Cognac Trivia

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

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.

OTHER COGNAC TRIVIA

· In order to be called Cognac, it must come from the Cognac region of France. Otherwise, it must be called Brandy, or possibly Armagnac if it is from the Armagnac region.

· The wood used in the Cognac barrels must come from the nearby forests. None may be brought in from outside the region. Some producers prefer to use Troncais oak, because it imparts flavors more quickly to the Cognac, and it is easier to quickly “age” the product. The downside of this is again, in the quality of the finished product. The producers of our Single Vineyard Cognacs rely exclusively on Limousine oak. This wood imparts flavor to the oak more slowly, and the result is transcendentally wonderful Cognacs.

· Marthe was the first name of Marthe Chevrolet, who, in 1880, started making her Cognacs. Yes, her first cousin was Louis Chevrolet, who came to this country a few years later and started building those new-fangled automobiles.

· If a Cognac has aged in oak more than 6.5 years, a producer does not have to use the widely recognized system of VS-VSOP-Napoleon-XO. Instead, he is free to name the cognac whatever he wants. The Cognacs of Marthe are a perfect example. Marthe Chevrolet was also a very accomplished artist, and the names of her Cognacs—Aquarelle, Fauve & Sepia—reflect her love of oil painting.

· In France, the age of a Cognac cannot be put on the bottle, unless it is a “declared vintage”, and the French make that a very complicated thing to do. So, the technical term is “Age at Tasting”, which means that if the “Age at Tasting” is declared to be 15 years by the local official when he taste tests a Cognac, then that means the Cognac tastes like it could have been from a vintage harvested 15 years ago. Thus, when somebody claims to have a 25-year old Cognac, it means nothing about the real age of the Cognacs blended to make that certain bottle — they could be anywhere from 2.5 years old to 70 years old, and often are. It simply means that the Cognac in that particular bottle has an “Age at Tasting” of about 25 years.

WHAT DOES NAPOLEON HAVE TO DO WITH COGNAC

ANYWAY ??

Some Cognacs are called “Napoleon” as an indication of the age of the Cognac, but history is murky about Napoleon’s involvement with Cognac, if any. The story goes like this….

Cognac was Napoleon’s favorite beverage. Years ago, Cognac was a white, or clear, spirit. It was harsh and difficult to drink, yet Napoleon loved it. As he was leaving to conquer Russia, he realized that he could not carry with him his entire store of Cognac. He left the extra with trusted friends, admonishing them strictly not to disturb the barrels he was leaving in their cellars for any reason.

When he returned six and a half years later to reclaim his barrels of Cognac, Napoleon found them as he had left them, undisturbed and safe. Yet the Cognac within was radically different from the cognac he had left there those many years ago.

Over the intervening six and a half years, the Cognac had aged in the barrels, as we know today that it will. Napoleon’s Cognac had taken on the characteristics of the barrels. It had mellowed, and yet grown flavorful and more powerful, acquiring some of the color and flavor of the wood. Napoleon proclaimed it to be the finest beverage in all the world.

Well…. That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it….