Bonbonne of 1889 Cognac Sells for £68K
A very exciting Christmas present for someone perhaps? This 8 litre bonbonne of Hermitage 1889 Paradis Cognac was sold last week, the asking price was £68,300. A one-off presentation of this superb 1889 cognac is a very rare offering by Hermitage Cognacs and was snapped up at Hedonism Wines in Mayfair.
It was distilled in the late nineteenth century (1889) when Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris opened with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch. At 300m high it retained the record for the tallest man-made structure for 41 years.
The cognac comes from the southeast part of the region, now known as Grande Champagne, around the charming little village of Bouteville. It was made on a small wood fired still and is a glorious example of some of the finest Premier Cru craftmanship of the era, when the understanding of cognac production methods was at its best. Aged for more than 70 years in oak casks, which has optimized its key qualities of balance and rancio, this cognac is completely natural, with no reduction. Such a long time in wood has produced an even distribution of flavours including cocoa, walnut kernels and coffee with a final and delicious long rancio, the much favoured richness, so highly desirable in these fine old cognacs.
Some wonderful
All from the top cru, Bas Armagnac, we have another three wonderful vintage armagnacs from one of the very best producers, 
How many people can claim to have tasted a cognac distilled at the turn of the last century? Well, this is your chance! Our extra special Gift Set comprises a 20Cl bottle of 1900 cognac from the top cru and one of our exclusive 
We are very excited to introduce a new cognac to our shelves, and our Hermitage Paradis range, the 1875 vintage. Only a few bottles remain of this old 1875 cognac which originally came from a cellar near Bouteville, in the cru now known as Grande Champagne. It was distilled on a very small still and then aged for more than 75 years in a cellar built against a limestone cutting. The cellar floor and walls were natural, with no cement or concrete, which made it ideal for ageing old cognacs.
Richard Woodward writing in The Drinks Business last week, about Boutique Cognac Houses, names 
Cognac house Maison Bache Gabrielsen has released a new series of cognacs with age statements called Years in Cask. Good to see them following in our footsteps! These cognacs are also vintages so by definition they must be single estate and cannot be blended. Once vintage cognacs have reached their optimum maturity they are transferred to glass bonbonnes where they will mature no further.
We were delighted to welcome Paddy Shave from Brightwells Auction House to our offices a few weeks ago. He brought with him an imperial half gallon (2.27 litres) bottle of Massougnes 1802 Cognac which had passed through our hands almost thirty years ago. We are fortunate to have acquired a number of these large bottles over the years from the owner of the Massougnes Estate, the Comtesse de la Bourdeliere, Marie-Antoinette Pintaurd des Allees – a direct descendant of Henry II and Eleanor of Acquitaine. This particular bottle from 1802 in the Napoleonic era, was originally sold by us to the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, where is was on display for many years. Still unopened, it was fascinating to see it turn up for sale once more and although the estimated price of £100,000+ was not reached, it still sold for an impressive £52,000. We have sold one or two of these oversized bottles of Massougnes over the years (vintages range from 1800 to 1812) and still have 
We are thrilled to announce that the Cognac Masters 2022 results have just been released and it was an exceptional medal haul for 
Another mention for David Baker and Hermitage Cognacs, including Hermitage 1972, on David Kermode’s podcast, The Drinking Hour. In Episode 54 David interviews Joel Harrison, IWSC judge and writer, about cognac, how it’s made and the production situation. About 35 minutes in, Joel refers to our very own David Baker as “the Indiana Jones of Cognac” and of