Cognac Frapin Millesime 1990 30 Years Old Cognac Grande Champagne 700 ml

Elegant and taut, supple and bright; Frapin Millésime 1990 – 30 Years Old is a truly exceptional cognac. It is the result of a complex alchemy; a union of a unique terroir, knowledge passed from generation to generation and a passion for excellence. It embodies the Frapin style with its voluptuous aromatic richness and its infinitely long finish. The 1990 vintage was an unusual year that has endowed Frapin Millésime 1990 with a unique personality. It comes entirely from Frapin’s Chez Piet vineyard located within its 240 hectare domaine. 

Distilled with lees, this vintage is the most recent addition to a collection created 24 years ago with the release of Frapin Millésime 1979. The long ageing of this vintage (30 years) has been done in our humid cellars, bringing elegance and roundness.

Millésime 1990 30 Years Old offers a bright, yellow-orange colour with a warm glow. The nose has delicate candied fruits aromas dominated by orange nuances. Subtle dried fruits notes like dried fig underscore everything. Finesse and elegance
conclude this vintage. In the mouth it is powerful yet incredibly elegant and
balanced. Candied fruits notes like orange are complemented with hints of liquorice and cinnamon. The palate continues with a lingering rancio character and cigar boxes which persist through to the finish.

'Few houses in Cognac have the hallowed history of Frapin, still owned by the original family, who can trace their winegrowing and distilling back to 1270 (the current CEO is the 21st generation). Consider: The family’s coat of arms was bestowed by Louis XIV; the quill logo was designed in honor of famed author François Rabelais, whose mother was a Frapin; Gustave Eiffel constructed the building where the blending is carried out. On a tour, as we passed some cobwebbed old demijohns, I was casually told, ‘Here is the harvest of 1870.’ Jason Wilson, Vinous, September 2019.

Frapin is located in the centre of the Grande Champagne, Premier Cru du Cognac region in the sleepy little town of Segonzac, the finest designated region in Cognac. It is the only merchant located in the town and only sells Cognacs produced from grapes sourced from its own 240 ha estate in the heart of the Grande Champagne region. The Frapin family have been wine growers since 1270, but until the 1980s the family’s primary business was as a distiller and supplier of mature Cognacs to Remy Martin, Hennessy and Courvoisier.

In 1984 the Cointreau family (direct descendants of the Frapins) ascended to the management of the company with Beatrice Cointreau at the helm. Since then Cognac Frapin has been re-invigorated and re-positioned as a producer of the very finest Cognacs in its own right, marketed under its own name.

At Frapin all the fruit for the Cognacs is grown on the estate and is usually harvested 2-3 degrees riper than the regional norm to bring extra flavour to the base wine. Distillation always takes place with the lees from fermentation, adding texture and length as well as extra dimensions of flavour complexity. The young Cognacs are aged for a good 2 years or more in new Limousin oak (much more than is typical), before being transferred to older barrels for the long haul. And whilst the average stockholding in the Cognac region is just on 7 years, Frapin currently holds 16 years in stock, highlighting the extra complexity that age brings to its range of Cognacs.

The ageing of the Cognacs at Frapin is further distinguished, with maturation taking place in one of two distinctly different environments. Long ageing in the humid cellars underground makes for a rich and powerful style, whereas the drier attics emphasise fruit and bring a finer and more elegant finish to the Cognac.