481696 Mon Jan 21 17:01:34 -0800 2008 5 36 Spirits 0 3318385 Cheap Brandy Taste Test – California vs. France I have always thought that when it comes to the budget-minded, California brandies give you more bang for the buck than their French counterparts. I now have one bottle of each, and finally got to put this opinion to the test. I got a $10 bottle of Christian Brothers from Andronico’s and a $20 bottle of Duc de Loussac (VSOP, Bas-Armagnac, Ledsa S.A. Nogaro) from Trader Joe’s. The CB had that fire-water, burning feeling in the front or back of your mouth, depending on when you breath; the DL did not, and was smoother and gentler. However, the DL, when it had flavor at all, was mildly soapy. The CB had a nice, fruity, deconstructed flavor that you would expect. In the end, both had their strengths and weaknesses. Neither was clearly better than the other. So, if you take into account that the California entry cost half the French one, California was the winner. Mon Jan 21 17:01:34 -0800 2008 21941 jerry i h 1 3318841 Try the Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy some time. It sells for $9.99 at BevMo and is very drinkable. Mon Jan 21 19:19:43 -0800 2008 3318385 23776 DavidT 1 3318865 I'm not sure what you were trying to accomplish. Christian Brothers Brandy is far from the worst brandy produced in California -- far from the best, but it IS one of the better column still efforts -- and although Bas-Armagnac is one of the best brandy appellations in France, low-end Armagnac is (generally) much worse that low-end Cognac, and wouldn't a much more fair "comparison" be a non-appellation d'origine contrôllée French column still brandy (rather than a Cognac or Armagnac) tasted side-by-side with a generic, column still California brandy? I'm not trying to be argumentative. Indeed, I'm not at all surprised the XBros "won" the tasting. But it does seem to me a bit apples-and-oranges to me, or in this case, Red Delicious apples compared to bitter Seville oranges. If I might suggest, try the Christian Bros. ($8.99 at BevMo) next to a French brandy like Raynal ($10.99), for instance. Or better yet, substitute A.R. Morrow ($6.99 at BevMo) for XBros. One of the more interesting judgings at the California State Fair was always the brandy competition -- Korbel, Christian Bros., and Paul Masson. Korbel was always the heaviest, fullest brandy; Christian Bros. was always the lightest; Paul Masson was always in between the other two, in terms of weight and seeming "sweetness" on the palate. FWIW, I usually use Raynal or something similar for cooking, but it's worth it to me to spend around $35 or so (and more!) on truly good bottles of California Alambic or Cognac. To find a really good Armagnac or Brandy de Jerez, however, has always required me to spend more money than that. Cheers, Jason Mon Jan 21 19:28:05 -0800 2008 3318385 28122 zin1953 2 3322575 In my home kitchen, Masson, CB, and Korbel are stock items; I prefer Korbel, and better, all are about ten bucks for a bottle. I am sometimes quizzed by visitors why I do not use something better. Answer: California brandies are unjustly dismissed out-of-hand by too many people who have never compared, and going by reputation only. The comparison I made was quite apropos, since they both aim at the same audience: medium quality at lower prices. Personally, comparing CB and LD head-to-head was quite educational. Raynal and Morrow join El Presidente and E&J in the DPIM category (don't put in mouth). CB and LD both passed as acceptable to me. Better, CB is cheap enough to use in cooking and good enough to drink when you really need something good to sip. Ahem: now, if you are talking about high quality, how about Jepson (about $35 last time I bought it) or Germain-Robin XO (about a c-note). It would be interesting to compare these to the finest France has to offer, but I cannot afford the prestigious French products. Tue Jan 22 18:56:46 -0800 2008 3318865 21941 jerry i h 3 3323036 My main point was that you are comparing apples and oranges. Clearly millions of people around the world drink Presidente, for instance, and Raynal and the like. I don't dispute your notion that they rate a DNPIM* ranking for you , and that's fine. I would, however, think you would want to compare column still to column still; pot still to pot still. But, perhaps, that's just me. Right now in my Berkeley residence, I have the following bottles of various brandy: -- Germain-Robin California Alambic Brandy (FWIW, I honestly prefer this to their "XO"); -- Maison Surrenne ncienne Distillerie 100% Petite Champagne Cognac; -- Maison Surrenne 1972 Vintage XO 100 % Grande Champagne Cognac; -- Hine Fine Champagne VSOP Cognac; -- Francis Darroze 1973 Domaine Dupont Bas-Armagnac; -- Francis Darroze 1964 Domaine de Petit Bidouze Bas-Armagnac; -- Sanchez Romate "Cardenal Mendoza" Brandy de Jerez; -- Familal Louis Dupont Calvados Pays d'Auge Hors d'age; -- Familal Louis Dupont Calvados Pays d'Auge plus 15 ans; -- Familal Louis Dupont Calvados Pays d'Auge plus 24 ans; -- Morrand Willamine (poire eau-de-vie) and for cooking, Piere Duchene French Brandy ($8.99 @ TJ's) Cheers, Jason * Noted wine writer and judge Bob Thompson was the first to use the DNPIM acronym. He would bring a rubber stamp ("DNPIM") and stamp pad with him to professional wine competitions and in order to prevent (or at least delay) palate fatigue -- if a wine's bouquet did not appeal to him, and therefore knowing he would not vote to give the wine a medal -- he would stamp "DNPIM" on his tasting notes. It stood for "Did Not Put In Mouth." I believe, in all modesty, that I was one of the earliest practitioners of converting the verb tense and making it a warning to others: "DO Not Put In Mouth." (This was back in the mid-1980s, IIRC.) Tue Jan 22 22:33:12 -0800 2008 3322575 28122 zin1953 4 3325963 DNPIM? Sorry, I got the acronym wrong. I was recalling this from a wine judging I participated in a number of years ago. I hope people with stereotyped thoughts of brandy or who take their opinions solely from various periodicals take the time to try some of the brands mentioned in the above posts. They are all very good, many are quite affordable, even for those on a budget. a votre sante, Jerry (also from Berkeley) Wed Jan 23 16:41:25 -0800 2008 3323036 21941 jerry i h