Day 22 of the Cognac-Expert 2025 Advent Calendar brings an independent bottling: Les Grandes Jouberteries Lot 65 from Authentic Spirits. A few months ago, this bottler impressed us with an excellent La Prenellerie cognac, but Les Grandes Jouberteries steps onto our radar for the first time today. As always, new names deserve a proper introduction before the review, so let’s get to know Les Grandes Jouberteries first.
Les Grandes Jouberteries History
Joseph Merle founded Les Grandes Jouberteries in 1913. He established the estate in the Fins Bois cru at Péréuil, in the Val des Vignes area. The family now cultivates 12–15 hectares of Ugni Blanc vines there. They produce cognac and Pineau des Charentes. Current owner Vincent Merle’s great-grandfather Joseph started the business. Vincent and his father Jean later moved the distillery from Chadennes to Les Jouberteries. They offer a range including VS, VSOP, Napoléon, and Vieille Réserve – all Fins Bois expressions. The domain specialises in family-owned production of authentic, additive-free expressions. They emphasise minimal intervention – no sugar, colouring, or boisé.
Authentic Spirits
Authentic Spirits was founded in 2020 as a French independent bottler passionate about terroir-driven spirits. The team selects rare cognacs, armagnacs, rums, and whiskies from small producers, emphasising history, soils, and traditional methods. They source single cask or small lot bottlings aged entirely on-site at distilleries. Bottling occurs without filtration, additives, sugar, or chill filtration to preserve authenticity and emotion – opposite industrial profiles. Authentic Spirits partners with estates like Les Grandes Jouberteries (Lot 65 Fins Bois, 1960s vintage at 49.6% ABV, which we’ll review below) and La Prenellerie (Lot 73 Bons Bois).
Les Grandes Jouberteries Lot 65 Cognac Authentic Spirits (2025) Review
Authentic Spirits’ Les Grandes Jouberteries Lot 65 is a single-cask Fins Bois cognac distilled from 100% Ugni Blanc harvested in 1965 and bottled in February 2025 at 49.6% ABV. It comes from the last remaining cask at Domaine Les Grandes Jouberteries from that vintage, aged in the estate’s humid cellars and bottled without any additives or filtration. This is available for around €220 a bottle at Cognac-Expert, for instance.
Colour:
Tawny.
Nose:
Neat: On the nose, this cognac feels exuberantly fruity and pastry‑like. Summer fruits lead the way – mirabelle plums, apricots, melons, and grapes – wrapped in honey. There are also almond cakes and caramel toffee, with occasional flashes of tropical fruit, such as mango and passion fruit. A light rancio character adds depth through beeswax, polished wood, and a hint of dried flowers.
Palate:
Neat: The palate starts bright and assertive, reflecting the near‑50% strength. It is filled with juicy, slightly acidic fruit – dried apricots, sultanas, yellow plum, and touches of mango – before shifting toward spicier territory. Ginger, pepper, and gentle oak tannins bring structure, while caramel, toffee and a buttery texture keep the profile indulgent rather than austere. The wood left its mark after six decades of maturation, but without overpowering the eau de vie. Instead, it left light tannins and bitterness.
Finish:
The finish stretches out at length, oily and persistent. Tropical fruits, an espresso with a square of dark chocolate, raisins, and soft wood spice linger alongside a faint bitterness reminiscent of strong black tea, though the oak never turns harsh or overly drying.
Comments:
Overall, this Grand Jourbertries Lot 65 bottled by Authentic Spirits reads as a mature, cask‑strength Fins Bois that combines vivid fruit, pastry sweetness, and measured oak into a very complete and delicious old cognac.