with correspondents in Japan, Russia, USA, Sweden; edited by M.Andrew, FIJEV

After a long and rainy winter and most of the spring, Cognac region is seeing sun and reasonable temperatures. Taking an advantage of this, 2 of our correspondents sat on the patio and tasted Elegance from Cognac Paul Giraud. This young Grande Champagne Cognac has a marvelous light straw color. On the nose it has a strong presence of fresh vineyard, some hints of dry wood and flowers. An unmistakable aroma of white eaux-de-vie at the point of the 2nd distillation was still there. On the mouth we found pleasant hints of prunes, strength of youth and surprising roudness. This dry, young Cognac is one of the best examples of proper reduction and nice initial aging for a Grande Champagne eau-de-vie. The dark blue bottle that hides its color was the main distraction. One tasting Tulip scored Elegance at 18 out of 30 and the other Tulip gave it 25 out of 30. Both agreed that Elegance on ice or with a mix is the best way to enjoy it. It also proves the point that you can make a quality young Grande Champagne Cognac without any sweeteners!

04 June 2001