Cognac Tesseron Prestige Collection Tres Vieux Extrême Noir 1750ml

This unique bottling is a blend of Cognacs coming from ten demijohns dated from 1853-1906. So all of the Cognacs in the blend are more than 100 years old and almost the entire blend comes from the 19th century—making it considerably older (and finer) than the most famous, big brand prestige cuvées like Louis XIII or Richard Hennessy. In fact, the Extrême looks like a downright bargain when compared to such wines (in both quality and price terms) as the price is similar but here you get 1.75 litres instead of 700ml! Unbelievably velvety and supple on the palate, the Extrême’s exceptional mellowness is matched only by its infinite depth and rancio complexity, the result of some 70-80 years ageing in oak casks and then decades more in glass demijohns. It seems to float across the palate and opens up in waves of countless secondary aromas, which grow in the mouth, and then end in a soft, exceptionally long and fresh finish. The bottle, a 1.75 litre demijohn, is a smaller replica of those from which it came. It is quite an extraordinary and unique Cognac. Only 300 of these beauties were ever produced—for the world—and there are not many left.

“Beautifully packaged in a flask-shaped bottle modelled on a demijohn, it is possibly the oldest Cognac available – certainly one of the oldest. The oldest Cognac in the blend is from 1865 and the youngest is no later than the 1920s. The bouquet and are unimaginably complex, with extreme rancio character and an array of scents from polished wood to roasted nuts to various dried fruits and well as vanilla and chocolate, toffee and old leather upholstery. The flavour is explosive: immensely powerful, concentrated, with silken texture and ballerina-like balance. Unlike very old fortified wines, there is no hint of senility, but instead, amazing vitality and freshness.”

“Bright, burnt umber colour. Muted aromas, almost a musty sweetness like an old butterscotch biscuit tin, but more complexity, lifted mixed peel, light rancio, mellow woody notes. Seductive. Sniff, repeat. Sniff, repeat. In the palate an impossible, yielding softness – fine boned yet creamy? Yes, with incredible depth. Molecular detail here – spicy, tangy, honeyed, warm, woody, leafy, nutty, smoky and yet a lip smacking sweetness and mouth-coating creaminess. Not a hint of spirituousness, just a beautiful liquid rolling across the palate. The hold of flavour is so very long too. It’s made for sliding around the mouth, savouring, discussing, contemplating. Captivating and amorous. An extraordinary expression here.” 

“150 years old. 100% Grande Champagne. Variety(ies) unknown. Quite fleshy and certainly the smoothest cognac of all. Mellow, with caramel, vanilla and toasted nut flavours. A real privilege to taste a cognac of this age and rarity.”