| The Greatest Brandies Cognac Armagnac, Brandy |
Only brandy made from Grapes grown in the delimited district of France in the Charente known as Cognac may be named Cognac.
The boundaries of this area were set down in 1909 and have been subdivided into seven divisions of varying quality. In order of
preference, they are: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaires and Bois à Terroir.
All Cognac is made from wine that is fermented from whole grapes - flesh, skins, seeds and all. The resulting wine is double-distilled
in pot stills, and the heart of the second distillation is destined to become Cognac. It is aged in new oak casks for one year, and then
transferred to used oak casks, lest it take on too much tannin from the virgin oak.
The letters on the label V.O. and V.S.O.P. mean that the Cognac has been aged for at least 4 and a half years, although in practice
V.S.O.P. Cognacs have usually been aged for at least 8 years. If the label is printed with the words Extra, Napoléon or Vieille
Réserve, the French government warrants that the Cognac in the bottle has been aged for a minimum of 5 and a half years. Stars
found on Cognac labels came from a superstitious shipper of brandy who put a star on his bottles to pay homage to the great "Comet"
vintage of 1811, one of the best ever for Cognac. Today, French law states that three-star Cognac, the youngest, must be aged for a
minimum of 18 months.
Armagnac, distilled mainly in Gascony in the southwest of France, is recognised as the only brandy to come close to the quality of
Cognac - indeed some connoisseurs specifically prefer the more robust flavour of Armagnac. It is distilled once only, in a specialised
copper still that was invented in the Armagnac region on the nineteenth century. Frequently, small farmers use a portable still, which
is wheeled from farm to farm. It is then aged in black oak, which gives tannin and deep colour to the brandy. The ageing and labelling
of Armagnac is done in much the same way as Cognac.
The region known as Armagnac is divided into three areas (in order of descending quality): Bas-Armagnac, Ténarèze, and Haut
Armagnac. Any bottle bearing only the word Armagnac, without mention of any of the regions, is a blend of two or all three regions.
The boundaries of this area were set down in 1909 and have been subdivided into seven divisions of varying quality. In order of
preference, they are: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaires and Bois à Terroir.
All Cognac is made from wine that is fermented from whole grapes - flesh, skins, seeds and all. The resulting wine is double-distilled
in pot stills, and the heart of the second distillation is destined to become Cognac. It is aged in new oak casks for one year, and then
transferred to used oak casks, lest it take on too much tannin from the virgin oak.
The letters on the label V.O. and V.S.O.P. mean that the Cognac has been aged for at least 4 and a half years, although in practice
V.S.O.P. Cognacs have usually been aged for at least 8 years. If the label is printed with the words Extra, Napoléon or Vieille
Réserve, the French government warrants that the Cognac in the bottle has been aged for a minimum of 5 and a half years. Stars
found on Cognac labels came from a superstitious shipper of brandy who put a star on his bottles to pay homage to the great "Comet"
vintage of 1811, one of the best ever for Cognac. Today, French law states that three-star Cognac, the youngest, must be aged for a
minimum of 18 months.
Armagnac, distilled mainly in Gascony in the southwest of France, is recognised as the only brandy to come close to the quality of
Cognac - indeed some connoisseurs specifically prefer the more robust flavour of Armagnac. It is distilled once only, in a specialised
copper still that was invented in the Armagnac region on the nineteenth century. Frequently, small farmers use a portable still, which
is wheeled from farm to farm. It is then aged in black oak, which gives tannin and deep colour to the brandy. The ageing and labelling
of Armagnac is done in much the same way as Cognac.
The region known as Armagnac is divided into three areas (in order of descending quality): Bas-Armagnac, Ténarèze, and Haut
Armagnac. Any bottle bearing only the word Armagnac, without mention of any of the regions, is a blend of two or all three regions.
Interested in vintage COGNAC or ARMAGNAC? Click here to EMAIL FINEST & RAREST
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Vieux Cognac 1811 "La Comète"
A magnificent magnum of the most legendary of all vintages, with the comet emblem emblazoned
on the seal.
A magnificent magnum of the most legendary of all vintages, with the comet emblem emblazoned
on the seal.
