Today we explore five Prunier cask strength vintage cognacs, moving from Fins Bois to Borderies to Petite Champagne, with vintages ranging from 1978 to 1994 harvests.
Early last year, a good friend introduced me to the Prunier Cognac house when he shared the last of his 1979 Prunier cognac, bottled by The Whisky Jury, during an SMWS tasting in Paris on my birthday. A few days later, back home near Rennes, I tried the cognac and was amazed by its quality, bursting with tropical fruits. I spent days searching the Internet for another bottle but unfortunately found none. Fast forward to December 2024, and I discovered a Prunier Horizon in my Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar. Although not as tropical, it was equally stunning with vibrant fruitiness.
When I planned a trip to Cognac in February to visit distilleries and merchants, I made sure to include Prunier. Though they don’t typically welcome visitors, I arranged to spend an afternoon with Alice Burnez as an on-trade visitor, thanks to my own company, Whisky Sans Souci. Alice gave me a wonderful tour, explaining the history of their house and showing me their cellars and the process of hand-waxing and sealing bottles with a wire cage and painted lead seals.
Alice and her sister Claire prepared a large lineup of bottles for me to try. As we worked through the samples, I couldn’t stay longer, so they kindly provided me with samples from the rest of the lineup to review later with a fresh palate. I left Prunier with five cask strength vintage cognac samples (and purchased a stunning bottle of a vintage 1979 and some branded glasses). Now, it’s time to review them!
Prunier Vintage 1994 Vintage Fins Bois Cognac (2019) Review
We begin with a Prunier 1994 Fins Bois, bottled in March 2019 and distilled from a 1994 harvest. It matured in old 400-litre oak casks (likely just two, possibly three), yielding 550 bottles at an impressive 59.9% ABV. About €300 a bottle in France, directly from Prunier’s website or at Cognac-Expert, or £278 in the UK at The Whisky Exchange, for instance.
Colour:
Chestnut.
Nose:
Neat: Initially a bit closed, it may require time in the glass. The first nose reveals orangey notes of triple sec, lacquered exotic woods like sandalwood and cedar, and cinnamon. Despite the high ABV, it doesn’t burn the nostrils. After aeration, blond tobacco, hints of poppy, and nutmeg emerge.
With water: Adding four drops to 1 centilitre of cognac reduces fruitiness, emphasising wood notes. Four more drops bring out saffron and cumin, along with tangerines.
Palate:
Neat: Woody at first, with alcohol heat, but tangy flavours quickly appear, including bitter orange and grapefruit. Light hints of passion fruit, leather, and saffron follow, though woodiness persists, accompanied by bitter notes of very dark chocolate and robusta coffee.
With water: Four drops in 1 centilitre of cognac make little difference. Adding four more drops enhances tanginess initially, then lacquered wood and a touch of spice return.
Finish:
Bright at first, but bitter wood notes return with a peppery finish.
Comments:
This Prunier 1994 Fins Bois cognac is not the easiest or brightest, but it exemplifies typical Fins Bois characteristics. Reduction unlocks its brightness and fruitiness, so experimenting with the pipette will help you find your preferred balance between tangy and woody aromas and flavours. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough left to explore further, but it appears this cognac handles reduction well, earning it a 7 rating.
Rating: 7/10
Prunier Vintage 1994 Borderies (2021) Review
Next is another 1994 Prunier. Distilled from the 1994 harvest in the Borderies cru, it matured in old 400 L oak casks and was bottled in July 2021. The casks yielded 540 bottles at 58.3% ABV. Prunier and Cognac-Expert websites price it around €400, and The Whisky Exchange in the UK lists it at £363.
Colour:
Burnished.
Nose:
Neat: Very intense, with a notable difference from the Fins Bois despite being 1.6% ABV lower. Pink grapefruit, cedar, and sandalwood dominate, accompanied by nutmeg, clove, and hints of saffron and cumin.
With water: Sharper and more mineral, with notes of pebbles and limestone, and whispers of floral aromas.
Palate:
Neat: Tangy notes lead, featuring oranges, grapefruit, and prickly lemon-flavoured candy. Dark chocolate balances the citrus with wood tannins, coconut husk, dried espresso crema, and a slightly ashy mouthfeel.
With water: Offers a creamy mouthfeel, with blood oranges, hints of mustard seeds, crystallised mango, and nasturtium petals.
Finish:
Evokes chocolate biscuits with a bitter orange filling, accompanied by nutmeg and cloves, with a medium length.
Comments:
Ranking this Prunier 1994 Borderies against the Fins Bois from the same vintage proves challenging. The Borderies offers a wider and wilder profile, with greater intensity and more contrasting flavours and aromas. However, I don’t find it more enjoyable than the Fins Bois. It handles water just as well, so I’ll give it the same rating.
