Nicholas Barker, Serious Brandy US, 08/12/2025:
Color: Full Amber
Nose: The best Continental breakfast appetizer you could imagine: ripened fruits soaked in honey with a little bit of vanilla yogurt and fresh mint. This has those artisanal honey, mead, and beeswax notes that are welcome in spirits semper ubique et ab omnibus. It's no coincidence that the most high-end cognac-like house in armagnac, viz., Gaube, frequently displays these. Really classy, old Speysiders will greet you with them every once in a while, if you're fortunate. There's also a light herbal side with a touch of marijuana. It reminds you of an old, classy dessert wine. That being said, this figures to be an absolute fruit bomb on the palate (based on the house and what I've read elsewhere), and the nose is giving hints. How? Well, while I do find the fruit to be pleasantly ripened, it's nonetheless sharp and cutting through like a blade. All in all, this is a classic profile for old GC, and while there have been other Voyers that have done it slightly better, in my opinion (the sublime Lot 35-80 from Legacy Brandy, for instance), it's operating at a very high level.
Taste: The other reviewers are not lying to you: This is borderline obscene in just how lusciously fruity it is. The arrival is potent, flavorful, and possesses a mouthfeel that's a notch below medium. The texture suits the experience, though, so I don't view it as much of a demerit, if any. The fruit is very high-toned here; so while you can get a bit of peach on the nose, the palate goes more towards tropical varieties and stretches to include a familiar companion: bubble gum. It also has some floral qualities. Perhaps most impressive to me, the strength of the sensation builds through the development, which promises great things for the finish. In that sense, it's reminiscent of one of my favorites: Sebastian Jaeger's Laballe 1991 for the JdK line. The oak presence is worth a moment's consideration here. Much like other GC stalwarts with great '70s vintages, e.g., Laurichesse, the oak provides structure in a way that makes me okay with writing that "the oak provides structure" without wincing. No other spirit category can quite scratch the itch I have for bright tropical or citric fruits harmonizing beautifully with strong oak.
Finish: It somehow manages to pull off dryness and juiciness simultaneously. Yes, your gums have a little tingle after accumulated sips of this, but it is so clean and refreshing. The oak remains mild and gives you an impression of creamy chocolate that is a nice counterpart to the final burst of fruitiness.
Comments: There's a fun split on this one. Yes, everyone agrees it's a superlative cognac. No one is giving it below 90 points or an equivalent threshold for excellence. However, you've got a couple of respected commentators anchored to the 90-point mark, viz., Serge Valentin and Valentin Audurier, while some others have started to enter the stratosphere, viz., Ruben Luyten and Benjamin Heinzelmann. After an initial pour, I wasn't sure where I'd end up. It was pretty much self-evident that 90 points was the floor. However, I wanted to see how the nose would open up with a bit of air in the bottle, because it seemed slightly shy. Giving it that time was a good decision, because this is truly fantastic. Pieter Knapen has belted one out of the park yet again, and the price for Voyer of this age is actually quite good. Pretty much a flawless victory.
Score: 93 points

Ruben Luyten, www.whiskynotes.be, 14/11/2025:
Nose: after the 19.14 certainly more honey richness and beehive vibes. Quinces, nectarines, papaya and mango. Red and yellow currants in the background. Then some cinnamon and blonde tobacco, along with dried flower petals and aromatic leather. A few drops of old gewürztraminer. Very expressive and right up my alley.
Mouth: tropical fruit bomb, nicely oily and very expressive again. More mango and oranges but also pineapple and nice hints of maracuya. Maybe some lychee. Very succulent, it’s all about fruit juice. Then mid-palate some pepper and cedar appear, getting a tad more rustic again. Some natural vanilla and subtle hints of jasmine tea.
Finish: long, on herbal (mint) tea and leather, as well as a few raisins and dried slices of mango.
Happy dance! The combination of vibrance and tropical fruits is very hard to resist.
Score: 93/100

