Michel Cluizel Grand Noir 85% chocolate: dark sweetness.

 

 

Following our review of the Michel Cluizel 99% Noir Infini chocolate, we are having a look at the 85% version of the product.
As you might expect this 85% chocolate is not as strong or bitter as its 99% cousin. Eighty five percent is my favorite dark chocolate. What's nicer than a piece of dark chocolate with a good glass of red wine.


For this tasting, we had a 1999 Chateau Larose Pereganson, a Cru Bourgeois from Haut-Medoc in the Bordeaux region, France.
Back to today's subject: the chocolate. I shows a strong falvor and just enough sweetness to soften the bitterness without masking it completely. You will find all the rich aromas you are looking for in a dark chocolate but we found it a little bit on the soft side with no exciting aroma peaking out of the mass. This does not mean it's a bad chocolate, we actually really enjoyed it but its will not give you anything really different from another 85%. We would like the chocolate to snap a bit more when you break it. We also thought it was a little grainy on the tongue for a 85%.
Long story short, Michel Cluizel Grand Noir 85% might not be the best in its class but is a rich well balanced chocolate that is worth a try.