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| Vintage and Pre-Phylloxera Cognac The Greatest Brandy |
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| 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. Pre-phyloxera cognac Pre-phylloxera cognac is fundamentally different from the modern product in a way not true of most other spirits or other wines. The original Cognac vineyards - which are believed to date back to Roman times, were chiefly planted with Folle Blanche, a thin-skinned grape variety, highly prone to mildew and rot, but which in good vintages produces a brandy of incomparable perfume and character. 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. The unique character and depth of the 50 - 60 year old Folle Blanche vines was lost forever. 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 its heyday in the mid 19th century). Read more. |
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| Cognac Fine Champagne J. Prunier 1820 - SOLD The Prunier family, established in Cognac in the early 1800's, was and is still producing a very esteemed cognac. A wonderful bottle in superb condition. The vintage 1820 appears on the neck seal, the label and also the cork. The barrel number 84 appears on the label and the cork. |
| Cognac Grande Fine Champagne Camus Frères 1848 - SOLD "Réserve Spéciale Restaurant Marguery". Cognac Camus is recognized all over the world for its richness and traditional taste. It was the official cognac of the Czar’s court in the nineteenth century. |
| Cognac Grande Fine Champagne Croizet 1875 - SOLD "Réserve Royale". Léon Croizet started to produce his own cognac in 1805. Due to this enviable position, Croizet was amongst a select group of only 3 cognac houses allowed to continue selling Vintage cognacs in 1963. The most expensive cognac sold at auction was a Croizet 1858 Cuvée Léonie which sold for 1,000,000 CNY ($160 000) in Shanghai, China, in September 2011. Not the same vintage offered here but our price is much much lower... |
| Cognac Fine Champagne Camus Frères 1878 - SOLD Cognac Camus is recognized all over the world for its richness and traditional taste. It was the official cognac of the Czar’s court in the nineteenth century. |
| See our special page on the oldest known cognac on earth. We have the superb Cognac Tesseron Lot No 29 and the Tesseron Extreme. Click here for details. |
| Cognac Fine Champagne Renaud & Dualle 1795 - SOLD Extremely rare 18th century vintage in a wonderful crudely hand-blown bottle. Jean Renaud & Dualle, from Bordeaux, were wine merchants and very famous for ageing and storing great vintages of some of the best Fine Champagne made at the time. |
All bottles and antiques are shipped in secured
boxes, no risk of breakage. WE UNCONDITIONALLY
GUARANTEE EVERY DELIVERY. In the very unlikely
event that a bottle gets lost, we will replace it
immediately or refund your money in full.
boxes, no risk of breakage. WE UNCONDITIONALLY
GUARANTEE EVERY DELIVERY. In the very unlikely
event that a bottle gets lost, we will replace it
immediately or refund your money in full.
| We take credit cards, debit cards and bank transfers. We can also take payments over phone, email or fax thanks to our virtual terminal secured and managed by PayPal. See all details after validating your shopping cart. |
| All rights reserved - RUEVERTE 2002-2019 |
| Some previously sold bottles of vintage cognac: |
| Cognac Grande Fine Champagne de la Belle Meunière 1805 - 50ml sample The "N" neck seal refers to Napoleon's cellar in the Palais des Tuileries in Paris. This Reserve, from the Bréard family, was bottled for the establishments of "La Belle Meunière" - Marie Quinton (1854-1933) - a national monument of the French culinary art, and a true Belle Epoque success story. She was running the Grand Hôtel Nice Palace, and her mansion in Nice is today the Hôtel Belle Meunière. SOLD OUT |
| Cognac J.G. Monnet & Co 1858 (bottled by Lachaise) - 50ml sample Aroma: cosy. A mountain hut. Summer meadow with the smell and feel of humidity before the rain comes. Notes of apples drying in the cellar, dried fruit and Christmas pudding. Taste: oranges and dried fruits. Ultra rich. Some alcohol bite. SOLD OUT |
| Cognac Grande Champagne Caves du Pavillon Royal 1875 - 50ml sample Aroma: spring in the city, rain and asphalt. Strong sweetness. Notes of apple blossom & black grape skin. Taste: Fresh. Mild. Silky & oily mouthfeel. SOLD OUT |
| Cognac J.V. Caillette 1878 - 50ml sample Aroma: extravagant personality. Breathing in history. Floral & Fruity (tropical fruit). Notes of honey, almond blossom, Candied pineapple & Muscovado sugar. Taste: mountain herbs. Syrup. Memories of childhood. Soft alcohol, not biting. SOLD OUT |