Cognac house Maison Martell has revealed the first bottling in its new Réserve du Château collection: L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château de Chanteloup to pay homage to France’s most prestigious châteaux, starting with the iconic Château de Chanteloup, located to the north of Cognac in South West France. Each bespoke cognac blend from the collection will be released on a yearly basis to celebrate a prestigious French château.
The Cognac was crafted by Martell’s cellar master, Christophe Valtaud, who brought the liquid to life by blending more than 1,400 eaux-de-vie from the four terroirs in the Cognac region. It was aged in the Martell family’s Château de Chanteloup. Each eaux-de-vie was selected and aged in barrels made from 300-year-old French oak from the forests of Forêt de la Braconne, Foret de Bercé and Forêt de la Braconne.
L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château de Chanteloup marks an extraordinary sensory voyage from start to finish. The notes of iris, wild carnation and honeysuckle that merge into sweet, rich aromas of red and black fruit, cherry and blackcurrant, which are then heightened by a hint of spice. As the Cognac evolves, aromas of ‘earth’ and ‘rancio’ are said to come to the fore, while ‘fragrant notes of sandalwood and cedar recall the casks made of 300-year-old French oak in which the Cognac rests’.
To showcase the extraordinary L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château de Chanteloup, Maison Martell has collaborated with alchemist of joy – Maison Baccarat, to create an exquisite crystal decanter. The luxury add-ons continue, as the decanter itself is housed inside a wooden box that contains two stoppers, and a product booklet that tells the liquid’s story.
There will be just 1,000 decanters of the Cognac available globally and it will go on sale in January 2024 for an RRP of €6,900 (US$7,427) from selected luxury retailers.