Tasting Notes

Color: Vivid reddish copper

Nose: Quite delicate—it takes a few sniffs to absorb the aromas of vanilla, light oak, baking spices, and sweet grape.

Palate: More well-defined than the nose, with notes of raisin, smooth dark chocolate, oaky spice, ripe peaches, and caramel. Different flavors ebb and flow with each sip, creating complexity.

Finish: A dry, spicy, oaky finish with hints of saline and dark fruits. The fruitiness lingers the longest in the aftertaste.

Our Review
A VSOP, or “Very Superior Old Pale,” is aged for a minimum of four years in oak, and it can be the best of both worlds for cognac fans. A good VSOP has shed the immaturity of younger VS cognacs without acquiring the austere woodiness—or the high price point—that characterize many XO expressions, which are aged for a minimum of 10 years. Rémy Martin’s VSOP is an outlier, but in a good way.

This expression, which combines Grand Champagne and Petite Champagne eaux-de vie, lacks the bright fruitiness that’s a hallmark of many VSOPs. Instead, it masquerades as an XO—and an excellent one—with a darker, more subdued palette of flavors. As such, it’s a less versatile mixer than many VSOPs (although it does make a dandy Cognac Old Fashioned). But for sipping, it’s hard to find another VSOP as rich and complex as this one—and at a fraction of the price of Rémy’s own tremendous XO.

The only real drawback to this top-notch cognac is that it’s lacking the very qualities—vibrance, brightness, lively fruit notes—that many look for in a VSOP. So while it punches above its weight as a bottle, it may disappoint those who are looking for the classic VSOP qualities. Fans of sophisticated aged cognac who are looking for a bargain should look no further.

Interesting Fact