WINE, SPIRITS & CIGARS
LOUIS XII RARE CASK 42,6
PIERRETTE TRICHET HEIR TO THE GIFTS THAT BROUGHT RARE CASK TO LIFE
The
story begins, as it began for all Louis XIII, in the elite chalkrich vineyard of Grande Champagne where the Ugni Blanc vine
grows to perfection under the gentle caress of the Charente climate. Only the best of these grapes and the best of their spirits are chosen for the 100-year journey ahead. The story unfolds
under the care of successive cellar masters, each in their turn
watching, tasting and blending, working with infinite patience to
draw forth the supreme richness and complexity that is the eternal profile of Louis XIII.
Why among so many casks should one just occasionally display
the spontaneous distinction of a Rare Cask? The precise cause is
entirely mysterious. But we can be sure that the exception does
spring in some fashion from the uncompromising tradition that is
the making of Louis XIII. We can be sure too that there would be
no Rare Cask without the extraordinary sensibilities of Louis XIII cellar master – a rare person with the gift to detect the exception
when Nature sees fit to present it.
Pierrette Trichet is the fourth in a succession of the House of Rémy
Martin cellar masters that commenced with founder and chairman André Renaud. Each in their turn has played their part in
the century that made this Rare Cask – from the selection of the
first young eaux-de-vie through patient decades of expert observation and blending that eventually married more than 1,200
eaux-de-vie. Rare Cask is in many ways Pierrette Trichet’s tribute
to these predecessors – the jewel in the crown of the Louis XIII
legend that each cellar master has worked to create. Events
that defy rational explanation should be approached with special caution. This is why Pierrette Trichet waited a further two and
a half years before formally confirming her discovery. Pierrette
Trichet wrote “As I tasted, I experienced that same sensation, that
moment of revelation and emotion that I remembered so well. All
the signs seemed to indicate that I had found another rare cask.”
No two tierçons are ever quite the same size, and this Rare Cask
is one of the smaller ones: sufficient for just 738 decanters. Like the
first Rare Cask 43,8, this one signalled its distinction with a small but
significant increase in alcohol, beyond the expected 40 per cent.
The level in this case was 42,6 per cent.
It was a tasting in early 2012, in the company of her deputy Baptiste Loiseau, that marked the formal end of the journey. The spirit
in the cask had touched its point of perfect balance. It was time
now to write a new page in the history of Louis XIII. LOUIS XIII Rare
Cask 42,6 was born. Louis XIII is a blend of fully 1,200 eaux-devie, 100 years in the making. The reward is a cognac of truly extraordinary aromatic richness and complexity, with a multitude of
long-aged nuances that no person can fully decipher at a single
encounter. Every tasting is a fresh adventure. LOUIS XIII Rare Cask
42,6 celebrates these delights and more, with salient aromas that
are unique to this one precious cask – notes of plums and dates,
mingling with flavours of gingerbread, prune stone and ginger,
punctuated by a final touch of tobacco leaf. To taste this Rare
Cask is a supreme privilege that will transport you to the very limits
of your imagination.
Precious black crystal is Rare Cask’s signature, expressed in a decanter that tests the skill of Baccarat’s crystal masters to the very
limit of their craft. Twenty craftsmen must work together on each
decanter, meanwhile executing the most challenging colour that
the art of crystal can aspire to. The precious metal that defines
LOUIS XIII Rare Cask 42,6 is 22 carat rose gold, in brightly sensual
contrast to the dark opulence of black crystal. There will never
be more than 738 decanters of Rare Cask 42,6, and each will be
serial numbered 001 to 738. To possess one such decanter is a
privilege beyond all reckoning. The suggested retail price is Euro
18,000 with some restaurants offering 1/2 once servings at Euro
800.
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