Rating: 7/10
Prunier Vintage 1978 Borderies (2016) Review
We remain in Borderies but travel back in time, as we now sample a 1978 Vintage, bottled in October 2016. This vintage matured in smaller 350 L casks for around 38 years, yielding 680 bottles at 52.8% ABV. Prunier and Cognac-Expert price a bottle at around €400–440, and for the UK, The Whisky Exchange sells it at £337.
Colour:
Tawny.
Nose:
Neat: Hazelnuts, light rancio, honey, and orange blossom water present initially, with a touch of sharpness. Nutmeg and saffron hints follow, along with a couple of drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
With water: Unfortunately, the nose becomes a bit shy with a few drops of water.
Palate:
Neat: Nice honey sweetness and beeswax lead, with citrusy tanginess. Nutmeg and saffron from the nose return to the palate, accompanied by cocoa and hazelnuts. Dry wood and leather (the flesh side) also appear.
With water: Four drops of water in 1 cl of cognac initially thin the mouthfeel, but icing sugar, oranges, grapefruit, more wax, a little mustard, and pepper emerge.
Finish:
Woody notes take the forefront, followed by almonds covered in dark chocolate. Clementines appear after some time.
Comments:
While neat, the nose is really nice, the palate unfortunately feels a bit more fragile, especially compared to the 1994 Borderies. Reduction enhances the palate (the impact on the mouthfeel is briefly negative before waxiness comes back stronger), but it closes the nose. Overall a really good cognac, but not as much as the others reviewed today.
Rating: 6.5/10
Prunier Vintage 1989 Petite Champagne (2017) Review
For the final two cognacs today, we explore the Petite Champagne cru, beginning with a Prunier 1989 Vintage Petite Champagne, bottled in February 2017. It matured in 400-litre casks, yielding 610 bottles at 58.9% ABV. Prunier and Cognac-Expert price it around 360–400€ in France, while The Whisky Exchange offers it for £313 in the UK.
Colour:
Burnished.
Nose:
Neat: The nose starts with oranges and pears, and there’s a lovely nuttiness with walnut cake, hazelnuts and almonds. Candle wax and wood polish. Light spices, with distant nutmeg and saffron. In the background, figs and brown toasts, and a very soft rancio leaning towards mustiness.
With water: A bit of varnish, hints of prunes, some more hazelnuts, and some kind of oak dustiness (oak sawdust?)
Palate:
Neat: The alcohol is well present with a little bite at first, but it stays in check. Tobacco and chocolate, oak, white truffle, butterscotch and hints of orange peel. After the initial attack, it really changes to bring some finesse and elegance. Peppers and cigar leaves, wax and more dark chocolate.
With water: It’s sweeter now, but also more astringent. Reduction woke up some wood tannins but also brought brown sugar and whisky (or, I guess, Cognac, in this case!) flavoured fudge.
Finish:
Mustard seeds, nutmeg and pepper, butterscotch and unlit cigar, hints of vanilla pods and some Grand-Marnier, for a long finish with a lovely light astringency drying the cheeks and the lower gums.
Comments:
Beautiful petite champagne, with many elements showing a common signature with the previous Prunier we just tried, but this Prunier 1989 Vintage Petite Champagne adds some butterscotch, some sweetness and a light astringency that elevates it a good step higher than the other cognacs so far. Great one.
Rating: 8/10
Prunier vintage 1987 Petite Champagne (2020) Review
Lastly, we conclude this session with a Prunier 1987 Vintage Petite Champagne Cognac, bottled in May 2020. They filled just 400 bottles from 400 L casks at cask strength, reaching 56.5% ABV. In Europe, Prunier and Cognac-Expert offer it for around €380 to €410, while The Whisky Exchange prices it at £318 in the UK.
Colour:
Russet
Nose:
Neat: Orange peel, apricot almonds, raspberries, and floral aromas of lilac and lily present initially, with a slight varnish sharpness from the alcohol.
With Water: Dusty oak shelves and freshly emptied flowerpots with remnants of earth and compost emerge, followed by more orange peel.
Palate:
Neat: Lacquered woods, liquorice sticks, butterscotch, vanilla pods, cumin, and nutmeg appear, along with caramel-flavoured cough syrup. Tannins provide a soft astringency.
With Water: Triple sec, Bénédictine liqueur, and brown sugar dominate, with a few drops of grapefruit and lemon juice.
Finish:
Citrusy pepperiness appears, accompanied by exotic woods, spices, dark chocolate, and a hint of saltiness, resulting in a long and surprising finish.
Comments:
This Petite Champagne offers a unique experience, with raspberries and flowers on the nose when neat, and intriguing empty flowerpot aromas after reduction. Reduction also brings out Bénédictine on the palate. The finish is most distinctive, introducing new flavours and a surprising saltiness. I still have some of this Prunier 1987 Vintage Petite Champagne in my sample bottle, and I’ll be sure to savour it.