Jean Grosperrin
Cognac de Collection Jean Grosperrin – Artisanal Vintages -
Jean Grosperrin worked as a cognac broker in the Cognac region. A broker in eaux-de-vie plays a very discreet yet strategic role between the producer and the buyer. His job is to evaluate the quality of the eaux-de-vie and to introduce interested parties to each other. His profession takes him to many cellars to estimate the value of different batches, among which there are sometimes some very old cognacs. Practically all vine growers distill their own harvest and they usually conserve, as former generations have done before them, some barrels of cognac in their cellars.
These family treasures are very rarely up for sale and the transactions are very confidential. It is these cognacs, sometimes very atypical with strong personalities that Jean and his son Guilhem (since 2004) seek to obtain in all of the appellations of Cognac. “I am particularly attracted to these small batches of rare cognacs which bear witness to an era now past, when vines were cultivated using horses and when the art of distillation made the vine grower spend all day and all night next to the alembic to control the intensity of the flames and the cooling vapours.” Many of the oldest cognacs have lost up to 80% of their initial volume as a result of natural evaporation.
In the Cognac district of Charente we call this the “angels’ share”. The philosophy is to keep these batches intact, without blending them with others. I leave them in their original barrels and the oldest ones in glass demi-johns. These vintage cognacs are stocked in a Government-controlled warehouse in Cognac and in their own cellars, where they are carefully supervised by officials. This allows to guarantee their age. Their preparation and bottling are carried out under the supervision of official bailiffs. The French laws concerning cognac, as restrictive as they may be in matters of age and vintage, have allowed the company to acquire an incredible collection of exceptional products. This collection is currently the equivalent of more than 81,500 bottles, dating from 1991 all the way back to World War II. All these cognacs have the necessary guarantees of quality and authenticity. Each bottle tells its own story and will take you back to a place where time has stood still for decades, resulting in the exceptional product that you are going to taste. The Cognac de Collection Jean Grosperrin are sold in the best establishments in France and by exclusive and select importers in a score of other countries. They are regularly hailed by the French and international press.
Jean Grosperrin - N° 22 Grande Champagne
Les Trésors de La Gabare
The quality of this cognac is divine and the only possibility to offer it to the market was to blend it with another cognac to rise the degree. We did this with our Grande Champagne N° 24 and the alcohol content is now 40%.
Jean Grosperrin - N° 24 Grande Champagne
Les Trésors de La Gabare
“Dark colour, very sweet and mature nose, dried fruits, prunes, sweet chocolate pralines and some hints of dried flowers, very complex, the palate has good bite, very distinct, an aged sweetness, leather and nutty aromas, really long and rich aftertaste, complex”, Andreas Larsson, 2008.
Awarded **** by La Revue des Vins de France (France, 2006).
Awarded 92/100 by Livets Goda (Sweden, 2008).
Jean Grosperrin - N° 67 Fins Bois
Collection Cognac
Expressive, mushroom and mocha nose. Powerful and oily on the palate, notes of wood, liquorice. Generous and rich finish, slightly peppery. Rather rustic character.
Rough from cask.
Jean Grosperrin -1944- Bons Bois
Collection Cognac – Artisan Vintage
Awarded 94/100 by Livets Goda (Sweden, 2008).
Unusual in this “cru” because of its lightness and its density. An astonishing vitality, smooth and round with a prune mouthfeel that will stay in your memory for a long time. The "petits crus" have also their wonders!
Rough from cask.
Jean Grosperrin -1944- Grande Champagne
Collection Cognac – Artisan Vintage
Same origin and history as the 1944 FINS BOIS. The feminine softness of the Grande Champagne area is confirmed here. Give it time to reveal itself; you will discover a delicate union between the stripped tannins of its roughness and the refinement of the flavours of the cognac.
Rough from cask.
Jean Grosperrin -1965- Petite Champagne
Collection Cognac – Artisan Vintage
Do you remember the Petite Champagne 1962 at 62.8°? This batch from 1965 was produced by the same person, distilled in the same alambic and aged in the same cellar. Like those of 1961, 1962 and 1964, this cognac comes from a family who has been located close to the village of Châteauneuf for nearly 80 years. This remarkable cognac was distilled in an old still of 10 HL powered by coal briquette. The records were particularly well kept and they were confirmed by C14 dating.
Jean Grosperrin -1968- Fins Bois
Collection Cognac – Artisan Vintage
"Very clear colour. The nose is very peppery and lemony, with later notes of violet and coffee and then of smoke. It is light and fresh, very slightly rough, and savoury on the palate, with the alcohol still sensible, and a constantly present mineral texture. It is a very fine product resulting from Fins Bois in calcareous soil. A discrete, secret and fine cognac," Le Rouge et le Blanc, 2001.
Reduced.
Jean Grosperrin -1970- Grande Champagne
Collection Cognac – Artisan Vintage
Same origin as the Grande Champagne 1980 and 1971. This batch was aged in a very old ORECO warehouse located in Fins Bois. Some barrels were reduced, others were not.
Reduced.
Jean Grosperrin -1971- Grande Champagne (réduit)
Collection Cognac – Artisan Vintage
"A straightforward cognac," Saveurs, France, 2006. "Elegant nose with notes of hazelnut, chocolate, plum, and cigar box. Very lovely on the palate, fine structure with a nice freshness, mature flavours. Long and complex finish," Andreas Larsson, 2008. Excellent maturity and a certain fullness. The powerfulness of Grande Champagne combines with the maturity of ageing. A cognac to savour over a long time, sip by sip, eyes closed, in the tranquil peace of a late afternoon of November (…). Pure pleasure! Sommelier International, 2009.
Reduced.
Jean Grosperrin -1971- Grande Champagne Raw from cask
Collection Cognac – Artisan Vintage
2009 release coming from the last unreduced cask! 65°2 of pure happiness with an extraordinary aromatic power. “Sparkling” nose-feel, with some notes of crystallized orange and spices, strong floral presence (jasmine, honeysuckle). Oily feeling in mouth in spite of the strong alcoholic level, surprisingly cooling. The plenitude of the ageing is at its maximum intensity on this non-reduced version. Finishes very long, with a return of spices. Very well-balanced cognac, for aficionados and cognac lovers.
