Cognac Tesseron Lot 53

The original jewel of the Tesseron collection of Cognacs; a unique blend of legendary Grande Champagne Cognacs, including many of the finest of their oldest and rarest stocks distilled in 1920s, with 5% of the blend from 1905, and lovingly aged for three generations. It includes some Colombard and Folle Blanche. To us, this is as good a Cognac as we are ever likely to taste. You can get older and rarer, yet this wine will never suffer by comparison. It is remarkably pure and refined with floral, spices and green chartreuse hints. The palate is impeccably fine and balanced with a souring finish, seemingly free of spirit and beyond description. Mike Bennie nailed it with, "Wow". Both sizes also come in a heavy, 'blown' bottle packaged in a beautiful presentation box. "This sits in the 'classic range' but is called 'Exception' because 'this is where Grande Champagne really soars'. Distilled in the 1920s and contains some colombard and folle blanche. 'This is pretty much what I consider my grandfather's Cognac, 1920s distilled but with a portion from a 1905 demi-john. For me this is a bit like a book, every time you go back to it it changes, something very special; the rancio is quite strong, but very different from the 1953; very special for us, and very rare to have it tasted, if at all. Very rare bottle, but this is our first visit to Australia so I really wanted to show it' so sayeth Melanie Tesseron. Bright golden with orange hue. Amazing aromatics; amazing. Incredible to inhale, no higher alcohol burn to turn a head away, but rich, sweet-tinged, spicy and fruity, even. There's the warmth of charred oak, wet logs, sandalwood and dark chocolate too. Feels so very smooth, lathed, slippery and yet insanely deep - triggers of fine woods, fresh honey, light rancio and a kind of liquid-mineral vein, firing in volleys within the contained frame of the Cognac. And while the texture remains supple, there's a long, slow burn of campfire-like embers to close; it glows with a definitive sweetness, and then ebbs away with freshening floral, toffee notes and an almost briny tang. Wow. Wow."