Grande Champagne Archives

Seguinot Réserve De La Famille Cognac

8th December 20257th December 2025Coldorak

We conclude our debut week of the Cognac-Expert 2025 Advent Calendar with a Seguinot Réserve de la Famille cognac. Though Seguinot represents a fresh addition to the More Drams portfolio, the house commands deep respect within Cognac circles – a distinction you’ll discover in our background section below. The calendar has delivered consistently very good expressions throughout this opening week, so let’s see if day 7’s pouch carries that momentum forward with one of Seguinot’s most treasured releases, the Réserve de la Famille.

Vallein Tercinier Lot 96 Cognac

6th December 20255th December 2025Coldorak

Day 5 of the Cognac-Expert advent calendar delivers a familiar name with a prestigious twist: a Vallein Tercinier Lot 96 Cognac. While we explored one of their Lot 96 single casks a few months back – a solid Fins Bois expression – this pouch elevates the game with Grande Champagne terroir, the crown jewel of cognac crus.

Landreau XXO Grande Champagne Cognac

5th December 20254th December 2025Coldorak

We continue the journey to Christmas with the fourth pouch of our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar, where we discovered the Landreau XXO Grande Champagne Cognac. A few months ago, we enjoyed the Landreau L’Âge D’Or, alongside the Maze Churchill Origine N°1 found in yesterday’s pouch (hence the absence of review yesterday). This time, the Landreau XXO offers a younger expression, giving us a chance to see if the same high quality carries through lower in their range.

Ragnaud Sabourin XXO Grande Champagne Cognac

Ragnaud Sabourin XXO Cognac

2nd December 20252nd December 2025Coldorak

We’re back to Cognac advent calendars for our second year, with this time again, the Cognac-Expert advent calendar. Before we start with the first cognac of this 2025 Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar, a Ragnaud Sabourin XXO Cognac, let me add a disclaimer, for transparency purposes. If you read my reviews last year, you saw that most of the cognacs were delicious or even utterly splendid, with just a few of them being of a lower level. But, once again, this was my own and humble opinion, based on my analysis and my preferences, so it’s not the Holy Word. If last year I had bought myself the advent calendar, I was lucky that this year it was sent to me by Cognac-Expert directly, with no strings attached. We were all clear that I would still write what I want and what I think, as I’ve always done, and as I plan to always do. Thanks again to Taylor at Cognac-Expert, who handled all that. It’s very appreciated! End of disclaimer, let’s crack on with the holy liquid that was in yesterday’s pouch!

Maze Churchill / Landreau / La Prenellerie Cognacs

25th June 202524th June 2025Coldorak

We reviewed three cognacs from the sample pack that Cognac-Expert sold a few weeks ago. This sample pack included six cognacs, and with today’s trio, we will have reviewed them all. In addition to today’s three cognacs, the pack contained Guynot Elégance, Bégaud Instant Rare, and Egreteau 80–81 B23. The last three cognacs we’re reviewing today are from Maze Churchill, Landreau, and La Prenellerie, with Authentic Spirits bottling the latter.

Laurichesse, Marancheville & Ragnaud Sabourin Grande Champagne Cognacs

5th May 202520th May 2025Coldorak

Today, we’re exploring three Grande Champagne cognacs: Laurichesse, Marancheville, and Ragnaud Sabourin. I must confess, my appreciation for cognac has been steadily growing. For a long time, I was so captivated by whisky that other spirits seemed dull in comparison, lacking the depth and complexity of flavours. However, over the past six to twelve months, I’ve delved deeper into cognac, learning to distinguish between the different crus and even recognizing them blind sometimes. I realise now that I was mistaken to overlook cognac before; it’s a remarkable spirit with a rich history that whisky can’t always match. Now, let’s see how these three cognacs measure up. I haven’t researched their ages beforehand, so we’ll taste them in order of increasing ABV.

Famille Cabanne Lot 24 Cognac

5th January 20253rd January 2025Coldorak

A century. That’s the age of this Grande Champagne cognac. A century is a period of 100 years, a significant unit of time that allows us to reflect on historical, cultural, and scientific advancements. The term comes from the Latin word centum, meaning ‘hundred’. Centuries are often used to measure the progress of civilisations, identify eras, and study the impact of human activity on the world. For instance, the 20th century (1901–2000) and the 21st century (2001-present) have been marked by extraordinary changes and developments, shaping the modern era. Let’s reflect quickly on what has happened since 1924, when this Famille Cabanne Lot 24 Cognac was distilled, three generations ago.

François Voyer Hors d’Âge Cognac

25th December 202414th February 2025Coldorak

For our final dram – already unfortunately – in our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar, we have a François Voyer Hors d’Âge Cognac, from the Grande Champagne cru. The Chauchet-Voyer family has cultivated their vineyard since the French Revolution in the villages of Verrières and Ambleville, in the Grande Champagne region, renowned for Cognac production. In the late 19th century, Paul André was among the few winemakers distilling their own harvest rather than selling it, leaving behind a legacy that includes numerous old eaux-de-vie and a Paradise filled with 1er cru de Cognac eaux-de-vie.

François Voyer Cognac is made exclusively from Grande Champagne grapes, with the family vineyard of 8 hectares, distilling and bottling in-house to ensure quality and preserve tradition. Their expertise has been passed down for five generations since 1870. Dedicated to sustainable farming, François Voyer was one of the first estates to earn the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) certification, awarded by the BNIC after a thorough audit.

Their family estate is shared between Grande Champagne’s 1st Cru of Cognac and Fins Bois Cru, and the estate has been entrusted to its current cellar master, Pierre Vaudon, and the winemaking embodied by Anne-Marie Vaudon, to continue its legacy for years to come.

Hardy Noces de Perle Cognac

24th December 202424th December 2024Coldorak

The penultimate cognac in our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar is a 30-year-old Hardy Noces de Perle Cognac. Cognac Hardy, established in 1863 by British-born Anthony Hardy, is a testament to passion and resilience in the cognac world. After relocating to France and embracing French culture – adopting the name Antoine and the rooster as his emblem – Hardy earned a stellar reputation for his dedication to Fine Champagne cognac, evidenced by awards such as the 1869 Diploma of Excellence at the Amsterdam Exhibition. Despite challenges like the devastating phylloxera outbreak in the late 19th century, Hardy preserved sufficient reserves to rebuild and expand globally. Over generations, leadership passed through family hands, with each era bringing innovation and market growth. Notable milestones include the invention of ‘Anniversary’ cognacs in 1960, marked by the creation of iconic decanters like Noces de Perle (30 years) and Noces d’Albâtre (75 years). Under Jacques Hardy’s leadership, the company extended its reach to new continents. He retired in 1999, and the company name changed from A. Hardy et Cie to Cognac Hardy.

Marancheville GC30 Cognac

19th December 202418th December 2024Coldorak

On the 18th day of our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar, we found a Marancheville GC30 Cognac. In the early 2000s, brothers-in-law Grégoire Lucas and Laurent Nedelec moved their families to Cognac to work in the family distillery. It didn’t take long for them to become deeply passionate about the industry. While the distillery’s primary focus remains producing eaux-de-vie for some of the biggest names in Cognac, in 2012, they decided to launch their own small range of cognacs under their own label — thus, Marancheville Cognac was born.

Drawing on decades of family experience and a strong network of Cognac professionals, Laurent and Grégoire sought advice and expertise to help create the brand and its cognacs. Though distillation for major houses remains their core business, these cognac merchants and winegrowers dedicate significant time, effort, and skill to developing their own range.