Estève Très Vieille Réserve de la Famille P.C 40%

Estève Très Vieille Réserve de la Famille P.C 40%

Delicate old P.C  

This is the first Estève on Hors d’Age. I’ve heard a lot about their very old Petite Champagne but never had the chance to taste something from this cognac house. So let’s try this Très Vieille Réserve de la Famille, which is supposed to be at least a 35yo assemblage. 

Colour: Amber, brown lights. Regular medium tears.

Nose: Delicate nose on candied plums and apricots. Some nice honeyed tones too. You also get citruses notes on tangerine and orange zest scents. A very little oaky and dusty in the background. This P.C is elegant but also quite surprising. In addition to the fruitiness previously perceived, you find some unexpected malted smells completed with dry flowery shades. Not the most expressive nose ever, so let’s reach the palate.

Palate: Oily texture. Very convincing acidulous notes on peach juice at first, and a surprising mouth length regarding the ABV (40%). It feels old (supposed to be a 35yo PC) but it keeps a stunning freshness for this venerable age. Remarquable fruitiness again. Nice jammy and candied aromas, that’s the way you want to treat your palate. Maybe a lack of complexity and mouth length, but you can’t expect too much with this kind of ABV.

Last Notes: Even more honeyed with air. Is that possible? Through this smelly beehive, you also find some nice spiced notes on caraway and nutmeg powder. That’s a very round cognac, an easy one. Again, not the most complex spirit ever, but it owns an interesting fruitiness and some cool flowery scents too. Back on the palate, you still get this nice oily texture. You get some new shades, especially some roasted notes on coffee beans and bitter chocolate. The oakiness is still acceptable here. 

Very nice stuff from Estève. Solid acidulous P.C with what you expect from a 35yo cognac. I only miss a bit of complexity and originality to go higher than 88. This Estève Réserve de la Famille is remembering a bit of Montifaud’s DNA.

My very subjective note: 88/100

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