Spindly, curved vines crawl out from a frosty ground dotted with
yellow, post-harvest leaves while autumnal light drizzles through
thinning trees and out across endless French vineyards. The wind is
cold and sharp, yet everything about Cognac’s air, smell, light and temperature make it perfect for tasting Rémy Martin Louis XIII.

Aside from learning about this spirit’s double distillation process and the company history of Rémy Martin, I was made fully aware during my two days in the region of the importance of Louis XIII, the most illustrious, expensive and – as I was fortunate to discover – beautiful of Rémy Martin Cognacs, It is served in just 13 exclusive locations around the world, and the only one in the UK is in London’s Sanderson hotel. Others include The Beverly Hills Hotel in LA, the Burj Al Arab in Dubai and the Peninsula in Hong Kong. After winning an award at the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition, it was served to the British monarch King George VI at Versailles in 1938, while Winston Churchill reportedly toasted his electoral win of 1951 with it.
Contemporary fans of the brandy, meanwhile, include the King of
Cambodia, hip-hop star P Diddy, opera singer Plácido Domingo
and boxing icon Oscar de la Hoya.

Generation after generation Named after a French king who ruled in the early 17th century, Louis XIII was created in 1874 when Paul-Emile Rémy Martin I blended some very old eaux-de-vie in a decanter. The resulting drink is, today, a blend of 1200 eaux-de-vie aged between 40 and 100 years old, all produced from Grande Champagne soil.

Four generations of Rémy Martin cellar masters, three of which I had the honour of dining with while visiting the estate, have continued to preserve this taste, each interpreting the recipe in their own way.

Their passion and dedication was highlighted by the international ambassador for Rémy Martin, Dominique Joussen, who pointed
out that none of them will ever taste the fruit of their labour as it will not be ready for consumption in their lifetime. Current cellar master (and the first female appointed to the job), Pierrette Trichet, humbly told me: ‘I’m nothing but a passage from past to future.’

It may well be that the cellar masters’ choice of eaux-de-vie and the way in which their chosen flavours combine will never be enjoyed in their lifetime, yet each has worked tirelessly at creating what they believe will be the perfect Louis XIII for future generations. The original, Andre Renaud, and the surviving cellar masters, Andre Giraud, Georges Clot and Pierrette Trichet, have watched over the development of Louis XIII across 100 years of ageing and blending.

Understanding the process behind Rémy Martin makes their relentless work and commitment all the more remarkable.
Following the harvest at the end of each October, local Cognac grapes are crushed gently, along with Ugni Blanc grapes from northern Spain. After four days the wine obtained from the juice is double distilled.

Next, 12kg of grapes are pressed into nine litres of wine, which become one litre of Cognac. After half a century of ageing, that quantity is reduced to 8-10cm of Cognac, illustrating the love and patience that goes into creating a single bottle.

Upon entering the cellars where the Cognac is both blended and aged, one is met by never-ending cobwebs, darkness and an overwhelming smell – ‘this is one of the great moments in the history of the nose’ a fellow journalist proclaimed as we entered. A total of 1,200 local wineries all give samples to the cellar master who decides which ones to use. Those that make the cut are stored in barrels made of oak from Limoges, which lies 150km east of Cognac.

The process is absolutely natural – there is no air conditioning and
no heating in the cellars, only barrels, air and natural humidity. That such an intense flavour can be created so naturally is astonishing.

After eight to 12 months of ageing, vanilla notes begin to appear.
As the years pass, these notes are replaced with key notes of fig,
dry apricot, clove and cinnamon. The final product should ideally be a sumptuous blend of nuts and candied fruit with a honeyed, nutty flavour and port wine notes. The colour at this stage should be a tawny orange and the flavour extremely smooth. As Trichet explains: ‘If the final product is opulent and rich, and the right eaux-de-vie have been chosen, you’ll have a good Cognac. It’s all about respect. A good Cognac should not burn in your mouth.’

A family affair
There is absolutely no sense at all, wandering through the dank, dark cellars of Rémy Martin, that this is a business. Of course, the drink’s world-class reputation and adoration for it makes it very successful, but it is family-owned and familyloved. Those involved are there because they love to be and, spending time among them for just 48 hours, was a truly moving experience. Being allowed access into such a prestigious, intimate and very family-orientated company was an enormous honour that opened my eyes to the beauty of the French people, the incredible history of the Cognac region and the importance of Rémy Martin.

As we drove away slowly through the vineyards, I looked back to
see the dark, marked rooftops of the cellars. I was told the black
marking is known as ‘Angel Share’, a reference to the 3% of Cognac
that evaporates every year and ends up dotted along the area’s
rooftops. This equates to 6,000 barrels per cellar, yet no one seems
to mind. They simply smile at me in recognition of this fairytale and
continue declaring their love for Rémy Martin Cognac.