I see 4x 1987 Armagnac. got one in mind?
Domaine du Cardinat
Alan, if you are going to buy an '87 you should really, really buy the Baraillon that they have. Vintage (1982) Domaine de Baraillon is the first serious brandy I ever tried back when a buddy of mine used to work at a wine bar. It is truly excellent stuff. I’ve had '82, '83, '84 and I believe '86, and each was excellent, but '87 is supposedly the best vintage of that run ('82 also strong I believe).
I’ve not had the Cardinat. They also have an '87 Jean-Bon. Last year I bought the '96 and '99 Jean-Bon and much preferred the '99. The '96 tasted a bit tired, so that would make me worry about the '87, but that could be vintage or bottle variation as well. In any case, they’re probably all quite nice, but I grabbed some '87 Baraillon and it took some self control not to buy several.
Anyone try the Kirkland XO? Should I be ashamed to say I really like it. And it’s a steal at $49.00
You can get the tesseron 90 for $57…
Just finished a bottle of Marie Duffeau Napoleon Armagnac; my go-to.
I picked up some grangerie Armagnac, we’ll see how it is.
]A couple of bottles on the bubble added a couple of Marc as well):
On a recent trip to France, I paid up for a fancy tour of Otard, and ended up buying a bottle of their Baron Otard 1972 Cognac Petite Champagne. I shared a glass with a friend the other day–astoundingly good stuff.
Does anyone know anything about Jean Cavé Armagnac? Good apes just offered a bunch of old ones.
Edit: just noticed the great auto-correct above 
“Good apes” should be Grapes (Wine Co).
Awesome! Just purchased the 87 for a friend’s 30th birthday. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
damnit, now I must buy one next time I’m at Costco.
It isn’t life changing, but it is easy drinking and a tremendous value. These are perfect for scratching the casual cognac itch, I’m going to grab a few more.
The “Larressingle X.O. Armagnac Grande Reserve”. Extraordinary.
Cheers!
Michael (if you see this), I did buy the 87, finally drinking it now. Honestly, it’s a bit too strong for my tastes. Now I’m wondering if it’s completely gauche to drop a bit of ice in for dilution. ABV says 43%, so not extremely high, but between the alc and a bit of rusticity, it’s a tough drink.
Advice for a beginner… I’m into all whiskeys, tequila, mezcal, and gin, but I’ve never really tried cognac.
Where do you recommend someone begins?
I am a big fan of the Tesseron Lot 29. Unfortunately, the prices has continued to increase. When I first bought it cost was $215 per bottle. It is now up over $600 in my market.
I think the Tesseron line is a good one to start with. 90 and 76 are well priced.
I bought a 1964 Leon Beyries “La Hauresse” Armagnac from K&L a few months ago (my wife’s birth year), and we opened it tonight. We like it a lot - very smooth with lots of creme brûlée, vanilla, chocolate, leather, and dried fruit, but our kids (19 and 25) gave mixed reviews:
Thing 1 (25): “I can smell the chocolate and vanilla, but also the rubbing alcohol.”
Thing 2 (19): “It smells like nail polish remover.”
A handful of years ago, Tesseron was fairly priced. Not sure if it was the Parker scores or what, but prices have taken off – which is a bummer as I really like the house.
Loaded up on a bunch L’Encantada Armagnacs awhile back, should last me a good while.