Tesseron Tesseron XO Exception and Beyond Lot no 29

Tesseron Lot No. 29 "Exception" is an XO cognac made entirely from Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, blended from the Tesseron family's oldest reserves — French law keeps the exact vintage off the label, but the house draws it from a single old harvest. Bottled at 40% ABV. The nose opens with fig, pineapple, and green tobacco; the palate turns toward marmalade and mango chutney, with chocolate and hazelnut underneath and a rancio note that only decades in oak can build. The finish is long, oaky-sweet, and satiny. This is a serious sipping cognac for someone who already knows the category, not an introduction to it.

How to drink Tesseron Lot No. 29 "Exception"

Pour it neat in a tulip glass rather than a wide snifter — the narrower rim holds the aromatics together instead of blowing them off. Let it sit a few minutes before the first sip; the rancio character keeps unfolding as it warms in the glass. Skip the ice and skip the mixer, both would erase what decades of blending built.

Cognac80 proof · Grande Champagne, France