Review: Chalfonte VSOP Grande Fine Cognac
Chalfonte VSOP Grande Fine Cognac is made from white grapes grown in the Grande Champagne cru. The Grande Champagne terroir is characterized by a maritime climate and chalky soils over limestone and sandstone. Chalfonte is distilled, aged and blended in limited quantity in the heart of the Cognac region. While Chalfonte VSOP Grande Fine Cognac may not be a household name, it was the highest scoring cognac reviewed by The Beverage Testing Institute in 2017. Read more 
Review: Courvoisier VSOP Cognac
Courvoisier VSOP Cognac is crafted from white grapes grown in the Grande and Petite Champagne, and Fins Bois crus. Courvoisier nurtures a close relationship with over 800 vine growers to ensure the grapes used are the finest in the Cognac region. The grapes are harvested at their peak, at the end of summer. Once pressed the juices ferment over seven days. The wine is double distilled only from November to March using traditional and unusually small 25 hectoliter alembic pot stills. The eaux-de-vies are aged in barrels handcrafted from the finest French oak. Master Blender Patrice Pinet then fuses these fine spirits into a consistent and harmonious blend. Read more
Review: Hennessy VSOP Privilege Cognac
Hennessy VSOP Privilege Cognac is made from a blend of over 60 eaux-de-vie made from 100% Ugni grapes sourced from four crus, including Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, and Fins Bois. The wine is double distilled using iconic Charentais copper stills and aged for a minimum of four years in French oak barrels sourced form Limousin or Troncais forests. The House of Hennessy was founded in 1765 by Richard Hennessy who was an Irish officer in the army of Louis XV. The Prince of Wales, a cognac connoisseur and the future King George IV of Great Briton personally requested a very special old pale from the House of Hennessy. Delivered in 1818 this new classification, VSOP became a benchmark for all cognac makers. Read more
Review: Martell VSOP Medaillon Cognac
Martell VSOP Medaillon Cognac is crafted from eaux-de-vie sourced from four crus including Borderies, Petite Champagne, Grande Champagne, and Fins Bois. Martell is the only cognac producer to distil only clear wine, where all the sediments and impurities have been removed. The eaux-de-vie is aged for four to seven years in lightly toasted Troncais oak barrels. Founded in 1715 by Englishman Jean Martell, Martell is the oldest of the great cognac houses. Jean Martell left his hometown of Jersey to start trading eaux-de-vie and opened his first distillery on the banks of the Charente. In 1831 his great grandson Frederic Martell crafted for the first time a blend of eaux-de-vie named Very Superior Old Pale. In 1838 the family purchased the Chateau de Chanteloup, the iconic House of Martell. Read more
Review: Landy VSOP Cognac
Landy VSOP Cognac is one of three cognac brands created by Maison Ferrand. The other two include Pierre Ferrand, and Claude Chatelier. Maison Ferrand is the result of the encounter in 1989 between Alexander Gabriel and one of the oldest winemaking families in the Cognac region. They are now the sixth largest producer of cognac. The home office and production facility is located amid the vineyards of Charente in the 18th century Chateau de Bonbonnet. In 2010 Landy entered a marketing partnership with Snoop Dogg. Landy VSOP Cognac is made from eaux-de-vie originating from the Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, and Fins Bois cru. Double distilled separately in small 25 hectoliter copper pot stills, the young cognac is kept in cool cellars in new Limousin oak casks for one year. The spirit is then transferred to older casks where the softer tannins enable the cognac to mature while avoiding the development of excessive oak flavor. The eaux-de-vie is aged for a minimum of four years before the casks are blended by their Cellar Master. Read more
Review: H by Hine VSOP Cognac
H by Hine VSOP Cognac is blended from twenty young eaux-de-vie from the Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne crus. Each is aged for a minimum four years in lightly charred wood barrels. The history of this house dates back to 1791 when a young Englishman set out from his native Dorset to learn the secrets of how cognac, his fathers favorite tipple is produced. He had just turned 16. Soon after arriving he was imprisoned at Chateau de Jarnac while fleeing the French Revolution. He remained sequestered for several months, but later married Francoise-Elisabeth, the daughter of his host. In 1817 Thomas Hine gave his name to this house established on the banks of the Charente in 1763. Read more
Review: D’usse VSOP Cognac
D’usse VSOP Cognac, pronounced dew-say was launched by Bacardi in NYC May 2012. Jay-Z is their celebrity endorser. D’usse was created by Cellar Master Michel Casavecchia who has spent over 20 years creating cognac for Chateau de Cognac. Chateau de Cognac is where Baron Otard Cognac is made. The Chateau was originally built as a fortress to resist the Viking and English invasions at the end of the 11th century. In the 15th century Jean de Valois rebuilt the Chateau. Baron Otard established his cognac house in 1795 when he acquire the chateau. The eaux de vie selected for D’usse VSOP Cognac are aged in a combination of dry and humid cellars. The blends of eaux de vie come from four crus including Grande Champaign, Petite Champaign, Borderies, and Fin Bois. Each is aged a minimum 4 1/2 years. The unique D’usee VSOP Cognac bottle includes a gold Cross of Lorraine, Frances fabled emblem of courage, honor, and perseverance. The Chateau de Cognac also produces D’usse XO Cognac. Read more
Review: Camus Borderies VSOP Cognac
Camus Borderies VSOP Cognac is a Limited Edition cognac crafted in 2014 by Cellar Master Patrick Leger. Camus can trace its history back to 1863 when Jean-Baptiste Camus organized a consortium of cognac producers under the name La Grande Marque. For five generations the Camus family has worked with boundless passion and patience to craft remarkable cognac. The wine used to create Camus Borderies VSOP comes from a blend of white grapes, primarily Ugni Blanc Grapes, predominantly grown on the Camus family’s own Borderies vineyards. Borderies cru is the smallest of the six winegrowing regions of Cognac. The Camus family is the largest land owner in the Borderies appellation, where le Plessis, their family home lies. To achieve a delicate balance between scientific precision and artistic flair the master distiller crafted a subtle blend of wines, some with and some without lees. The eaux-de-vie is aged for a minimum of 4 years in Limousin oak barrels prior to blending. Read more
Review: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac
Remy Martin VSOP Cognac was created in 1927 by Remy Martin Cellar Master Andre Renaud. It was the first VSOP Fine Champaign. Remy Martin was founded in 1724 by Remy Martin. Only grapes grown in The Grande Champaign and Petite Champaign regions of Cognac are used in crafting Remy Martin Cognac. The grape blend is predominately Ugni Blanc grapes, with a touch of Colombard and Folle Blanche grapes. Remy Martin owns four domains in Grande Champagne totaling 240 hectacres. This accounts for 4% of the eaux-de-vie needed. The balance comes from an alliance of roughly 1000 winemakers. The grapes are gently pressed and the juice is left to ferment for 5-7 days. It is distilled in small copper stills. Each batch is distilled twice. After each distillation the heads and tails are discarded. Each year over 1000 winegrowers submit their eaux-de-vie for selection. The Remy Martin tasting committee selects from over 2000 samples. Those selected eaux-de-vie are stored in the cellars for aging in oak casks sourced from trees over 100 years old grown in the Limousin forest. The Remy Martin cellars in Merpins store 140,000 casks. Each cellar has a slightly different temperature and humidity, fine tuning the aging environment. The Cellar Master then blends the casks of varying age so there wont be any difference between a bottle of Remy Martin VSOP purchased in 2007 and 2017. Read more