Article from issue 13 of Oniriq magazine by Romain Rosso

At Louis XIII, in Cognac, a secret room houses two strange safes. Inside the first is the original film reel starring actor John Malkovich. Nothing is known about the script, except that only our descendants will be able to view it in November 2115! Inside the second is a clay disc made from soil from Grande Champagne containing a recording composed by Pharrell Williams. The disc will only be able to be listened to in 2117 ‘if we care about global warming’, warns the American singer. A countdown clock ticks away the long minutes separating us from the deadline. This audacious project is called ‘100 Years’, which is ‘the time it takes to produce a bottle of Louis XIII’, the flagship product of the Rémy Martin house. In this imaginary future, everything will probably be different, except... the iconic crystal decanter, enhanced with an 18-carat gold neck, and the famous liquid it contains.

‘This project illustrates what the cellar master does on a daily basis; he projects himself into the future,’ emphasises Anne-Laure Pressat, the executive director. Time is the raw material of Louis XIII. It was created in 1874 by Paul-Émile Rémy Martin (the founder's great-grandson), who was the first to have the idea of creating an exceptional cognac from the house's oldest eaux-de-vie, sourced exclusively from the Grande Champagne region with its clay-limestone soils, which are ideal for (very) long ageing.

To reproduce its incredibly refined, rich and complex aroma, his distant successor, only the seventh, Baptiste Loiseau, uses and blends brandies carefully selected by his predecessors. In turn, he will pass on his own selections to future generations. ‘I will never see the outcome of my selections,’ he emphasises. Being a cellar master is a job of transmission, a human chain."

To preserve this heritage and ensure its continuation, the house has decided to revive the production of tierçons, the barrels of yesteryear with a capacity of over 500 litres, in which the most remarkable eaux-de-vie are aged.

In Charente, the passage of time is dizzying. In the cellars of the great houses, with walls covered in Torula compniacensis, a microscopic black fungus that feeds on alcohol vapours (the angels' share), the oldest barrels are over a century old. On the shelves, demijohns contain liquids that are even older. It is this art of ageing, as much as that of blending, that makes cognac exceptional in the world of spirits. The excellence of craftsmanship combined with the French art of living.

Initially, it was the Dutch, who were very active traders in the 16th century, who decided to fortify and reduce the region's white wine in order to preserve it better during its transport to northern Europe. ‘No one imagined at the time what a miraculous essence the distillation of Charente wine would produce,’ says Alexis Lichine in his Encyclopédie des vins et des alcools (Encyclopaedia of Wines and Spirits).

A century later, thanks to delays in loading ships, it was discovered that these brandwijn (‘burnt wine’) improved with age in oak barrels and could be consumed neat. The first trading house, Augier, was founded in 1643, followed by others that would become famous (Martell in 1715, Rémy Martin in 1724, Delamain in 1759, Hine in 1763, Hennessy in 1765, Otard in 1795, etc.).

Chinese astrology

Since 1909, the Cognac AOC has comprised six crus where Ugni Blanc, a white grape variety low in sugar and high in acidity, is mainly grown: Grande Champagne, the premier cru; Petite Champagne, which remains delicate but tends to reach maturity more quickly; Borderies, with its bouquet of violets and hazelnuts; Fin Bois, Bon Bois and Bois Ordinaires. ‘Cognac is only cognac because there are terroirs whose differences are exacerbated by double distillation,’ notes Christophe Valtaud of Martell. A doctor of biochemistry with a bright gaze, the ninth cellar master of this venerable house oversees a stock of 12,000 brandies of varying ages and tastes, supplied by nearly 1,200 partner winegrowers, distillers and distillers.

VS is aged for a minimum of two years, VSOP for four years, XO for ten years and XXO for fourteen years. To select them, the master of the house has had a special room installed in the dim light of the historic cellar. "Here, we forget about time and focus on tasting. " This is where he creates L'Or de Jean Martell, which contains 700 eaux-de-vie aged up to 100 years, and where the challenge is to reproduce the same taste regardless of the vintage. Christophe Valtaud has enhanced this signature blend by creating two limited editions.

For the Zodiac collection, he added very old eaux-de-vie drawn from different years of the dragon, rabbit, tiger or snake, according to Chinese astrology. More than 1,400 eaux-de-vie make up the Château's Reserve, aged in three-century-old barrels in the historic Château de Chanteloup. ‘How could I go beyond an already remarkable product? I wanted it to be memorable for a haute couture collection,’ he explains.

A disconcerting experience

Contrary to what one might think, the classicism of cognac in no way prevents it from evolving. Fifteen kilometres away, in Jarnac, on the Quai de l'Orangerie along the Charente river, where barges once set sail for the coast, the Hine house, under the leadership of Paul Szersnovicz, is developing a modern style and an offbeat tone that suits its English origins.

This young cellar master has reworked the house's antique XO with pronounced tannins to make it spicy, fresh and lively. Hine, which has held a Royal Warrant since 1962, also boasts one of the finest collections of vintage bottles, which is rare in cognac. This autumn sees the release of a very intense 1975 in a porcelain decanter by Bernardaud. ‘The best batches are set aside to be aged both in our cellars and in Scotland under different temperature and humidity conditions,’ says Paul Szersnovicz. Across the Channel, this ‘Early Landed’ series is aged for around 20 years in sealed barrels, under the supervision of the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac.

Tasting the same vintage, aged in Jarnac or Scotland, is a disconcerting experience, as the flavours are so distinct. Take the 1983 harvest, for example: the former develops a supple texture and notes of ripe fruit, while the latter is powerful and complex. As for the best terroirs, located near the village of Bonneuil, they are subject to plot selection.

‘Every brandy is an encounter,’ philosophises Charles Braastad, ninth generation of Delamain, another historic house located one street above Hine. Renowned since 1920 for its pale & dry XO, produced without artifice, hence its light colour, Delamain is unveiling a very sunny 1995 vintage this autumn, with a generous harvest of grapes bursting with aromas. Long to produce, such cognacs also require a certain amount of time to savour all their subtle nuances. One centilitre of Louis XIII reveals notes of myrrh, honey, dried rose, plum, honeysuckle, cigar box, leather, fig and passion fruit... even an hour after tasting it.

Translated by Bethszabee Garner