We know what goes into the making of cognac. Terroir; ageing in casks; the oversight of a cellar master... these and more give you that Martell taste that you're familiar with. But when you go into the nitty-gritty of the expression? That, mon ami, is when you delve into the soul of the bottle. You'll taste the character from which the eaux-de-vie is sourced. A single cru of the Cognac region. This is Martell's Single Cru collection.
The Single Cru collection takes from these regions—Fins Bois, Petite Champagne, Borderies and Grande Champagne—in the Cognac region. So diverse are these lands, that the Ugni Blanc grapes harvested lend the cognac the unique profile of that cru. Keeping a watchful eye over the project is Cellar Master, Christophe Valtaud, who was behind the L'Or de Jean Martell—Réserve du Château. There are three tiers of the Single Cru collection; each line heralds a new chapter in Martell's history by offering a wide net for enthusiasts to traipse through the Cognac region.
These three cognacs are the Fin Bois, Petite Champagne and Borderies. Each cru lends itself to the profile of the cognacs. Fins Bois, characterised by its reddish clay and limestone soils, produces a light and airy eaux-de-vie. In contrast, Petite Champagne's greyish, chalky soils yield structured eaux-de-vie with robustness and linger on the palate. Renowned for its delicate and elegant eaux-de-vie, the Borderies cru exudes floral and fruity aromas.
The Grande Champagne and Borderies from this edition are our next stars. As the most esteemed Cognac terroirs handpicked by Jean Martell centuries ago, the Aged Edition comprises, not only the essence of the terroirs but also the ageing process. The XO Grande Champagne that's aged a minimum of 10 years as an XO and the XXO Borderies has been aged for at least a minimum of 14 years. Expect a blend of nutty, fruity and woody notes from the XO Grande Champagne and a complex offering of fruits from the XXO Borderies.
This tier is the pinnacle of Martell's mastery: the Borderies 1999. These are rare bottlings because the encounter between a specific vineyard and a specific year only happens once. Cellar Master Valtaud starts the process by selecting a Borderies eau-de-vie from the Gallienne estate. Produced in 1999, that was a challenging year as the climate resulted in lower volumes at harvest. But lower volumes meant an increased quality and rarity of the grapes. Immediately after distillation, the eau-de-vie was transferred to fine-grained oak barrels and aged for 23 years to attain its apex in expression. Meant for the connoisseur, the eau-de-vie is presented in individually numbered bottles.
The Discovery Edition retails for SGD200 each; the Aged Edition retails from SGD460 and the Vintage Edition retails from SGD3,000. The Discovery and Aged Editions are available at select retail stores and outlets; the Vintage Edition will be available from May 2024 at select retail stores and Le Cercle.
