For over 300 years, Martell has existed as one of the world’s top-selling luxury cognac brands. In fact, it is the oldest of the so-called “big four” major producers that have helped define how the liquid has been embraced across the globe. Now the house has found a way to re-define luxury within the category. L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château de Chanteloup is the inaugural expression in an ongoing series of ultra-premium XO, wherein each release will highlight a partnership with a historic French estate.
Martell opens this new era at home, showcasing its very own palatial property. The stunning Château de Chanteloup castle is surrounded by some 363 acres of vineyard just north of the city of Cognac. In order to capture the essence of this landscape in bottle form, cellar master Christophe Valtaud pulled flavor from over 1,400 separate samples of stubbornly rare eaux-de-vie. These gently-aged spirits were brought together in a speciality cask consisting of 300-year-old staves, sourced from the neighboring forests of France.
“It’s a long process to channel this type of product,” says Valtaud. “When I started as cellar master seven years ago, I began collecting this three-century-old oak. You have to dry it and care for it for several seasons. It’s very unique and delicate and it gives something very special in terms of taste.”
Specifically, the unique cooperage imparts a curious combination of rich, red berry fruit alongside dry, sandalwood spice. There is a palpable vibrancy to its nose and palate. Floral and fresh in the former; weighty and tannic in the latter. It’s not just old. It’s audacious.
It’s also quite bold in its packaging. The crystal decanter for the latest L’Or was designed in collaboration with Baccarat. Presented as a graceful teardrop, it’s held upright by a metallic stand and topped in a 19-carat gold neck. The 80-proof liquid comes to rest inside a wooden cabinet embossed with angelic striations, meant to evoke French art de vivre. Only 1,000 were produced in total and they’re available now, retailing at $7,500 a piece.
L’Or was originally launched by Martell back in 1992 as the top-of-the-line offering in its portfolio. As a blend of just 400 eaux-de-vie, predominantly collected from the Grand Champagne appellation, it was crafted very much for consistency from year to year. For the Réserve du Château edition, however, Valtaud believes that individuality is a key component in collectibility.
“Our wish is not to reproduce all the time the same taste,” he confirms. “Each blend will represent the soul of the specific chateau. This is a collectible cognac; a limited edition. It is haute couture as opposed to ready-to-wear fashion.”
But even as Valtaud readily admits, in order to make something worth holding onto, “it has to be about more than just marketing” and fancy, hand-crafted crystal. The taste has to be locked in—and linked to something grand. With Réserve du Château de Chanteloup, Martell is putting its best foot forward in what promises to be an exciting new journey in ultra luxury cognac.