About this cognac:
In February 2026, together with Olivier and Léa in the Laurichesse cellar, we selected our 7th Laurichesse cognac: #52 “Le Souverain”, from cask no. 119, Grande Champagne, bottled in 2026 at 50.6% natural cask strength. This bottling is the result of a thorough secondary selection and of a friendship that now goes far beyond professional trust.
This cognac too underwent, like all our selections, an extensive lab analysis to technically substantiate the story behind the cask.
The obscuration of only 0.43 is remarkably low (and well below the conformity criterion of ≤4): this means that the difference between actual (measured after distillation) and apparent alcohol content (measured directly via density) remains extremely limited, and that we can assume no additives were used. The dry extract of 4.2 g/L shows that this cognac has a very solid body. Dry extract is the amount of non-volatile substance that remains after evaporation. In cognac this can come, among other things, from: wood components, acids, mineral/fraction components. It is not a direct aroma meter, but it is important for mouthfeel; roundness; texture; impression of substance; length. The fruit-oriented parameters are impressive: ethyl acetate 230.6 g/hL AP, almost twice as high as #51, and isoamyl acetate 1.9 g/hL AP, a clear marker for expressive fruit esters. The C8+C10+C12 esters at 34.9 g/hL AP are also high and refer to a strong aromatic fruit fraction. With 227.6 g/hL AP volatile acidity, the aromatic profile gains extra lift and tension. The total volatile congeners of 1232.6 g/hL AP lie exceptionally far above the minimum requirement of >200, confirming the enormous aromatic density of this cask.
About the producer:
Olivier Laurichesse and Léa are both from Segonzac, this is where their roots lie. Olivier comes from a family with a long history in viticulture and cognac distillation. Olivier continued his studies in wine and oenology and gained his first work experience in Alsace and Médoc and returned to his "own terroir" in 2003. In 2015, Olivier started independently with 40 ha of vineyards located in Verrières and Angeac-Champagne located in the Grande Champagne, the first cru of the cognac region. Léa obtained a bachelor's degree in wine and spirit trading in 2008 and then went on to do a 3-month internship in New York America for an importer-distributor of spirits. She then resumed her studies at university and in 2010 she met Olivier.
In 2018, a marriage and 3 children later, they launched "laurichesse cognac" together to promote the barrels of cognac that Olivier's father, Guy Laurichesse, distilled in the 1970s (on a small 12 hl alambic). They also now distil cognac themselves from their own vineyards. Guy had handed over the keys to his chai, a hidden cellar at the back of the garden of his residence in Segonzac, to his son in 2018. What makes this cognac unique is that it is a single cask and has not been blended over the years. Very unique spirits that were never commercialized and that only waited for the next generation to convince the enthusiasts of its great qualities and aromas. Grande Champagne cognac at its peak!
In the late summer of 2021, during a cognac trip, we went to pick up our daily fresh bread at the bakery on the square in Segonzac. This beautiful municipality is our regular base when we are in France. Here we were pointed out that the neighbor across the street also had a cognac house. For real? Many times we passed this little square without realizing that behind that brown gate a treasure of sublime cognac was hidden. We got in touch and a first visit followed in December 2021. The sweet and down-to-earth owners Olivier and Léa introduced us to their family business. We are very grateful and proud to have this exclusif collaboration!
Tasting-notes:
Nose: Explosive. Immediately impressive. This is fruit rising from the glass like warm air above a "tropical sunny" orchard. First ripe apricot, peach and banana flambée, but immediately after that it bursts open into pineapple, mango, passion fruit, papaya, candied orange. The fruitiness is very exuberant. There is a real aromatic storm here: liquorice, tropical fruit, citrus oil, honeycomb, ripe pineapple and dried apricot. Underneath: old oak, tobacco, cinnamon, roasted almond, furniture wax and a light rancio note. This is a golden jubilee fanfare!
Taste: Broad, powerful and brilliantly fruit-driven. The attack is immediately full: apricot jam, peach, pineapple, mango and orange marmalade. Then even more depth appears: honey, beeswax, candied ginger, almond paste, tobacco, old wood and subtle leather notes. The cask strength gives grandeur. The fruitiness doesn’t stay on the surface; it pushes through to the mid-palate. Tropical fruit, citrus, spices and old oak roll over each other without becoming heavy. The freshness keeps everything tremendously alive.
Finish: Long, broad and intense. Candied orange, mango, pineapple, dried apricot, cinnamon, plum tobacco, roasted walnut and old oak linger for minutes. The finish has power, warmth, tremendous freshness and class. Golden Lion!
Label explanation:
The artwork of Le Souverain shows the lion at the moment of full expression. The open jaws, the powerful mane and the energetic lines give the image an immediate intensity. This is not an animal at rest. This is presence. Voice. Projection. Territory. The lion does not only look; he announces himself. The mane fans out like flames, like wood grain, like aromatic waves rising from the glass. No literal crown, but a suggestion of royal dignity. He is sovereign because he takes up space. This ties in perfectly with this cognac. The labels of #51 and #52 together form a royal diptych. Together they tell the story of a Grande Champagne duo that is connected not only by age, origin and producer, but also by character. The lioness and the lion are not coincidental symbols; they also appear in the official Laurichesse logo!
