Today’s post features just one cognac, but it’s an especially old one: a Clos de la Groie Vieille Réserve Sélection du Papy Franck. A mouthful of a name, to say the least. Le Clos de la Groie is the commercial label of the Denechere family estate in Brie-sous-Matha, in the Fins Bois cru of Cognac, about 15 km from the town of Cognac. The property has remained in the same family for five generations and covers around 80 hectares of vines, growing ugni blanc for Cognac as well as wine grapes used for Pineau, liqueurs, and other products.
Clos de la Groie Vieille réserve Sélection du Papy Franck Cognac (2024) Review
This Clos de la Groie Vieille Réserve Sélection du Papy Franck Cognac is a Lot 47 Fins Bois expression. I spoke with Sébastien Denechere, the fifth generation of the family, to ask a few questions about it.
He explained that the spirit was distilled and filled into casks in 1947 by his grandfather, as a tribute to the year Sébastien’s father was born. After his grandfather passed away, Sébastien and his father rediscovered the cask in a corner of the cellar, tasted it, and decided to let it rest longer. Around 2020, they transferred the contents into demijohns, bringing this Cognac to well over 70 years of age.
Sébastien is not certain whether the spirit was distilled on the lees, as he prefers to do himself, though he is also familiar with distilling without lees for houses such as Martell. This Lot 47 is bottled gradually, in small batches of a few hundred bottles at a time, whenever demand requires it. The most recent batch was likely bottled around 2024, with no boisé or added sugar, only a slight reduction to 40% ABV and a light, brief chill filtration.
I ordered my bottle from Cognac-Expert a few weeks ago, paying €137 for the 70 cl version, while a 50 cl bottle is also available at around €109.
Colour:
Old oak.
Nose:
Neat: The nose is rich, with a deep, rounded rancio that feels almost like a tropical fruit coulis spread over some soft Coulommiers cheese, with a few raisins and sultanas on the side. Tangerine, figs, dried apricots, walnuts and old lacquered wood furniture sit alongside a gentle spice that never feels aggressive.
Palate:
Neat: The mouthfeel feels a little thin at first, but despite the chill filtration, it still stays silky enough not to be watery. Tangerine, dried apricots, figs and a touch of honey‑like sweetness, dusted with ground pepper and allspice, are backed by a delicate nutty, oxidative rancio. The wood is present but integrated, giving a soft, spicy warmth without harsh tannins.
Finish:
The finish is long and refined, with lingering dried tropical and orchard fruits, nutty rancio, gentle spice and a whisper of old oak, fading very slowly.
Comments:
I ordered a bottle as soon as I came across Taylor Coffman’s review on the Cognac-Expert YouTube channel and website, and I’m glad I did. I wouldn’t quite go as far as the 91/100 he gave this Clos de la Groie Lot 47 Fins Bois, but it is unquestionably a very fine Cognac. The nose is superb, a wonderful reminder of how elegant and expressive an old Fins Bois can be, though the palate doesn’t quite match it: it loses a little drive from the reduction and chill filtration. I’d be very curious to try it in its rawer form, without either of those adjustments, because I suspect it would be truly outstanding. Perhaps I should give Sébastien another call!
Rating: 7.5/10
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