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1st Cru, LLC imports Ultra Premium Single Vineyard Grande Champagne Cognacs and Small Estate Wines from New Zealand in addition to brokerage representation of seven wineries from California, South Africa and Australia. |
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ULTRA PREMIUM — SINGLE VINEYARD COGNAC
Any story of great, Single Vineyard Cognac must begin...and end...in the first growth, the Grande Champagne region of Cognac. This is the region recognized world-wide as the cradle of the best Cognac. It used to be that “Grande Champagne” on the front label was all a Cognac needed. But now, being able to write the words “Grande Champagne” on the front label is only the beginning of the story. Now there is a better grade, a higher quality available. Now there is “Single Vineyard Cognac” from the Grande Champagne region of Cognac. To create this masterpiece, we bypassed the traditional Cognac houses and the negociants — we went directly to the Artistic Masters of Cognac, and then, into their private vineyards and cellars. We required that our Single Vineyard Cognac come from a single family estate within the Grande Champagne region, and that they be created by a Master Blender whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather were also Master Blenders, and whose family history in the creation of Great Cognacs goes back at least 100 years. Our last requirement was that their vineyards be no more than 100 acres. We sought out growers with a long tradition farming their own land, and we only accepted families with small farms, because on a small farm, every grape is important and gets the care it deserves from a family who cares, because it is their tradition to do so. We looked….and we looked. And in all of France, we found only two producers who met all our requirements AND made great Cognac. Their brands, and their family names are, Marthe and Francois Voyer. They gave us their best — the most elite Cognacs we’ve ever tasted. They are
THE SINGLE VINEYARD COGNACS Of The GRANDE CHAMPAGNE REGION |
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Small E Importing Single Vineyard Cognac
Cognac Education
For the Trade
Importing New Zealand Wines
Great Lakes Area Wine Brokerage
Big Pecker Wines — CA Century Oak — Lodi, CA Clairault — Margaret River Lapis Luna — CA JanKris Winery — Paso Robles Ondine — South Africa Swagman’s — Margaret River Westerland — South Africa
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COGNAC & WINE IMPORTERS & BROKERS Since 1999 |
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Save Your Nose…. Do not pick up a snifter of Cognac, bury your nose in it and take a deep breath. Cognac is 80 proof or more spirits and your big sniff just anesthetized your entire olfactory. Your nose is now quite dead.
Instead... Do bring the snifter up only to the level of your chin. Take one or two shallow sniffs. Remove the snifter for a moment, then repeat. With each sniff, ask yourself, “Do I smell…?” · Flowers? · Fruit? · Spice? · Etc. This will give you 100% of the bouquet you need, and still leave your nose intact. |
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The Biggest Mistake…. The biggest mistake that beginning connoisseurs make is to think that tasting fine, old cognac is like tasting wine. The two techniques are not at all similar. |
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Be Patient... Don’t be in too much of a hurry to drink the wonderful Cognac you just poured. You must wait just a bit.
It Pays Off... Especially with Older Cognacs like these, you must realize that they are very similar to a big Cabernet or Port wine in that they must breathe prior to tasting. The best rule of thumb is to let older Cognacs breathe at least a half-minute per year old that they are. Thus an XO that is 20-years old must breathe for a minimum of TEN MINUTES prior to tasting. This is critical. An otherwise magnificent Cognac will be at best mediocre if it is not permitted to breathe completely. Even longer is better. |
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CONGRATULATIONS !!! You now know more about tasting fine Cognac than 98% of the people in the world, and you are now a Cognac Tasting Expert ! |
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Save Your Mouth... Do not take enough Cognac into your mouth when tasting that you must swallow. This is not mouthwash, and we are not drinking — we are sipping — the object is to taste all the flavor nuances, not to burn your mouth out.
Instead... Do take only a small drop or two on your tongue and hold it there. Good Cognac will fill your mouth from this small drop. By doing this, you avoid any alcohol shock that might happen and you still get the full effect of all the flavors present. Then again, ask yourself questions about what you taste….Flowers? Fruit? Spice? Oak? Sweet? Chalk? Repeat as necessary. |
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How to Taste Cognac |