Somewhere beneath Cognac, more than three hundred different distillates rest side by side, each carrying its own age and its own story, until the cellar master gathers them into a single bottle. Ripe fig, candied orange and fresh-baked bread meet here in a mahogany-toned glass, heavy with decades of patience.
Expert's Description
Remy Martin XO Excellence is a French Cognac of the Fine Champagne category, bottled at 40%. Behind the label sits a blend of more than three hundred different eaux-de-vie, each aged between 17 and 37 years, gathered by the house's cellar master into one coherent experience.
Remy Martin was founded in 1724 in the town of Cognac and remains the only major Cognac house that uses exclusively Fine Champagne Cognac across its range, a self-imposed standard stricter than the law technically requires.
Fine Champagne is a protected designation within Cognac and has nothing to do with the sparkling wine from the Champagne region further north. The name comes from an old French term for open plain, and it covers a blend of eaux-de-vie from the two finest growth areas, Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, with a minimum of half coming from Grande Champagne. The chalky limestone soil of these two areas gives the grapes, typically Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard, a finesse the rest of the Cognac region struggles to match.
In XO Excellence, the long ageing shows clearly. The colour is a light mahogany with amber hues, and every glass carries a distillate where decades of cask ageing have left their mark without ever letting the fruit disappear beneath the wood.
Tasting Notes
Nose
The nose offers ripe figs, candied orange and juicy plums, spiced with a touch of ginger and the scent of freshly baked bread straight from the oven.
Palate
The palate is complex yet soft, layering ripe fruit, warm spice and a calm note of oak that ties everything together without ever taking over.
Finish
The finish is long and warm, where spice and lightly toasted wood linger while the fruit slowly fades.
Specifications
Name: Remy Martin XO Excellence French Cognac
Distillery: Remy Martin
Country: France
Type: French Cognac, Fine Champagne
Age: Between 17 and 37 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 3024480004522
Serving suggestion: Best enjoyed at room temperature in a cognac glass or tulip-shaped glass, ideally given a little time to breathe so the aromas can fully unfold.
Flavour Profile
Fig · Candied Orange · Ginger · Spiced Oak
Did You Know?
Did you know that more than 300 different eaux-de-vie go into this single bottle? Remy Martin's cellar master spends years finding the right composition before a batch of XO Excellence is ready to be bottled.
