Winervana Blog Posts

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Monnet VS Cognac

Monnet VS Cognac.
Monnet VS Cognac. Click here for tasting notes.

Monnet VS Cognac

Maison Monnet is one of those Cognac houses that is much better known in Europe than in the United States. It has a legitimate historical pedigree, an unusually interesting connection to European history, and a recognizable house style built around fruit, flowers, warmth, and softness rather than aggressive oak. Monnet itself describes this as its “sunny” style.

The house traces its origins to 1838, but the business that became Monnet actually began as the Société des Propriétaires Vinicoles de Cognac, a cooperative organized by Pierre-Antoine de Salignac and local growers. Jean-Gabriel Monnet took control in 1897, and the J.-G. Monnet name began appearing as a brand shortly thereafter. Continue reading “Monnet VS Cognac”

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Bache Gabrielsen VS Cognac

Bache Gabrielsen VS Tre Kors Cognac.
Bache Gabrielsen VS Tre Kors Cognac. Click here for tasting notes.

Bache Gabrielsen VS Tre Kors Cognac

Bache Gabrielsen VS Tre Kors (“Three Crosses”) is a particularly interesting VS because there’s a genuine story behind the name, and the Cognac itself is more characterful than I’d expect from a basic VS [Very Special].

Bache Gabrielsen is unusual among Cognac houses because its roots are Norwegian rather than French. Thomas Bache-Gabrielsen came to Cognac from Norway in 1903, at about age 20, initially to develop his family’s wine-and-spirits business. He met his future wife Odette, the daughter of local winegrowers, and decided to remain in France. In 1905, Thomas and fellow Norwegian Peter Rustad bought the existing Cognac house A. Edmond Dupuy, which dated to 1852. That became Maison Bache Gabrielsen. (The origin story of Bache Gabrielsen is curiously similar to that of the Cognac house founded by Jens Reidar Larsen.)

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Brandy vs. Cognac. What’s the difference?

Brandy vs. CognacBrandy vs. Cognac

Cognac is a type of brandy, but brandy is the much larger category. The simplest analogy is: Cognac is to brandy what Champagne is to sparkling wine.

What exactly is brandy?

Brandy is a spirit distilled from fermented fruit, most commonly grapes. The word comes from the Dutch brandewijn, meaning “burned wine”—wine concentrated by distillation. Continue reading “Brandy vs. Cognac. What’s the difference?”

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Fédéral VSOP Brandy

Trésor Fédéral VSOP.
Trésor Fédéral VSOP. Click here for tasting notes.

Trésor Fédéral VSOP Brandy

Trésor Fédéral VSOP is an entry-level Moldovan grape brandy that has only recently appeared in the U.S. market. It isn’t widely known among brandy enthusiasts, and there is relatively little publicly available information compared with established brandy names like St-Rémy, Torres, or a slew of Cognac producers. Here’s what I pieced together from importer information, retailers, and Moldovan brandy traditions.

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Larsen Aqua Ignis Cognac

Larsen Aqua Ignis Cognac.
Larsen Aqua Ignis Cognac. Click here for tasting notes.

Larsen Aqua Ignis Cognac

Larsen is one of Cognac’s more distinctive houses—not because it is one of the oldest, but because it combines a Nordic heritage with a very elegant, fruit-driven Cognac style. While houses such as Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin, and Courvoisier trace their roots back to the 18th century, Larsen was founded in 1926 by a Norwegian adventurer, making it a relative newcomer with an unusually international identity. Continue reading “Larsen Aqua Ignis Cognac”

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Ferrand 1840 Cognac

Ferrand Cognac 1840 Original Formula.
Ferrand Cognac 1840 Original Formula. Click here for tasting notes.

Ferrand Cognac 1840 Original Formula

Cognac has been sold under the Ferrand name since the 18th century, spanning 10 generations of producers, beginning with the birth of the first Elie Ferrand in the small town of Segonzac in 1630 (nine more Elies would follow).  In 1989, Alexandre Gabriel partnered with Pierre Ferrand, the living heir of the family, to develop a line of Cognacs.  Once Pierre Ferrand retired in 1993, Gabriel became sole proprietor. Continue reading “Ferrand 1840 Cognac”

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Carlos I Brandy

Carlos I Brandy de Jerez Solera Gran Reserva.
Carlos I Brandy de Jerez Solera Gran Reserva. Click here for tasting notes.

