Frapin, Château Fontpinot, 100th Anniversaire, Grande Champagne Cognac (41%)
About this SPIRIT
Frapin
The Frapin family can trace their roots in the Cognac region to 1210. They began as vine-growers, and then began distilling their own spirits. Frapin is now in the enviable position of being the largest single-estate in the Grande Champagne region of Cognac, with generations of experience and tradition on which to draw. In early 2007, Jean-Pierre Cointreau took over the running of the business.
The estate covers 300ha of vineyards, officially listed as Premier Grand Cru du Cognac. Two hundred hectares are planted to Ugni Blanc. The soil here is identical to that found in Reims - crumbly, chalky, hence the area's name 'Grande Champagne'.
Frapin is renowned for its intense, wonderfully balanced and flavoursome cognacs. These are rich, long-lived spirts that display extraordinary complexity of aroma and depth of flavour. Each individual spirit is left to mature to its own optimum condition. The fairly small scale of production also allows the family to hold generous stocks of mature spirits.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Frapin is renowned for its intense, wonderfully balanced and flavoursome cognacs. These are rich, long-lived spirits that display extraordinary complexity of aroma and depth of flavour. Each individual spirit is left to mature to its own optimum condition. The fairly small scale of production also allows the family to hold generous stocks of mature spirits. From grapes grown on the vineyards surrounding the eponymous Chateau, this XO is Rich amber in colour and chock-full of marzipan-wrapped, glacé citrus on the nose. There are few more lusciously appealing Cognacs than this example from the venerable house of Frapin.
Robert Whitehead, Spirits Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (August 2023)
spirit at a glance
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