Full Review

Abecassis

Abecassis
1er Cru VSOP Cognac, Grande Champagne

Category: VSOP Cognac

Date Tasted:
Country: France
Alcohol: 40%
94 Points
Gold Medal
Exceptional
$62

Abecassis
1er Cru VSOP Cognac, Grande Champagne

Category: VSOP Cognac

Date Tasted:
Country: France
Alcohol: 40%
Medium amber color. Aromas and flavors of dried cherry, black walnut, vanilla panettone, and chocolate covered candied orange with a round, lively, dry medium body and a tingling, engaging, medium-long finish with suggestions of plum, baked apple, walnut and baked red berries, and saddle leather. Outperforms the VSOP category with the elegance, depth, and integration found in the glass; if you enjoy Gran Napoleon or XO Cognac this is a value grab for sure.

Tasting Info

Spirits Glass Style: Rich & Full
Aroma Aroma: dried cherry, black walnut, vanilla panettone, and chocolate covered candied orange
Taste Flavor: Same as aromas with suggestions of plum, baked apple, walnut and baked red berries, and saddle leather
Smoothness Smoothness: Tingling
Enjoy Enjoy: in cocktails, neat, with cigars and with drops of water
Cocktail Cocktails: Sidecar, Brandy Crusta, Champs-Élysées
Bottom Line Bottom Line: Outperforms the VSOP category with the elegance, depth, and integration found in the glass; if you enjoy Gran Napoleon or XO Cognac this is a value grab for sure.

The Producer

Domaines Francis Abécassis

The Producer

VSOP Cognac

Spirits Glass Snifter Brandy.jpg
Serve in a Snifter
V.S.O.P. (very superior old pale or very special old pale) Cognac has been aged a minimum of four years, although many examples are aged as long as ten to fifteen years or even longer. It is aged longer than a VS (very special), but less than an X.O.

Produced by both large and small Cognac houses, VSOP has remarkable complexity, especially with the long period of aging, which rounds out the Cognac, while adding a distinct spiciness and vanilla character. These are priced from $30 to $55 per bottle and need to be sipped slowly after dinner on their own or with a cigar. Given the marketing prowess of the large firms as well as their breeding and prestige, VSOP Cognac have been and continue to be one of the most popular spirits in America and around the world.