Carlos I Brandy de Jerez Solera Gran Reserva

If Cognac represents the pinnacle of French grape brandy, Carlos I Brandy de Jerez is one of Spain’s great answers to it. Produced by Bodegas Osborne, it is arguably the flagship premium Brandy de Jerez, and has done more than almost any other brand to elevate Spanish brandy from an everyday digestif to a world-class sipping spirit.

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St. Rémy Signature Brandy

St. Rémy Signature French Brandy.
St. Rémy Signature French Brandy. Click here for tasting notes.

St. Rémy Signature French Brandy

Rémy Martin is one of the world’s oldest and best known Cognac brands, with selections that range, at my local liquor store at least, from the $13 St. Remy French brandy to the $9000 Rémy Martin Louis XIII Time Collection: City of Lights – 1900.  (I have tried one of these, but not both.)

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Pizza Marengo

Pizza Marengo

Chicken Marengo was created by Napoleon’s cook, Dundand, at Marengo, a small town in the Piedmont region of Italy.  Napoléon had just defeated the Austrians on June 14, 1800, and, so the story goes, was famished. Dundand, however, had very little to work with, the commissary having been left behind because Napoléon was in hot pursuit. So he foraged around and came up with some chicken, tomatoes, garlic , and crayfish–some fried eggs got in the picture somewhere, too.

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Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV

Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV.
Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV. Click here for tasting notes.

Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV

Few Champagne houses combine elegance, history, and consistency as successfully as Taittinger. Among the Grandes Marques, it has long stood apart for one defining reason: its unusually high proportion of Chardonnay, which gives virtually every wine in its portfolio a lighter, finer, and more graceful personality than many competitors. If Bollinger is muscular, Krug profound, and Pol Roger aristocratic, Taittinger is often described as the most elegant and refined of the major houses.

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Roederer Estate Apple Valley

<a href="#taste">Roederer Estate Apple Valley 2021.
Roederer Estate Apple Valley 2021. Click here for tasting notes.

Roederer Estate Apple Valley Vineyard 2021 

Louis Roederer [Road-ur-ur], a distinguished champagne producer situated in Reims, France, traces its origins back to 1776, when it began as Dubois Père & Fils. While its early days were marked by still wine production, the focus soon evolved to embrace the art of crafting fine champagnes. The business underwent a transformation under the stewardship of Louis Roederer in 1833 when he inherited the company and also renamed it for himself.  He boldly ventured into international markets, focusing particularly on Russia. This endeavor gained him immense recognition, including from Tsar Nicolas II, who appointed Louis Roederer as the official wine provider to the Imperial Court of Russia.

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Gran Gala VS Cognac

Gran Gala VS Cognac.
Gran Gala VS Cognac. Click here for tasting notes.

Gran Gala VS Cognac

Is this one of the best bargains in French brandy? Maybe. Maybe not.

When most spirits enthusiasts hear the name Gran Gala, they immediately think of the popular Italian orange liqueur often compared to Grand Marnier. What many drinkers don’t realize is that Gran Gala also produces an authentic French cognac—a surprisingly affordable bottle. At a time when many well-known cognac brands command prices of $40, $50, or significantly more for their entry-level offerings, Gran Gala VS often sells for less than $25. That price alone makes it worthy of a closer look.

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Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2021

Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2021
Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2021. Click here for tasting notes.
Patz & Hall Chardonnay

For more than three decades, Patz & Hall has occupied a special place among California’s elite Chardonnay producers. Founded in 1988 by Donald Patz, James Hall, Anne Moses, and Heather Patz, the winery built its reputation not through vast estate holdings, but through long-standing relationships with some of the finest vineyard owners in Sonoma County and beyond. Long before vineyard-designated wines became fashionable, Patz & Hall was showcasing the unique personalities of celebrated sites such as Hyde Vineyard, Durell Vineyard, Gap’s Crown Vineyard, Dutton Ranch, and Zio Tony Ranch.

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