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Author: Bev Appleton

Hine Early Landed & Jarnac 1983 Cognac

Posted in Brandy Bottle Reviews, The Bottle Story and tagged

Hine Limited Edition 1983 cognac may well  be very good but there are serious doubts about it since the Early Landed version is kept in a cask in a UK cellar.  The Jarnac version, on the other hand, is allowed to mature naturally in permanently damp cellars next to the Charente River.  This tends to keep the barrels damp and the spirit in the barrel for far longer, providing a greater reaction between the spirit and the wood.  But whichever storage method is used, £285 or £360 is a lot of money to pay for a 1983 cognac when you can buy a Beaulon 1983 (cellar aged), for a little over £100.  Probably the low availability of vintage cognac contributes to the very high cost!

The Cognac Process – Part 5. Tradition and Quality

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The tradition of quality was slow to develop but was largely in keeping with the local temperament. During the 17th century the Champagnes, known today as the best growing areas, improved steadily and just as the region had produced the best grain, so too they produced the best grapes. By the time of the French Revolution the last areas devoted to growing grapes (the Borderies, an area of land just north of Cognac) had succumbed. Their sweet wines were much prized but a terrible frost in 1766 enabled their rivals in Sauternes, south of Bordeaux, to replace their offerings.

Even before the French Revolution the Cognaçais were not unduly hampered by feudal restrictions. After the death of King Francis 1 the Cognaçais were affected by religious wars. Jarnac, a few miles upstream, was a centre for Protestants, the scene of a crucial battle and later of Protestant redoubt which provided a natural link with the Huguenot mafia, so important for European trade. Even in the 18th century when the Protestants were not officially tolerated, the Cognaçais refused to help the authorities search them out. The region had become prosperous and socially homogeneous.

New stock – Old Spanish Brandies

Posted in Brandy Bottle Reviews, The Bottle Story and tagged

Our newly acquired Gran Duque d’Alba Spanish brandies have a fascinating history which explains their superior quality.  They were made by the Diez-Merito distillery and later sold to José-Maria Ruiz Mateos, having been kept untouched in casks for many years.  Unfortunately the company was eventually dissolved for failing to pay millions of dollars in taxes to the Spanish government, but not before these bottles had been sold to an Italian.  Both the Gran Reserva and the De Luxe Gran Reserva are therefore understood to be from around the turn of the 20th century, probably bottled in the 1960s giving them a barrel age of about 50 years.  These wonderful old brandies are not to be confused with later, much more unremarkable brandies bottled after 1983, although much of the packaging is similar.

Cognac Frapin acquires more Vineyards

Posted in Famous Cognac Houses, News from the Brandy Houses and tagged

Perhaps one of the last Grandees of the cognac industry, Frapin, is expanding its vineyards to keep up with the demand in China. Frapin, best known for its famous Chateau Fontpinot which is set in some of the best area of Grande Champagne, has increased its vineyards by 11% taking the total area to 240 hectares and sufficient to provide more than 2500 hectolitres of eau de vie.  Probably their best cognacs originate from their cellars in Segonzac where they hold many vintages but are best known for the wonderful cognac named after their famous chateau.  It is their prized possession, retained after the family feuds in the 1970s when they severed their connection with Remy Martin and ceased to supply them with their cognacs.

Remy Martin Louis XIII Rare Cask

Posted / in Brandy Bottle Reviews, The Bottle Story and tagged

The newly released Remy Martin Louis XIII Rare Cask is so named because it has an unusual strength of 42.6%.  This may be unusual for Remy Martin but many cognacs have an abv of over 40% as the distillation strength of cognac is between 67 – 72%.  Whilst some cognacs will benefit from a higher strength it is usually only those, such as the Hermitage 1975 or 1989, which are single estate and where a smaller still, which will provide less rectification, has been used.  The Rare Cask Louis XIII is a blend of 1200 different cognacs so it is highly doubtful that such a blend will benefit from being a higher strength. Only the cask the cognac is stored in is a hundred years old so it would be interesting to find out just how old the cognac is!