Serge Valentin, whiskyfun.com, 16/11/2025:
Colour: deep gold. Nose: we’re back to a more classic style, closer to slightly scorched walnut cake, mixed raisins of all kinds, orange marmalade, and heather honey, with a touch of mint and liquorice as well. With water: just two drops bring out a wee camphory and patchouli side, followed by those familiar figs we’ve already mentioned several times today. Mouth (neat): blimey, this is good, more on honeyed citrus, with a simpler profile again—but let me stress, that’s a virtue. Milk chocolate filled with orange marzipan. With water: the profile remains the same, citrus still calling the shots, to our immense delight. Acacia honey. Finish: medium length, more honeyed, rounder. The aftertaste is gently chocolatey and liquoricy. Comments: I’m sorry to report that we’ve not managed to separate this one from the others in terms of score. Excellent.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Benjamin Heinzelmann, Arcore, 11/11/2025:
You can find his Review and Video to this Cognac at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddduEkZWfCE
score: 94/100

Roger Caroni, Le blog a Roger,11/11/2025
Nez
Exotisme à foison, mangue sechée, acidité des fruits de la passion, gourmandise de la banane mûre, le tout lié par un fin caramel très gourmand, un filet de miel, un léger nappage de chocolat au lait avec quelques éclats de fruits à coque… vous voyez le tableau ? Non ? Pas grave, ça sent super bon, c’est ça qu’il faut retenir.
Enfin, une belle cire d’abeille, du cuir délicat, quelques dattes et autres pruneaux viennent ensuite ajouter une couche supplémentaire de gourmandise… ça s’annonce gargantuesque cette histoire !
Bouche
Bouche acidulée, tropicale, cireuse, gourmande oppulante avec la mangue, banane, ananas nappé de miel, chocolat, fruits secs, fruits à coque, réglisse.
La finala, très longue sur les fruits, le caramel légèrement salé, les pruneaux et même une légère pointe de cassis.
L’alcool est parfaitement intégré, top !
Conclusion
Comme souvent quand c’est de 1979 c’est top 🙂 Non, plus sérieusement, c’est un must-have si vous en avez les moyens.
Score
92/100

Mark Dermul, whivie, 04/11/2025:
Voor hun 45e cognac-selectie zochten Pieter en Ysatis nog even verder in de chai van François Voyer in Verrières en selecteerden daar een vaatje uit 1979. ‘Le baladeur’ is een verwijzing naar de walkman (een draagbare cassettespeler oftewel de pa van de discman en de opa van de MP3) die in dat jaar door Sony voor het eerst op de markt werd gebracht en tegen 2010 – toen de productie werd stopgezet – meer dan 200 miljoen exemplaren had verkocht. Van deze Grande Champagne cognac zijn er iets minder exemplaren: 291 flessen.
Florale, waxy neus die een panoplie aan fruit presenteert in de vorm van lychee, banaan, ananas en abrikozen. Oh, wacht, er komt ook nog wat rozenwater en een blaadje munt aan te pas. Da’s erg mooi, verleidelijk en uitnodigend. En (voor mij ondertussen) herkenbaar. Het is een beetje thuiskomen.
Heerlijk. Geraffineerd kruidig, zacht olieachtig en heerlijk fruitig. Mandarijntjes op kop, gevolgd door passievrucht met een hint van mango. Walnoten doen hun intrede. Pittig, hoor. De kruiden geven het fruit mooi tegengas.
De afdronk is geweldig en maakt hem zelfs heel eventjes wat snoeperig. Nou, ja, snoep op steroïden, natuurlijk, snoep voor volwassenen.
Heerlijk terwijl ik (voor de zoveelste keer) luister naar het album Braving Fears van Emmy d’Arc met mijn… euh… Spotify. Tja, het tijdperk van de walkman, discman en MP3-speler zijn ondertussen lang achter ons, hé?
88/100