Cognac day 3 - Courvoisier, Hennessy and the dinner (or not, in my case)
25-Sep-08 - Visit to Cognac Courvoisier in Jarnac, just down the road from Hine - lovely views across the river and a comprehensive (and mercifully short) introduction from their PR person, the elegant and charming Jennifer Szersnovicz, then a look at the museum (surprisingly interesting thanks to the Napoléon connection - his hat, coat, and various accoutrements), corporate video (and another map of Cognac!) And finally, the tasting. This was good, with a range of Cognacs and, if not a glass for everyone, a glass for most. There were eight samples from VSOP to Initiale extra with cask samples of 15-year-old and 35-year-old spirits. These were splendid but, once again the visit overran. At 11:30 we told Jennifer that we had to go but she said we hadn't yet seen the cooperage, I apologised and explained that we didn't have time. As it happened, Steven Morris (the photographer on the trip) wanted to get some pictures of the cooperage, and Jennifer pointed out that it was on the way to our next visit, so we stopped for long enough for him to get his pix, and arrived at Hennessy about 25 minutes late.
Visit to Hennessy - The Château de Bagnolet beggars description - six acres of immaculate lawns, topiaried hedges, lake and terraces outside, antiques, paintings, mahogany and fabrics inside: truly magnificent. We had the newly-launched 'Summit' cocktail - VSOP, lemonade, lime zest, fresh ginger and cucumber peel - which is intended to revitalise the cocktail market (very pleasant but still a waste of good Cognac in my humble opinion). We were hosted by Maurice Hennessy, the eighth generation of the family (although the company is now owned by LVMH), and Jean-Michel Cochet, Hennessy's 'ambassador'.
On the terrace at Château de Bagnolet with 'Summit' cocktail in hand: me, Eleonora Scholes, Godfrey Spence, Sandy Leckie, Caspar Auchterlonie, Vivienne Franks, Sophie Kevany, Angela Reddin, Jean-Michel Cochet, Roshna Ahmad, Maurice Hennessy, Susan Hulme, Timo Jokinen. Pic.: Steven Morris
Lunch, cooked by the Hennessy chef David Fransoret, was served in the château's dining room, and was excellent: pan-fried skate with Montpellier butter on a fondue of truffled leeks - absolutely sublime, especially with the Château Reynon 2006 Sauvignon Blanc. Last May I was a speaker at the Winecreator conference in Ronda (see archive) and on the same platform was Denis Dubourdieu, owner and winemaker at Reynon, who is widely acknowledged as the 'king' of white Bordeaux. Main course was noisettes of roast lamb with a confit of shallots, baby carrots, green beans and potatoes vapeur. With this we had Château Peyrabon 1999, Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Médoc. The château is situated on the edge of Pauillac, and it shows in the wine, which was nearing its well-balanced maturity. Cheese followed the lamb, and then a crème brûlée with honey, saffron and petits-fours: all in all a splendid meal in a breathtaking setting.
After lunch the 'work' resumed with a visit to the cellars in Cognac itself, which straddle the river. The barrel cellars (which contain ancient Cognacs going back to 1900) are on the west side of the river, and we crossed by Hennessy launch to the east side for the tasting. This was an excellent range, with the samples 'cracked' where necessary to 40% abv which made them easier to taste than barrel-strength spirits. We tasted the new Fins Bois spirit 2007, then the 2002, a five-year-old, a 1983 Petite Champagne and a 1956 Grande Champagne. These last two were magnificent and yet, still, even after all this time with a flame licking around the finish. This was when I learned about blending and how ageing is not everything. The next sample was much smoother, elegant, balanced and rich, and made up of spirits from two to ten years old. In other words, much younger than the previous two. It pointed up just how important it is to have a mix of age, mellowness and freshness in the finished blend. Next up was a blend of four-to-15 year old spirits, which had real style, length and spice, and finally we tasted Hennessy XO - floral hints, violets, caramel and endless on the finish. It's made up of 100 different base Cognacs, aged from 10 to 20 years, and is a masterpiece of the blender's art. As our host remarked "it's not just a case of putting it in a barrel and waiting."
That evening there was a gala dinner at the town hall, but by this time my creaking joints were screaming for a rest, and I chickened out and had an early night. It was, by all accounts, a splendid affair with an ice bar and ice candlesticks and the Part des Anges charity auction of rare Cognacs. Vivienne Franks had had the bright idea of buying one of the lots and donating it to the Benevolent. We agreed a maximum of €400, but the cheapest lot (estimated in the catalogue at €150) went for €500, and from then on it was up, up and away. Meanwhile, I was tucking into a room-service steak-frites with a bottle of the red (Merlot) Vin de Pays des Charentes from the same house as the white we'd enjoyed at Hine: it was excellent, indeed the whole stay at this beautiful hotel was splendid. I got my early night (and nine hours' sleep!).
