Jean-Luc Pasquet Très Vieille Petite Champagne 44,3%

Jean-Luc Pasquet Confluences Très Vieille Petite Champagne 44,3%

Confluences Part. I

Well, this one is a bold step from Amy and Jean into the art of old cognacs blending. Average age: 58yo. Cru: P.C. ABV: 44,3%. Paul, Pierre, and André, three jewels from their l’Esprit de Famille range (L49-L62-L73) blended to give us one of the first expressions in their brand new range : Confluences. So here is the JLP Confluences Très Vieille Petite Champagne!

Colour: Old gold, amber lights. Irregular medium tears.

Nose: It begins very quickly on acidulous exotic fruity notes, especially on banana stew. Fasten your seatbelt, and be ready for this new trip through the Petite Champagne cru. Great mango  and flambéed banana smells. A stunning mix of pastry and fruity scents that could bring few reminiscences of another spirit, yes just keep calm if you’re a sugarcane lover (elementary my dear Johnny G. Watson). Heavy roasted notes, mainly on coffee beans/ristretto scents. A discrete sugariness on overripe white melon too. Fine wood (acajou) smells in the background as a reminder of the average age of this cognac (49-62-73). 

Palate: This is obviously rancioted. And I like it. Silky and acidulous texture. The creaminess of a fresh milk yogurt, exotism of roasted pineapple (some of the exotic side of le Cognac d’André). Still a nice bitterness on ristretto/very strong coffee. A gourmet cognac for sure. Great mouth length on humid rancioted notes, something between porcini mushrooms and wet undergrowth. Few cocoa powder aromas at the very end of this delicious palate. 

Last Notes: With more air, we find back a very heady cognac, with hints of orange blossom for example. Still something like banana stew. The palate gives some acidulous notes again, this time on watermelon and plantain banana, and it reminds me a bit of some candy-like fruity carambars. Fruity tones are obvious now, mainly on Melba peach. Hints of dusty walnuts, the one you stock and dry in old wood storages, the one you eat with some salad for big family dinners. Silky final notes on almond milk, nougat, and an elegant sugariness on elderflower. 

At the confluence between gourmandise, elegance, and venerable age, you find this Très Vieille Petite Champagne. Paul, Pierre, André. 3 stories, 3 different expressions of P.C. gathered in a perfect work of assemblage. The nose is hypnotic. So much gourmandise on the palate. Everything is perfectly balanced. Bang. 

My very subjective note: 91/100

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Thanks, Amy and Jean!