Fanny Fougerat Cognac is a small, independent house founded in 2013 by Fanny Fougerat, who represents the fourth generation of her family to work as winegrowers and distillers. Unlike previous generations, who sold their eaux-de-vie to major Cognac houses, Fanny decided to bottle her own Cognac, focusing on expressing the character of her vineyards in Borderies and Fins Bois. She produces single-parcel, non-blended cognacs in order to highlight the terroir and showcase freshness, finesse, and precision (her words). Her approach aims to offer a transparent and distinctive alternative to the traditional image of Cognac, with each release labelled by barrel and bottle number. We review today an older release: the Fanny Fougerat Le Notoire Cognac.
Fanny Fougerat Le Notoire Très Vieux Fins Bois Cognac (2022) Review
Fanny Fougerat’s Le Notoire is a very old Fins Bois Cognac, distilled from the 1976 and/or 1977 harvests and bottled in 2022 as part of Fanny Fougerat’s Hors-Série range. This Cognac, made entirely from Ugni Blanc and aged more than 40 years, comes in at 44.8% ABV. The French oak cask produced 680 bottles. Most shops have sold out, as this release came out a couple of years ago, but ‘Jus de Goutte’ still offers it for €159 a bottle.
Colour:
Apricot
Nose:
Neat: The nose offers fruity notes of apricots and peaches, with Granny Smith apples adding some tartness. Spices such as cinnamon and pepper support the fruit, whilst hints of wood remain in the background.
Palate:
Neat: On the palate, the wood stands out more, bringing spice, mainly pepper. The fruitiness continues but this time with grapefruit and peaches in syrup. Hazelnuts add a dry nuttiness, and the mouthfeel feels velvety.
Finish:
The finish is long, with hazelnuts, a light citrus tang, and wood spices.
Comments:
The nose is elegant and gentle, which is typical for a Fins Bois Cognac. The palate develops from this, though the fruit notes differ from those on the nose and include hazelnuts for a dry nuttiness. Fanny Fougerat Le Notoire is a very good cognac that shows clear Fins Bois character and displays the usual hallmarks of the region.
Rating: 7/10
Thanks Antoine!