There are invites you savour and look forward to immensely, there are others that make you think about time management and question can you really afford to go (being polite). Then there are some that intrigue. We were kindly invited to attend one last week that fitted into the third category.
A Cognac tasting in perfect darkness!
We were invited to the Distillerie Tessendier & Fils cognac tasting on Wednesday 4 May 2016 at Dans le Noir, Clerkenwell, London by Luxe Public Relations. Thank you.
On arrival we were greeted by a most charming French barman to introduce his brand to us. Engaging and knowledgeable, he served drinks with passion, a passion that was contagious.
Dark and Perfect Dark
We were then led to the restaurant for the tasting. We were warned that dark meant dark and lined up to proceed from the bar area to the restaurant. Standing in anticipation of the experience we put our hands on the shoulder of the person in front of us, and then climbed the stairs into the perfect dark! We were guided to our tables by one of the Dans le Noir team who is blind, he knew exactly what he was doing and how to do it well.
It took a few minutes to adjust to the environment and when we say perfect dark you couldn’t see your own eye lashes. Although a very unusual environment after a few minutes it felt surprisingly comfortable and even relaxed. Try it if you get the chance.
The tasting was led by the General Manager of Distillerie Tessendier & Fils, Jérôme Tessendier who is the fourth generation of his family to run the estate. His dulcet tones amplified by the perfect dark guided all through four different cognacs. PARK VS – PARK BORDERIES – PARK XO – PARK CIGAR BLEND. Jérôme led us through the tasting with the same engaging, knowledgeable and passionate elegance shown by his colleague on arrival. Then there was the chocolate, just as with the cognac numerous varieties, all dark of course, and all sublime.
Our knowledge of cognac tasting is limited unfortunately so we will leave the tasting notes below to what we were supplied with post event. Put simply however…If you are looking at stocking a cognac that will delight your guests get in touch with Jérôme and the team at Distillerie Tessendier & Fils.
Park Cognacs:
- PARK VS:
With its subtle menthol notes and hints of white flowers, Cognac Park VS is a picture of springtime.
Later on, when the soft, sweet notes of linden blossom, banana, apricot and pear come to the fore, the VS recalls the warm embrace of a fine summer’s day.
A certain autumnal sweetness, with lively hints of ginger and dried fruits, eventually yields to the bold flavours of winter, including pink peppercorn, lychee and orange zest.
- PARK BORDERIES:
Cognac Park Borderies is produced at the historic Tessendier domaine, and boasts a surprising array of powerful, spicy aromas including cinnamon and cloves, straddling the transition from autumn (dried figs) to Winter (cedarwood).
The Borderies also has a soft, creamy side, accented with a touch of fresh citrus which heralds the arrival of Spring.
- PARK XO:
With its subtle floral notes and hints of orange blossom, lilac and almond, Cognac Park XO evokes images of springtime.
Later on, when the soft, sweet notes of dried flowers, banana, apricot and plum come to the fore, the XO recalls the warm embrace of a fine summer’s day.
The XO also packs a hint of autumnal sweetness, with sugar and spice in the form of apple, caramel, dried fruits and a hint of chocolate. Autumn finally yields to winter, with a balanced blend of more powerful aromas such as coffee, leather and hazelnut, with just the faintest hint of cigar box.
- PARK CIGAR BLEND:
Cognac Park Cigar Blend, is blessed with an incredibly broad aromatic palette which spans all four seasons. The journey begins on a crisp winter’s day with a harmonious blend of cinnamon, clove, cigar box and gingerbread aromas.
Later on, ‘mid-season’ autumnal notes come to the fore (apple, chocolate, cedar) followed by smoother, creamy aromas (honey, almond, linden blossom, mango) which evoke the sun-dappled days of spring and summer.
Once again our thanks to Distillerie Tessendier & Fils and Luxe Public Relations, an intriguing and enjoyable evening.