Paulet VSOP Cognac

Honeyed fruits. Some floral notes. Light bodied, but water adds an oily texture.

Prunes, caramel & toffee, aged oak tannins, clove, grassy caraway, licorice, Meyer lemon, poached pears, golden apples, white peach. Orchard fruits, coffee, white chocolate and french oak pepper linger awhile. A tad too thin.

Aromas are very oaky with bright fruits. Pineapple. Grape. Pear. Apple. Cherry. Hints of alcohol. Flavors lean more toward fruit than wood. Alcohol is right where it should be.

Nose - sweet grape, butterscotch, plum, fig, floral notes, vanilla, yeast, brown sugar, allspice, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - metallic grape, caramel, vanilla, bitter herbal notes, yeast, spoiled meat, clove, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast with grape, baking spice, and bitter herb flavors. This is a step up from the VS, albeit a very small one. The nose is definitely better. I might even be able to identify it as a cognac if I didn’t know beforehand. There’s nothing particularly objectionable here, other than the fact that it’s rather bright and not well integrated. Once again, things take a bad turn with the palate, however not quite as bad as with its younger counterpart. Some of the same bready, industrial spoiled meat notes arise, along with the familiar off putting bitterness. While this is better than the VS, it’s also priced higher, which once again places Paulet firmly in pass territory. While it will probably suffice as a mixer, there are better options to be found.

Very good. Port like nose, hints of toffee, caramel. Palate: Nutty, burnt caramel, hint of molasses. Happy with it.