It's all about the endgame

The bishop dominates the knight in this gem:

I feel white did not play as strong in the end game as black did, not so much because Bishop verses Knight.

Suggest improvements.

26. Ne5 +=

25.Ne1

Thanks.

Well, that one's about tactics and tempos, and White clearly knew his mating patterns: always like to see the bird mates (swallow tails and dove tails). Black should have said gg after that one because it was quite an upset victory for White.

The advance is one of the most principled ways to meet the French. It is far more dangerous than the cowardly exchange.

"The Active Rook" offers further illustration by way of a loss by Vasily Smyslov to Paul Keres. Perhaps this loss was an important lesson for Smyslov's development into an exceptional endgame player.

Currently playing the cowardly exchange with a quick c4 break and playing with the isolated Pawn if I can (similar ideas to the Panov attack in the Caro.) 

Even though I'm a fan of the way GM Ashley and IM Waitzkin played this way, seriously considering learning the Advance (I don't know why I've been avoiding it for so long ... ).  I take it you play the Advance against the Caro as well?

That particular aggressive line against the French is dangerous when Black gets careless, but frequently offers Black easy equality.

As a rule, I don't play 1.e4. But when I lose my mind and do, I play the classical or Panov-Botvinnik against the Caro. Your logic seems reasonable, but there's a world of difference between 1...e6 and 1...c6. Much that is true about one is far from true in the other despite the similar pawn structure.