Every night, an invisible share of the cognac slips away from the casks resting in the quiet cellars at Angeac. The French call it la part des anges, the angels' share, and at Pierre Ferrand it has been given its own name on a bottle: Selection Des Anges, the cognac the angels themselves would have chosen.
Expert's Description
Pierre Ferrand Selection Des Anges 1er Cru de Cognac is a Cognac from Grande Champagne, bottled at 40%.
Pierre Ferrand is the house behind the bottle, established in its modern form in 1989 when Alexandre Gabriel took over Château de Bonbonnet just outside the town of Cognac and made it the centre of his production. Gabriel built on ten generations of winegrowing and distilling knowledge in Grande Champagne, the smallest and chalkiest of Cognac's districts, and the 1er Cru de Cognac designation is the house's promise that the grapes come exclusively from there.
Selection Des Anges is composed of selected, mature cognacs drawn from the house's cellars, chosen for depth and concentration rather than for a stated age. The name points to the portion of cognac that seeps out through the oak year after year and becomes the distinctive scent hanging over the cellars at Angeac, a reminder that nothing in cognac comes for free.
The bottle arrives in a gift box and suits the evenings where a dark, mature cognac is meant to stand alone in the glass and fill a whole room with its scent.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Saffron and fresh ginger meet sweet walnuts in syrup, while a base of cedar wood gives the whole aroma weight and calm.
Palate
On the palate the cognac is dark and concentrated, carrying the same saffron and spiced ginger, supported by a sweet walnut character and a dry, woody undercurrent from the cedar.
Finish
The finish is long and warm, where the spice slowly gives way to cedar wood and a light sweetness that lingers well after the last sip.
Specifications
Name: Pierre Ferrand Selection Des Anges 1er Cru de Cognac
Distillery: Pierre Ferrand, Château de Bonbonnet, Grande Champagne
Country: France
Type: French Cognac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Serving suggestion: Best enjoyed at room temperature in a cognac glass, ideally to close the evening
Flavour Profile
Saffron · Ginger · Walnuts in Syrup · Cedar Wood
Did You Know?
The evaporation from Cognac's cellars, la part des anges, is estimated to add up to several million bottles of cognac every year, rising into the air over the district and never reaching a glass.