Martell Xo Cognac with Gift Box, 700ml

Product Information

Martell Cognac has quite a royal history: it was served at the coronation of King George V of England, and at the gala dinner for the marriage between Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco. Martell is among the oldest brands of Cognac in the world with 300 years of history. This brandy is made from white grapes exclusively grown in Cognac, specifically Charente and Charente-Maritime regions of France. The resulting wine from grapes is then distilled twice in copper stills to make eaux-de-vie. This is then aged in oak for a minimum of two years for the VS then blend to make specific flavors of Cognac. Martell production is unique, following a strict method of production and distillation called Charentais Alambic. Martell is amongst the most popular brandies in the world and is celebrated for the elegance in its taste.

By this logic, VS bottles of cognac tend to be a lighter amber when poured. XO bottles of cognac are very dark and smooth. This applies to all cognac producers, not just Martell. Martell specifically uses fine-grain oak wood, which gives their cognac a delicate woody flavor. A unique aspect of Hennessy Cognac is that the responsibility for each and every eau-de-vie is not down to a single person. Instead, the house has a Tasting Committee. This group of eight people meets every morning at 11:00 to discuss and taste various Cognacs. In fact, they sample between 7,000-8,000 each and every year. Now, who wouldn’t want that job? Discover more about the intricate (and long) journey to becoming a member of the Hennessy Tasting Committee in our article, Cognac Expert’s Visit to Hennessy Cognac.Remy Martin has a similar size range to that of Martell, including some great value VSOPs and Napoleon qualities. They’re also well known for their annual limited edition XO created for the iconic Cannes Film Festival. In 1795 a marriage between the Hennessy and Martell families [6] cemented a strategic alliance that created an effective duopoly in the cognac market. Another marriage followed in 1865. [6] While still in competition, the two companies also made joint decisions, for example introducing the star grading system at the same time. [7] This semi-formal relationship was dissolved in 1947 after the death of Maurice Firino-Martell. [8] Eau de vie: The clear, colorless fruit brandy produced after the fermentation and double distillation period. Translating from French to “water of life”, it typically has a very light fruit flavor. Vintage: A term used for a bottle of brandy (or, commonly, Armagnac) for when a particular year’s harvest is all that’s gone into the bottle. These bottles are very expensive due to their rarity and age. Methodology: How we select, test, and rank the best brandy and Cognac on the market

VS, VSOP and XO refer to the age and quality of the cognac. Each corresponds to how long the brandy has been aged in oak barrels. In 1983, following a request by the BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac)*, the French government drafted regulations governing the terms used to describe a cognacs’ quality. These designations, which may be included on the label, refer to the age of the youngest eau-de-vie used in making the cognac. In comparison to many other spirits, brandy doesn’t go off. An unopened bottle can keep indefinitely as long as it’s stored properly: a tightly sealed container, away from heat or light. Seagram was broken up in 2001, and Martell was acquired by Pernod Ricard. [13] Pernod repositioned the brand, making efforts to attract new consumers with multiple new product lines: Martell XO (released 2005), Martell Création Grand Extra (released 2007, in a bottle designed by the artist and glass designer Serge Mansau), L'Or de Jean Martell (released 2009). In 2011 the marque Martell expanded into an "ultra-prestige" range with Martell Chanteloup Perspective, a tribute to the know-how of the cellar masters and to the Domaine de Chanteloup. If you’re new to the world of brandy, the broad variety of options available on the market might be overwhelming at first. It will require patience and trial to explore the different brands.

Martell achieves almost 100% of its sales through export. Only a small fraction gets consumed in France. In 2006, Martell joined the Comité Colbert, an association that promotes French luxury houses on an international scale. For many, Courvoisier Cognac reached iconic status thanks to the Busta Rhymes song, Pass The Courvoisier. And the brand continues to reach out to all classes of drinkers, including those more familiar with whisky terminology when they added two age-stated Cognacs to their repertoire, The Courvoisier Vintage Connoisseur 12 Years and the Courvoisier Vintage Connoisseur 21 Years. Any fruit that ferments can be distilled and turned into a brandy but the most common and most favored choice is grape. VSOP stands for “very superior old pale” and means the youngest brandy in the blend has been aged for at least four years. Is VSOP or XO better?