Single District Cognac Tasting

My friend San Francisco Examiner reporter Linda Daly Paulson invited me to Robert De Niro's Rubicon restaurant to sample single district Cognacs and Armagnacs (France's "other brandy") from the Gascony district.

Our host Jean Dominique Andreu of the Abriel & Andreu Chatâteau de Bonbonnet in Ars-France provided the very best of spirits. My table mates seemed to agree that a vintage '1945' Daron Calvados was indeed the winner. At $500 per bottle who's gonna' argue?

Not moi.