Lined up for the gala dinner, from left to right: Eleonora Scholes, Janet Burns (Accent PR), Sophie Kevany, Caspar Auchterlonie, Susan Hulme, Roshna Ahmad, Godfrey Spence,
Angela Reddin, Timo Jokinen, Vivienne Franks, Sandy Leckie.
Behind the camera: Steven Morris. In bed: me.
Ice candlesticks at the dinner. Pic.: Roshna Ahmad.
Visit to Hennessy - The Château de Bagnolet beggars description - six acres of immaculate lawns, topiaried hedges, lake and terraces outside, antiques, paintings, mahogany and fabrics inside: truly magnificent. We had the newly-launched 'Summit' cocktail - VSOP, lemonade, lime zest, fresh ginger and cucumber peel - which is intended to revitalise the cocktail market (very pleasant but still a waste of good Cognac in my humble opinion). We were hosted by Maurice Hennessy, the eighth generation of the family (although the company is now owned by LVMH), and Jean-Michel Cochet, Hennessy's 'ambassador'.
On the terrace at Château de Bagnolet with 'Summit' cocktail in hand: me, Eleonora Scholes, Godfrey Spence, Sandy Leckie, Caspar Auchterlonie, Vivienne Franks, Sophie Kevany, Angela Reddin, Jean-Michel Cochet, Roshna Ahmad, Maurice Hennessy, Susan Hulme, Timo Jokinen. Pic.: Steven MorrisLunch, cooked by the Hennessy chef David Fransoret, was served in the château's dining room, and was excellent: pan-fried skate with Montpellier butter on a fondue of truffled leeks - absolutely sublime, especially with the Château Reynon 2006 Sauvignon Blanc. Last May I was a speaker at the Winecreator conference in Ronda (see archive) and on the same platform was Denis Dubourdieu, owner and winemaker at Reynon, who is widely acknowledged as the 'king' of white Bordeaux. Main course was noisettes of roast lamb with a confit of shallots, baby carrots, green beans and potatoes vapeur. With this we had Château Peyrabon 1999, Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Médoc. The château is situated on the edge of Pauillac, and it shows in the wine, which was nearing its well-balanced maturity. Cheese followed the lamb, and then a crème brûlée with honey, saffron and petits-fours: all in all a splendid meal in a breathtaking setting.
After lunch the 'work' resumed with a visit to the cellars in Cognac itself, which straddle the river. The barrel cellars (which contain ancient Cognacs going back to 1900) are on the west side of the river, and we crossed by Hennessy launch to the east side for the tasting. This was an excellent range, with the samples 'cracked' where necessary to 40% abv which made them easier to taste than barrel-strength spirits. We tasted the new Fins Bois spirit 2007, then the 2002, a five-year-old, a 1983 Petite Champagne and a 1956 Grande Champagne. These last two were magnificent and yet, still, even after all this time with a flame licking around the finish. This was when I learned about blending and how ageing is not everything. The next sample was much smoother, elegant, balanced and rich, and made up of spirits from two to ten years old. In other words, much younger than the previous two. It pointed up just how important it is to have a mix of age, mellowness and freshness in the finished blend. Next up was a blend of four-to-15 year old spirits, which had real style, length and spice, and finally we tasted Hennessy XO - floral hints, violets, caramel and endless on the finish. It's made up of 100 different base Cognacs, aged from 10 to 20 years, and is a masterpiece of the blender's art. As our host remarked "it's not just a case of putting it in a barrel and waiting."
That evening there was a gala dinner at the town hall, but by this time my creaking joints were screaming for a rest, and I chickened out and had an early night. It was, by all accounts, a splendid affair with an ice bar and ice candlesticks and the Part des Anges charity auction of rare Cognacs. Vivienne Franks had had the bright idea of buying one of the lots and donating it to the Benevolent. We agreed a maximum of €400, but the cheapest lot (estimated in the catalogue at €150) went for €500, and from then on it was up, up and away. Meanwhile, I was tucking into a room-service steak-frites with a bottle of the red (Merlot) Vin de Pays des Charentes from the same house as the white we'd enjoyed at Hine: it was excellent, indeed the whole stay at this beautiful hotel was splendid. I got my early night (and nine hours' sleep!).
Lined up for the gala dinner, from left to right: Eleonora Scholes, Janet Burns (Accent PR), Sophie Kevany, Caspar Auchterlonie, Susan Hulme, Roshna Ahmad, Godfrey Spence,
Angela Reddin, Timo Jokinen, Vivienne Franks, Sandy Leckie.
Behind the camera: Steven Morris. In bed: me.
Ice candlesticks at the dinner. Pic.: Roshna Ahmad.
posted by John Radford at
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