Rastignac is a cognac house founded in 2008 by the brothers David and Julien Pannaud. The House of Rastignac is located in the Bons Bois appellation of Cognac. The soil of Bons Bois, according to Rastignac is “not the highest category but highly coherent…the soil has steady characteristics, resulting in the consistent nature of our grapes” As such, Rastignac creates its cognacs by blending eaux-de-vie from its own Bons Bois 120 heactare vineyards as well as eaux-de-vie from other vineyards in the Cognac region.

Rastignac Very Old Reserve XO

Rastignac Very Old Reserve XO is part of their Prestige Vintage Collection that includes their oldest and finest cognacs.

The Review

We tasted Rastignac XO neat in a cognac snifter. Here are our notes.

Price

Rastignac XO is priced at the low end of the XO range and can be found at approximately 1/3 the price of XO offerings from Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell and Rémy Martin. Rastinac XO is close in price to the undesignated Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal.

Alcohol: 40% (80 proof)

Age: Rastignac XO is a blend of Ugni Blanc eaxu-de-vie from the growing crus of Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Bons Bois and Fins Bois aged for 15-30 years.

The Bottle/Label

Rastignac XO is packaged in a tear drop bottle with a gold top. (see above)

The Color

Light gold.

The Nose (Nez)

Cinnamon, baked bread and floral hints.

Mouth (En Bouche)

Plum, honeysuckle, dried roses, tobacco, cut mint, leather and chocolate.

Finish

Medium length with a final battle of dried roses and oak spice.

Overall

Rastignac XO starts with a fresh, inviting spicy nose that belies its age. After the initial youthful flavors, more mature notes develop in an unique blend of floral, fruit and leathery tones. Priced closer to a V.S.O.P. than an XO, Rastignac XO provides sipping complexity at an affordable price.

We did not mix Rastignac XO, although we suspect it might pair well with ginger ale and lime.

For more information: http://rastignac.com/en/ and http://www.chateaudesplassons.fr/