courvoisier XO

AFAIK, brandy does not improve once bottled, but it doesn't go bad, either, as long as it's been properly sealed and hasn't evaporated.

I have a bottle of Clos des Ducs VSOP Armagnac that was gifted to me in

So regarding age, any value assigned to it would be on account of it being an XO, and time in bottle would be irrelevant.

However, I'm willing to stand corrected.

- Chris

"Mirek" skrev i melding news: snipped-for-privacy@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...

Wrong group,actually. This is for wine. Cognac doesn't develop in bottle, like any spirit - so the value is that of a 'new' bottle - i.e. 80-100 USD. Drink if you like smooth brandy, it is not bad at all. Serve at room temperature, sip and sniff. hth Anders

great, thanks, i'll drink it :D

In news: snipped-for-privacy@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com, Mirek types these words of wisdom:

It is Cognac and I see you had some good answers from your post in the Scotch group:)

If it's the standard (=VSOP) bottling and not something better (XO, Extra etc.), don't expect too much: It's the most basic Brandy, with markedly less depth of flavor than basic Cognac.

M.

VS is the basic bottling, VSOP middle of the road, and XO is the highest. And I happen to like Armagnac better than Cognac, and would say that even basic Armagnacs have more depth of flavor than even great Cognacs.

Or does VS not exist in Armagnac, thus making VSOP the low end?

- Chris

"Chris Sprague" skrev i melding news: snipped-for-privacy@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

I'd tend to agree with you there, Chris. The dictionary says: Armagnac employs the local black oak for aging instead of the Limousin oak used for Cognac. Black oak imparts more flavor to the Armagnac and allows for faster aging. The result is that Armagnac is silky smooth but fuller-flavored than Cognac, although it generally doesn't have the finesse of the finest Cognacs. Anders

In priciple yes, but not with Clés (not Clos) des Ducs.

Tastes are different. Although Armagnac is said to be more rustic than Cognac, I generally found it sweeter, smoother, with much less complexity, "fire" and grip than Cognac.

With Clés des Ducs, VSOP is the low end.

M.

VSOP may be Clés des Ducs lowest offering, but it doesn't necessarily correspond to the low end of brandies as a whole, which you were implying in your earlier post.

- Chris

Sorry, what I wanted to say is that Clés des Ducs VSOP is a very basic Armagnac.

M.