Ballon d'Or 2021 announcement
#15
Heritage Rene Riviere Tres Vieille Reserve 40%
90+/100
Beautiful Borderies cognac with great rancioted notes. A little frustrated with the lack of strength with this one to be honest, but it remains a solid 50yo+ Borderies.
#14
GRosperrin PETITE CHAMPAGNE 1974 47,5%
91/100
Wonderful millesimé from Courbiac Street. A delicious 2019 bottling and a nice example of how complex a P.C can be.
#13
Grosperrin Borderies N°28 53,8%
91/100
Oh Borderies. Sweet Borderies. True gem here. Wild and surprisingly young on the palate. Not my favorite cognac from this cru in 2021 but it remains a stunning one.
#12
Jean-Luc Pasquet Très Vieille Petite Champagne 44,3%
91/100
Incredible work of assemblage here (L49/L62/L73). Nice promise for the following bottlings in this brand new JLP range.
#11
Heritage Rene Riviere Grand Hommage 40%
91/100
The kind of bottle you could find in a museum. Astonishing Borderies for many reasons: from a historical point of view of course, but also because you can spend hours on its nose. However, I cannot help thinking of a 42/43% version of this one and how fabulous could it be.
#10
Grosperrin Fins Bois N°58 44,5%
91/100
My last year’s 2nd favorite cognac was a Fins Bois. 2021 offered me some nice treasures from this underrated cru. And here is another proof that it can provide incredible eaux-de-vie. Totally deserves to be in this Ballon d’Or 2021 Top 10.
#9
Grosperrin Bons Bois 50yo 47,8%
91+/100
Mind-blowing Bons Bois. Elegant with a stunning rancio. Clearly unique. Also my favorite one from this cru, but I didn’t taste many for the moment (one of my 2022 cognac challenges for sure).
#8
Heritage Rene Riviere Apanage 48%
91+/100
My favorite cognac from Heritage Rene Rivière and my 2nd favorite from the Borderies this year. A wild animal rancio surrounded by waves of freshness and sugariness. Delight.
#7
Malternative Belgium La Fête François Voyer 43,3%
91+/100
Pieter made some great selections this year and this one is my favorite (but I didn’t taste them all). A funky Lot 71 G.C from François Voyer. 1971. The year Pink Floyd recorded their Live at Pompeii. Nothing related to cognac here, but I’m just listening to this masterpiece while writing these words.
#6
Jean-Luc Pasquet Le Cognac de Pierre 41,3%
91+/100
Jurignac and its famous Lot 62. This one is very close to 92 too. Marvelous acidulous tones combined to a mind-blowing mouth length.
#5
Cognac Sponge Fins Bois 45 50,5%
92/100
My favorite Fins Bois of 2021. Truly a great bottling from the Sponge. 1945. 50,5%. Another treasure from Grosperrin’s cellars. Where else can you find this kind of gem?
#4
Vallein Tercinier Lot 70 P.C 52%
92/100
So here is my favorite P.C of 2021. Generous Petite Champagne, perfectly balanced between an acidulous fruitiness and a beautiful barrel effect, even if its ABV (52%) might be a bit frightening.
#3
Grosperrin Borderies N°64
92/100
My favorite from the Borderies in 2021. What a fabulous cognac! I’ve been lucky enough to taste it several times (straight from the cask and bottling version (I’ll post the review soon)) and each time I took a sip of this one I understood why I spent so much time in Courbiac Street this year. Totally deserves to be on the podium of this Ballon d’Or 2021.
#2
Grosperrin Grande Champagne 35/41 45,8%
92+/100
Very close to the Ballon d’Or. A magnificent old G.C with strong rancioted notes melted to a great freshness. It is without any doubt one of the most refined cognacs I tasted this year.
#1
JLP LE Cognac de Régis L59 40,5%
93/100
And here is the Ballon d’Or 2021. Le Cognac de Regis. It is the very last L’Esprit de Famille (as this range is now called “Tresor de Famille”). Well, it’s a bit hard to explain how good this one is. A stunning 62yo G.C from Criteuil-La-Magdaleine that has the potential to evolve for hours in your glass. Quite P.C-like in my humble opinion.
Finally, it’s important to underline the great work done by Amy and Jean here. Hats off to the Eraville’s gang!
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