-100: Superlative