Héritage René Rivière Apanage 48% Borderies 2

Héritage René Rivière Apanage 48%

Another Borderies treasure on Hors d’Age : here is the Héritage René Rivière Apanage !
Héritage René Rivière Apanage 48% Borderies
4.5/5

Héritage René Rivière Apanage 48%

The Borderies Jewelry

A 60yo+ cognac from the Borderies. For many reasons, it is truly something exceptional to be allowed to taste this kind of treasure. The smallest cru has its most part dedicated to the Big Four (the very flavored Borderies eaux-de-vie are highly coveted by Hennessy & co. to enhance their cognacs in an assemblage), so there are only a few cognac houses that have been/are able to bottle cognacs from the Borderies by themself. This Héritage René Rivière Apanage has been distilled before WWI and was kept in a cask for over 60 years. It’s also a cask strength cognac (48%). As I said, it’s exceptional for many reasons. Let’s taste it!

Colour: Brown, gold lights. Regular medium tears.

Nose: Instantly feel the higher ABV than the Vieille Réserve. Violet bomb. Violet sweets, violet perfume. The glass is screaming « Borderies »!  A very animal rancio. It reminds me a bit of the V.T Hors d’Age but way stronger and more floral. Fresh notes of citruses (grapefruit juice, green lemon juice) and white fruits (mainly pear juice). Dried figs. An incredible fruitiness dominates the nose now. Hints of caramelized nuts. An evident sweetness/creaminess in the background. Very heady scents escape from the glass. Orange blossom, violet perfume, rose water, lavender. Great! Delicate black tea smells. 

Palate: Very rich texture. Wow. Okay. Another rancio bomb. Violet sweets. Very strong coffee aromas. Strong and fresh licorice. How is it possible to give so much after 60yo+ in a cask? The mouth length is stunning. My palate is marked by the rancio. Great cigar aromas. Quite mushroomy. Precious wood. Umami and buttery notes remind me a bit of the GrosperrinMC3 aftertaste, but it is way more delicate here. Violet sweets again. 

Last Notes: Musc notes surrounded by great freshness. Menthol, cardamom. Some herbal scents too. Peppermint, anise. What a nose! A little leathery, but less than the Vieille Réserve. Bourbon vanilla, orange zest caramel. Verbena infusion. Another monster. The nose has now something of a great sherry cask whisky (reminds me of the powerful ristretto and nutty notes of the Kavalan Sherry Cask LMDW 20 rue d’Anjou 50th anniversary). Violet sweets with a caramel aftertaste. Nice sugary notes. A little of cooked vegetables to the nose, especially carrots and fennel.

And the palate? Licorice makes a great comeback. Serge Valentin talks about « liquid cigar aromas » for the Thompson Bros Brandy. I think it’s quite relevant to mention it for this Héritage René Rivière Apanage. So much licorice. Candyfloss and nice caramel aromas. A very fruity aftertaste, especially on red berries (strawberry juice for sure (almost like the Grosperrin Fins Bois 1959), blackberries, and blueberries too). It ends on verbena/red berries infusion. An incredible freshness on licorice too with a syrupy/buttery texture. 

60yo+ in cask, a cognac that has been distilled before WWI.  Well, it doesn’t seem that old at all! This Héritage René Rivère Apanage has an incredible youngness while being a testimony of great history. A whole Borderies chapter is written into this kind of bottle. 

The nose is astonishing with its vivid fruitiness and its strong rancio. And the palate? Well, an incredible mouth length, a nice balance between freshness, sugariness, and the rancioted notes. I tasted this H. René Rivière Apanage 3 times and each tasting was very convincing, even if you have to be patient to enjoy it to its fullest. Is there something higher in this beautiful Heritage range? I can only recommend you to follow Hors d’Age!

My very subjective note: 91+/100

Héritage René Rivière website 

Another Héritage René Rivière treasure

Héritage René Rivière Apanage tasting notes 2
Cognac Hors d'Age Top 3 tasting notes

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