Pre-phyloxera cognac
Pre-phyloxera cognac - that is cognac dating from before 1872, is fundamentally different from modern cognac in a way that isn't
true of most other spirits or other wines. Pre-phyloxera, a Bordeaux vineyard would have been planted with Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Cabernet Franc or Petite Verdot - after phyloxera the same vineyards were replanted with exactly the same varieties, grafted
on to American rootstocks. The situation in Cognac was different. The original Cognac vineyards - which are believed to date back
to Roman times, were planted almost entirely with Folle Blanche. Folle Blanche is a capricious vine, low yielding and difficult to grow
and harvest. Under huge financial pressure, when it come to re-planting the vineyards after phyloxera, the Cognac growers replanted
with grafted Ugni Blanche, which yields a less interesting brandy, but is much higher yielding and easier to grow. Today, less than
5% of the total Cognac vineyard is Folle Blanche, the rest is all Ugni Blanche (and the Cognac vineyard is far smaller - just on 80 000
hectares compared to 230 000 hectares in it's heyday in the mid 19th century).
The change in varietals, changed the taste of the spirit. Pre-phyloxera cognacs are bolder and less refined than today's blends.
They are more floral, more intense, there's more chocolate and vanilla and licorice aftertaste, and less of the leathery
quality often found in modern cognacs. The colour is darker and richer, and the finish is longer.
The 1811 vintage
1811 was regarded at the time as the greatest vintage in living memory, and is now universally held to be the finest vintage of the
19th century throughout the vineyards of Western Europe. A long hot summer and a warm dry autumn meant an abundant harvest of
perfectly ripe grapes, from Bordeaux to Burgundy, from the Rheingau to the vineyards of Tokaji. In Cognac, the folle blanche
reached an unequalled level of perfection, and the distillers knew that they were dealing with a once in a lifetime harvest. In the same
year, Napoleon himself visited the region, and was presented with a barrel of cognac as a gift for his young son. Many ascribed the
extraordinary weather to the remarkable astronomical event that had dominated the year - The Great Comet. The comet was visible
by astronomers for 17 months, but for two months - September and October 1811, exactly the time grapes were harvested - it was
clearly visible to the naked eye, illuminating the night sky with a coma that at one point exceeded the diameter of the sun. It was
taken as sign of supernatural blessing on the harvest, which henceforth was known as "The Comet Vintage".
1811 cognac
The exceptional quality of 1811 cognac was recognised immediately, and the leading producers marked the vintage either with the
date on the bottle, or, more unusually, with a picture of the comet forever associated with the vintage. The date "1811" or the
star (as the comet symbol soon became) were regarded as signs of infallible quality, and the leading producers were not slow to
exploit this. By the late nineteenth century there were a plethora of "1811 Cognacs". Many of these still survive today, and most are
very fine, but 95% should correctly be regarded as tributes to the vintage of 1811, rather than as the actual product of the year -
producers simply used the designation "1811" as a way of signifying their very best and oldest blend, regardless of the actual
composition of the brandies. In the 1930's and 1959's unscrupulous producers mainly in the US re-bottled many ordinary brandies
under faked "1811" labels - these are easy to recognise, but still turn up every year on auction and can fool the unwary.
True cognac of the 1811 vintage can be recognised first and foremost by the bottle, which must clearly date from the 1820's or
1830's, when this cognac was originally bottled. It's extraordinarily rare - whereas for instance Sothebys and Christies routinely have
a couple of bottles each year of the late 19th century-bottled 1811's - more correctly seen as tributes to the harvest - true
contemporary bottlings are almost never seen.
Provenance & condition
Truly great cognacs have always been rare. Recognising this, the major houses have usually allocated their very finest bottlings to a
very select clientele. At the top of the pecking order have always been the most renowned French restaurants, especially those in
Paris, and today the cellars of these establishments are without doubt the principle repository of the finest 19th century cognacs.
This bottle originates from the cellars of a famous restaurant on the Place de la Madeleine that closed in the mid 1950's. It was then
bought by a major French wine collector and remained in his cellar for nearly 50 years. He died recently, and this bottle comes
directly from his widow.
The magnum is in perfect condition, with original cork and much of the original wax. The level is just above the base of the neck. It's
blown from heavy, black-green glass and dates from the 1820's or early 1830's (more likely the former). Because of the backlighting,
it's darker in reality than it appears in the photos. A single standard 750ml Bordeaux bottle has been added in one of the photos, to
give an idea of the dimensions of the bottle. The contents appear clear and bright, with no visible sediment. This is an original,
untouched 1811 cognac in a simply heart-stopping bottle, and should taste extraordinary.