Hine Cognac Up for Sale

Posted in Famous Cognac Houses, News from the Brandy Houses and tagged

Yet another big cognac house is up for sale.  Hine Cognac, which was founded in Jarnac in 1763, celebrates its 250th Anniversary this year.  The name Hine originates from an Englishman who married into the family in the early 19th century and the House has remained in the hands of Hine descendants ever since.  Abiding by the founder’s motto ‘less is more’ they have continued to produce relatively small quantities of very high quality cognac.  The current owner, CL World Brands, has recently relinquished its stake in Jamaican Appleton Rum and the whisky producers Burn Stewart Distillers fuelling rumours that their parent company, CL Financial, are in financial turmoil.  Although there is no news yet of whom the buyer may be, it is a real shame that they are being forced to sell Hine under these circumstances.  So many of the smaller cognac houses have been snapped up by the ‘big four’ resulting in quality, single estate stock being lost to the blending process which is used to meet the ever growing demand from Asia.

Hermitage 25 Year old Arrives

Posted / in Brandy Bottle Reviews, The Bottle Story and tagged

We are very proud of our new addition to the Hermitage range as single estate Grande Champagne cognacs have become a rarity and to find a naturally aged 25 year old is very special indeed.  Cognacs that have aged for this period of time in oak casks build a level of complexity which exhibits the distiller’s style and passion for his work.  This cognac is indeed very special since it comes from the very heart of the top cru and is made by one of the finest distillers in the industry.  The complex aromas and flavours include citrus peel and dried nuts, qualities characteristic of Grande Champagne as well as guava, passion fruit, kumquats and light spices.  The cognac is currently supplied in the much admired ‘Exception’ bottle.

The Cognac Process – Part 4. The Royal Connections

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By around the end of the 17th century the trade in burnt or reduced wine had become safe in that other European clients from England, Ireland and increased trade from Holland and a little from Scandinavia had created a more profitable trade than grain and the bois (wooded) areas away from the Champagnes were cleared for vine production. In the 13th century, King John, ruler of England and Western France, appointed the town of Cognac its freedom. Three centuries later Cognacs freedom had been reinforced by its most distinguished native, King Francis I, the very model of a Renaissance monarch born in Cognac in 1491 and ruled from 1515 to 1547. Another royal visitor was Louis XIV whose mistress was the Marquise de Montespan who lived in the Charente. But royalty gave way to dictator when Napoleon came to live on the island of Aix. It was probably during the Napoleonic era that Martell and Hennessy started to gain their supremacy over other firms, something that they have never subsequently lost. Legend has it that Napoleon insisted that his personal barrels of cognac remain undisturbed while he was away on his military campaign across Europe. When he returned to claim his cognac six and a half years later, he found he enjoyed the aged cognac even more than he had enjoyed the young cognac. Today, Napoleon cognac is aged for a minimum of six and a half years but more typically for between 8 and 20 years.

 

World Record Breaking Cognac Collection

Posted in The Bottle Story and tagged

Over one thousand individual bottles of cognac have been amassed into a unique and prestigious collection that will be sold at auction in June.  Of the 5000 individual cognac producers, several hundred have contributed to the collection and every bottle is unique.  Many of the cognacs are the latest top end presentations from the big houses, which are commercially available, but more than half of the collection are of VSOP/XO quality and over 200 are said to be exceptional.  Of the latter, many are believed to be quite old, in rare or unusual bottles and come from individual, single estates. Late last year the Guinness Book of Records recognised the project as the largest single collection of cognacs in the world.

Wealthy cognac enthusiasts will have the opportunity to spend a minimum of €300,000 on this unique collection later in the year and the proceeds will go to financing Rotary Club charity projects. One has to wonder if it will be possible to sell it without breaking it all up and if it is, whether the collection will remain intact!

The main interest in the collection will be the 200 or so “exceptional” bottles which we understand are rare and old cognac vintages. As the leading supplier of pre-Phylloxera cognacs we are well aware of the commanding prices these old nectars can attract, especially those from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The demand for these old, rare cognacs has hugely increased, buoyed up by both the Russian and Chinese demand. Indeed, even those with larger availability, such as the 1811s which were as little as £4-5000 just five years ago, are today attracting prices nearer to £10,000 in good condition.  Not many recognise their real investment value.