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Courvoisier breaks the mould with Connoisseur Collection
Courvoisier is seeking to revolutionise the cognac category with the launch of its Connoisseur Collection, the first major Cognac house releases to carry an age declaration on the bottle.
The Courvoisier Connoisseur Collection is launching with two marques, Courvoisier 12 Year Old and Courvoisier 21 Year Old, aged for a minimum of 12 and 21 years respectively in French oak.
Master blender Patrice Pinet told the drinks business the releases are designed to enhance people’s understanding of cru and the nuances of blending.
“It’s a new approach. We speak about cru, we speak about ageing, but at the heart of making Cognac is the art of blending so generally we are speaking about the blends with these Cognacs.
“We wanted to launch a very special collection for the connoisseur for people who want to have a different approach to understanding Cognac, to know more about what a cru is, what age means.
“They are also there for new Cognac consumers too, those that might not be particularly confident when looking at a bottle of Cognac about what the age is, what terms such as VSOP mean – it’s all a bit mysterious for them.
“With 12 and 21 you take away that mystery and offer them a way to understand the liquid better.”
As with whisky, the age statements relate to the youngest eau de vie in the blend.
Courvoisier 12 Year Old is a blend primarily selected from the Borderies, the smallest and most exclusive cru in Cognac and Courvoisier 21 Year Old is made exclusively from grapes harvested in the most prestigious Grande Champagne cru. Their respective RRPs are £50 and £175.
Pinet added: “Our former master blender, Jean Marc Olivier, had the foresight 25 years ago to employ processes that would allow us to create a cognac with an age statement, predicting that the face of cognac would change.
“Courvoisier is leading the charge on an innovative approach to cognac, which we hope will inform and engage aficionados and we look forward to adding to the collection in the future.”
Maxxium UK’s marketing controller for Courvoisier and imported whiskeys, Eileen Livingston, added: “Courvoisier has taken a revolutionary approach throughout its 200 year history, introducing innovative production techniques and marketing initiatives, which have secured its position as the UK’s number one cognac.
“The launch of the Courvoisier Connoisseur Collection demonstrates the brand’s luxury credentials and our commitment to growing the brand and the category in a true revolutionary style.”
Alan Lodge, 11.05.2011
At last a major cognac house has recognised our campaign for numbers on bottles. Brandyclassics have been campaigning for more than a decade for “numbers on bottles”, we have long recognised that customers want numbers on bottles rather than the generic descriptions offered by other cognac suppliers. Such descriptions have long confused customers who not only find such terms as VS, VSOP and XO non descriptive, they also find that with the high levels of blending, there is very little difference between similar cognacs available on the shelves. Hermitage Cognacs have been available for more than five years and every bottle carries an age statement, sorry Courvoisier, Hermitage were there first but we endorse what you are doing, at least consumers can now see we were right with our “Numbers on Bottles” campaign
At last, a major cognac house has recognised the need for numbers on bottles. Brandyclassics have campaigned for more than a decade the need for customers to be able to benefit from knowing the age of the cognacs they buy. We recognised that customers have become confused with the non descriptive generic descriptions used by the big houses to sell cognacs. Not only are they unaware of cognacs age used in such descriptions as VS, VSOP and XO, they have also come to recognise that there is virtually no difference in the flavour of these highly blended cognacs. Sorry Courvoisier, you did not break the mould in age statements, Brandyclassics did with Hermitage cognacs which have been available for many years. Every Hermitage Cognac carries an age statement. Thank you for endorsing our campaign, we endorse your policy of introducing “Numbers on Bottles”!
This is nothing new… Camus has a range of vintage cognac ranging from 1962 to 1991, all of which are single-cru. And Remy Martin ha a vintage 1988 too.
A good Cognac while watching from the lounge of the back of a cruise ship makes me a happy woman.There is nothing better after a good meal.