Photographs are below. Clicking on any of the images will open an even high resolution version.
Update 18th Feb 2007: This bottle has been sold.
Pre-phyloxera cognac - that is cognac dating from before 1872, is fundamentally different from modern cognac in a way that isn't
true of most other spirits or other wines. Pre-phyloxera, a Bordeaux vineyard would have been planted with Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Cabernet Franc or Petite Verdot - after phyloxera the same vineyards were replanted with exactly the same varieties, grafted
on to American rootstocks. The situation in Cognac was different. The original Cognac vineyards - which are believed to date back
to Roman times, were planted almost entirely with Folle Blanche. Folle Blanche is a capricious vine, low yielding and difficult to grow
and harvest. Under huge financial pressure, when it come to re-planting the vineyards after phyloxera, the Cognac growers replanted
with grafted Ugni Blanche, which yields a less interesting brandy, but is much higher yielding and easier to grow. Today, less than
5% of the total Cognac vineyard is Folle Blanche, the rest is all Ugni Blanche (and the Cognac vineyard is far smaller - just on 80 000
hectares compared to 230 000 hectares in it's heyday in the mid 19th century).
The change in varietals, changed the taste of the spirit. Pre-phyloxera cognacs are bolder and less refined than today's blends.
They are more floral, more intense, there's more chocolate and vanilla and licorice aftertaste, and less of the leathery
quality often found in modern cognacs. The colour is darker and richer, and the finish is longer.
The 1811 vintage
1811 was regarded at the time as the greatest vintage in living memory, and is now universally held to be the finest vintage of the
19th century throughout the vineyards of Western Europe. A long hot summer and a warm dry autumn meant an abundant harvest of
perfectly ripe grapes, from Bordeaux to Burgundy, from the Rheingau to the vineyards of Tokaji. In Cognac, the folle blanche
reached an unequalled level of perfection, and the distillers knew that they were dealing with a once in a lifetime harvest. In the same
year, Napoleon himself visited the region, and was presented with a barrel of cognac as a gift for his young son. Many ascribed the
extraordinary weather to the remarkable astronomical event that had dominated the year - The Great Comet. The comet was visible
by astronomers for 17 months, but for two months - September and October 1811, exactly the time grapes were harvested - it was
clearly visible to the naked eye, illuminating the night sky with a coma that at one point exceeded the diameter of the sun. It was
taken as sign of supernatural blessing on the harvest, which henceforth was known as "The Comet Vintage".
1811 cognac
The exceptional quality of 1811 cognac was recognised immediately, and the leading producers marked the vintage either with the
date on the bottle, or, more unusually, with a picture of the comet forever associated with the vintage. The date "1811" or the
star (as the comet symbol soon became) were regarded as signs of infallible quality, and the leading producers were not slow to
exploit this. By the late nineteenth century there were a plethora of "1811 Cognacs". Many of these still survive today, and most are
very fine, but 95% should correctly be regarded as tributes to the vintage of 1811, rather than as the actual product of the year -
producers simply used the designation "1811" as a way of signifying their very best and oldest blend, regardless of the actual
composition of the brandies. In the 1930's and 1959's unscrupulous producers mainly in the US re-bottled many ordinary brandies
under faked "1811" labels - these are easy to recognise, but still turn up every year on auction and can fool the unwary.
True cognac of the 1811 vintage can be recognised first and foremost by the bottle, which must clearly date from the 1820's or
1830's, when this cognac was originally bottled. It's extraordinarily rare - whereas for instance Sothebys and Christies routinely have
a couple of bottles each year of the late 19th century-bottled 1811's - more correctly seen as tributes to the harvest - true
contemporary bottlings are almost never seen.
Provenance & condition
Truly great cognacs have always been rare. Recognising this, the major houses have usually allocated their very finest bottlings to a
very select clientele. At the top of the pecking order have always been the most renowned French restaurants, especially those in
Paris, and today the cellars of these establishments are without doubt the principle repository of the finest 19th century cognacs.
This bottle originates from the cellars of a famous restaurant on the Place de la Madeleine that closed in the mid 1950's. It was then
bought by a major French wine collector and remained in his cellar for nearly 50 years. He died recently, and this bottle comes
directly from his widow.
