It's no secret that we are super fans of François Voyer's cognacs with their signature style. From the start of our activities, a visit to Pierre Vaudon's cellars has felt like coming home. Knowledge, craftsmanship and transparency combined with a very good location of the vineyards (the terroir) ensure masterful cognacs. We already noticed this cask from '90 during a visit at the end of 2022. The thought of perhaps one day being able to bottle this cask made us very happy. The months that have passed have perfected the cask into a classy cognac, with refinement and real power. Pierre sused 50 liters of it in an old assemblage and the remaining 281 liters came to Belgium. Lucky us!
Tasting notes:
Nose: The balance of oak and the uber-fruity explosion is great! Very rich & intense. Papaya and pepper, apricot and Arabian jasmine.
Taste: Every drop reflects the depth of the past. Very rich and complex aromas. Powerful and soft at the same time. Sweet and salty, fruity and fresh.
Finish: Long finish with that explosion of fruit repeating over and over again. We have already tasted many Voyer's, this one is very exceptional! Pwow!
Label explanation:
L'age de ma femme, "my wife's age", an ode to Ysatis. A masterpiece of patience and care, colorful and perfect. Just like you Ysatis, distilled in 1990, refined and perfected over the years.
about the producer:
François Voyer’s 28 hectares of vineyards are located in the Grande Champagne region, the Premier Cru of Cognac, known for producing eaux-de-vie with aromatic power and qualities suitable for long-term aging. François Voyer Cognac is a family-run Cognac house that is passionate about every detail of its production.The cognac house François Voyer transferred to its cellar master and oenologist Pierre Vaudon in 2017 to perpetuate its identity.
Their cognacs develop the typical aromas as they age. The notes of pear, banana or even blackberry in the white eaux de vie are quickly complemented after distillation by the first aromas of oak from the barrels. This combination reveals floral aromas in the young cognacs, which then develop into fruity aromas (peaches, plums, apricots, walnuts and hazelnuts). The aging process leads to spicy (cinnamon, pepper) and complex notes (leather, incense, cedar).The vineyards are in Verrières and Ambleville, and cognac has been produced there since 1870. There is mainly Ugni blanc planted. But recently Folle Blanche was also reintroduced, for the first results we have to be patient.
10% to 20% of each harvest matures for 3 years in new barrels and then in old barrels to refine the aromas. For this, they use French oak from the Limousin region, but also from forests such as Bercée, Le Gâvre or Reno Valdieu. The natural atmosphere in the cellars is more or less humid and influences the finesse or suppleness of the bouquet. Moisture softens eaux de vie, while dry cellars refine them.Every year, 10,000 bottles evaporate from François Voyer’s cellars. In 1 hour, 1 liter of brandy evaporates from the stock. Through natural evaporation, these cognacs reach 40% full in 50 to 60 years. Distilled water is regularly added to the youngest blends. As a result, young, reduced cognacs will be less dense in flavor than old cognacs concentrated by natural evaporation.
The range is classic, with a range of younger expressions, as well as exceptionally old assemblages and vintage bottles. The House of Voyer cherishes traditional knowledge and has an enormous focus on perfectionism. This combined with hard work and you have an excellent match. Definitely one of our favorite cognac houses as they brilliantly manage to set the bar very high throughout the entire range and bottle absolute uncompromising and very recognizable quality.
