In 1850, a farmer near Jarnac dug an old pewter flask out of the ground, a relic from a battle fought there in 1569. That flask later became the model for a decanter in hand-blown Baccarat crystal, and inside that decanter rests a blend today where the youngest drops are 35 years old and the oldest date back to the late 1800s.
Expert's Description
Remy Martin Louis XIII is a French Cognac exclusively from Grande Champagne, bottled at 40%, where the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend is at least 35 years old.
The bottle itself is a story in its own right. The hand-blown Baccarat crystal decanter is shaped after an old pewter flask a local farmer found in the ground near Jarnac in 1850, a relic from the battle fought on the same site in 1569. Remy Martin had the design recreated, and every decanter for Louis XIII has since been a handmade original.
Behind it lies one of the most ambitious blends found anywhere in Cognac. Up to 1,200 different eaux-de-vie, all from Grande Champagne, have been gathered by generations of cellar masters. The average tasting age sits around 50 years, and the oldest drops in the blend were distilled as far back as the late 1800s.
The result is a Cognac of rare depth, where every glass carries decades, in some cases nearly a century, of patient ageing.
Tasting Notes
Nose
The nose is intense and multi-layered, with walnut, jasmine, iris and violet, spiced with a touch of saffron and nutmeg, and underneath it all a whisper of cigar leaf.
Palate
The palate unfolds slowly with notes of passionfruit and rose, deep and complex in a way rarely found in a bottle of Cognac.
Finish
The finish is unusually long and deep, where the floral tones and a hint of candied fruit linger long after the glass is empty.
Specifications
Name: Remy Martin Louis XIII French Cognac
Distillery: Remy Martin
Country: France
Type: French Cognac, Grande Champagne
Age: At least 35 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 3024480002191
Serving suggestion: Best enjoyed at room temperature in a narrow cognac glass, in small sips, giving the aroma plenty of time to unfold.
Flavour Profile
Walnut · Jasmine · Saffron · Passionfruit
Investment Potential
The assessment is High. Its extreme rarity, the nearly hundred-year-old eaux-de-vie in the blend, and the hand-numbered Baccarat decanters make Louis XIII one of the most sought-after names among collectors, and the bottle often trades for several times its original price at auction.
Did You Know?
Did you know that Remy Martin's distinctive centaur emblem was registered as a trademark in 1874 by Paul-Émile Remy Martin, the same man behind the idea of recreating the pewter flask found near Jarnac in 1850?