The magnum is in perfect condition, with original cork and much of the original wax. The level is just above the base of the neck. It's
blown from heavy, black-green glass and dates from the 1820's or early 1830's (more likely the former). Because of the backlighting,
it's darker in reality than it appears in the photos. A single standard 750ml Bordeaux bottle has been added in one of the photos, to
give an idea of the dimensions of the bottle. The contents appear clear and bright, with no visible sediment. This is an original,
untouched 1811 cognac in a simply heart-stopping bottle, and should taste extraordinary.
Photographs are below. Clicking on any of the images will open an even high resolution version.
Update 18th Feb 2007: This bottle has been sold.
An 1865 cognac, relabelled for the UK market in the early 1920's.
The label reads:
"Removed during the War from the Cellars of one of the Old French Chateau's and is undoubtedly the
finest specimen of Cognac Liqueur shipped to this country for many years." In other words, bought from
an old cellar in France, and then relabelled by a British wine merchant. The bottle itself is extremely
early and full of character - certainly not later than 1850-1870. Entirely hand blown-glass, pale
aquamarine as typically used for cognac, very deep punt, several bubbles and irregularities, a
remarkable 8 cm long bubble in the neck. My guess would be that the date of 1865 refers to the date of
bottling indicated on the original cellar bin in France, not the vintage date of the cognac itself, which is
likely 10 or 15 years earlier. Excellent level, sound cork. An opportunity to pick up a very interesting and
attractive bottle of pre-phyloxera cognac at a reasonable price. Update 20th March: SOLD
The label reads:
"Removed during the War from the Cellars of one of the Old French Chateau's and is undoubtedly the
finest specimen of Cognac Liqueur shipped to this country for many years." In other words, bought from
an old cellar in France, and then relabelled by a British wine merchant. The bottle itself is extremely
early and full of character - certainly not later than 1850-1870. Entirely hand blown-glass, pale
aquamarine as typically used for cognac, very deep punt, several bubbles and irregularities, a
remarkable 8 cm long bubble in the neck. My guess would be that the date of 1865 refers to the date of
bottling indicated on the original cellar bin in France, not the vintage date of the cognac itself, which is
likely 10 or 15 years earlier. Excellent level, sound cork. An opportunity to pick up a very interesting and
attractive bottle of pre-phyloxera cognac at a reasonable price. Update 20th March: SOLD
A superb Rouyer, Guillet & Cie Grande Champagne Cognac, circa 1873
Excellent level, branded cork, wonderful condition. "Finest Old Liqueur" Grande Champagne Cognac,
50 years old at the time of bottling. Traditional blown blue-tinged glass bottle with deep punt. This
cognac was bottled (at the latest) in the early 1920's, "1873" written in pencil on the label. A superb
vintage cognac from a prestigious house, likely from the very tail-end of the pre-phyloxera era.
Click on the images to enlarge.
SOLD.
Excellent level, branded cork, wonderful condition. "Finest Old Liqueur" Grande Champagne Cognac,
50 years old at the time of bottling. Traditional blown blue-tinged glass bottle with deep punt. This
cognac was bottled (at the latest) in the early 1920's, "1873" written in pencil on the label. A superb
vintage cognac from a prestigious house, likely from the very tail-end of the pre-phyloxera era.
Click on the images to enlarge.
SOLD.
A very fine dated cognac: Martell Brandy 1900.
Excellent level, wonderful condition.
Click on the images to enlarge.
SOLD..
Excellent level, wonderful condition.
Click on the images to enlarge.
SOLD..
Hine Grande Champagne Cognac 1928
Excellent level, branded cork, wonderful condition. A superb vintage dated cognac from one of the very
finest houses. Extremely rare.
Click on the images to enlarge.
Price: £850.
Excellent level, branded cork, wonderful condition. A superb vintage dated cognac from one of the very
finest houses. Extremely rare.
Click on the images to enlarge.
Price: £850.
(at current exchange rates this equates to approximately USD $1700 or EUR €1060).
The price of £850 INCLUDES worldwide expedited shipping, there are no additional costs.
We guarantee safe arrival of all bottles, and will replace any bottle lost in transit.
The price of £850 INCLUDES worldwide expedited shipping, there are no additional costs.
We guarantee safe arrival of all bottles, and will replace any bottle lost in transit.