I had a seven-cognac dinner. It was reminiscent of my 11-Champagne lunch. The event was hosted by Delamain, the venerable French cognac house, to promote the arrival of Le Voyage: very old eau-de-vie cognac in a crystal Baccarat decanter, housed in a custom-made leather valise. Only 500 were made and the price tag is $6,500. Every now and again a cognac house will create something rare and expensive to pop the brand into view. It is the spirits equivalent of Louis Vuitton's Murakami handbags. I delayed posting until it became available in the US (seems the import paperwork took a while). It is currently on the shelves at Zachys in NY and SF.
The dinner was quite interesting and educational, in as much as a meal fueled by so much alcohol can be. I learned that...
- All cognac producers buy from the same negociants and growers, meaning everyone is working with the same base ingredients. The differences come in the aging.
- Unlike wine, you never judge cognac by the color nor do you swirl before drinking. If you see someone doing either with great flourish they are not an expert but a poser.
- Side-by-side tasting is always revelatory.
- I do like cognac after all.
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