David Longfield has written in Decanter magazine describing the excitement of tasting some of our most precious nectars with MD, David Baker. All produced over 75 years ago, these Grande Champagne vintages are some of the best we have ever stocked. Here is a snippet of the article to whet your appetite. The entire piece can be read here.
“Hermitage Cognac works with top Cognac houses to hunt out small parcels of such old spirits still preserved among the five or six hundred independent producers around the region, looking primarily for those with verifiable vintage dates or age statements that define how long they’ve spent in barrel.”
Longfield goes onto write “The barrel ageing, and the conditions of the cellars in which it takes place, are the critical factors, Baker says: ‘It’s really what fine Cognacs are all about.’ He continues: ‘This ageing process develops [over many years] into what we call “rancio” – a kind of madeirisation, a richness and sweetness. I think this is highly sought-after: a natural richness, not a sugary sweetness.’”