Navarre Pineau des Charentes Vieux

Pineau des Charentes is a fortified wine made by adding Cognac to grape juice.  I was first introduced to it by Nicholas Palazzi's Paul-Marie Fils Pineau des Charentes which uses aged Cognac as opposed to the typical unaged eau de vie.

I very much enjoyed the Cognac I tried from Navarre, so I was excited to see they had a Pineau  on the market. Like the Paul-Marie Fils, the Navarre Pineau uses aged Cognac.  A six year old, 1982 Cognac was added to the wine.  The Pineau was then aged an additional 30 years and bottled in 2012.

Navarre Pineau des Charentes Vieux, 17% abv ($70)

This Pineau has some fantastic, complex flavors with heavy sweet syrupy notes rushing in first, followed by the aged Cognac with its earthy notes.  The flavor combination works well, but it's far too sweet for me to take it neat, cutting it is a necessity.

Mixing one part Pineau with two parts club soda makes about the best spritzer I've ever tasted.  The two to one ratio mellows the sweetness without compromising any of the earthy qualities.  It's insanely refreshing and very light, the perfect drink for a summer afternoon.

Cognac Navarre Vieille Reserve

Navarre is a small grower/producer from the Grand Champagne region of Cognac. They harvest grapes by hand, which is unusual in this day and age and don't use additives of any sort. The Vieille Reserve is made from 100% Ugni Blanc grapes and bottled at cask strength. The vatting includes brandies as much as 50 years old.

Navarre Vieille Reserve Cognac, 45% abv ($200)

The nose on this is fantastic with rich, dry wine, green grapes, wood, earthy notes and some raisins.  The palate starts with dry wine, transitions to a somewhat bitter, oaky, earthiness, then recovers with spicy, peppery and then earthy notes.  The finish is spicy and a bit bitter with table grapes.

I'm normally quite sensitive to bitterness, but the bitter notes in this Cognac work to complement the spirit, almost like in an Italian bitter like Campari.  Between those notes, the grape and the oak, there's a level of complexity that makes this really interesting.  It's one of those that continues to reveal itself with each taste.

This is a wonderful and intriguing Cognac.  It's old and rare but seems to be available at a number of major US retailers.  If it's in your price range and you are a fan of edgier Cognac, I would definitely pick it up.