Maison Surrenne Single District Cognacs

We seek out beautifully-crafted cognacs which reveal the special qualities of each region, each vintage, each distillery, and, for the single-distillery Galtaud, each individual cask. We put bottling-specific information on the label and provide extensive, accurate product information in the literature. You the purchaser, deserve superb product and accessible, accurate, information about that product. While the cognacs we select for the MAISON SURRENNE label are genuinely extraordinary in quality, because we are sourcing them from a wholesale distiller, they are very favorably priced.

“Cognacs of the Year” WINE & SPIRITS

“Impeccable Quality”

Lot 1972 A superb single-vintage blend of individual barrels from the Madame (Surrenne’s home cellar in Jarnac) and from the Figon, Moreau, and Brunetiere cellars. Rare quality, outstanding length, rich and enduring aromas and flavors: consummate XO from Cognac’s premier region. There is none of the deadening oakiness and heavy alcoholic presence that diminish many XO cognacs. Look for profundity, richness, rare subtlety, excellent balance. The subtle hint of orange blossom is the hallmark of the finest of grande champagne. Bottled August 2, 2001. $100.00

XO Maison Surrenne was assembled from grande champagne cognacs of a single vintage. The grande champagne district is gently hilly, and the soils are rich in porous chalk; the rainfall is less than in other districts, which creates deeper flavor in the grapes. Grande champagne cognacs require lengthy aging. In return, they slowly yield an unequalled delicacy and perfume, with unrivaled length—persistence of both aroma and taste.

The Lot 1972 is an XO of classic elegance and finesse, one that restates the former glory of cognac, before the impact of mass production and global marketing.

Lot 1991 A beautiful cognac from the ancienne distillerie in Jarnac, a 19th Century stone building directly on the Charente river. Lovely fruit, wonderful balance, a delight to drink. Bottled in August of 2001. $32

The vineyards of Petite Champagne, which encircle the famous grande champagne, grow in soils whose chalk is more compact and in a climate more influenced by the sea and the continental mass. Cognacs from this district are softer, fruitier, and more accessible than their austere grande champagne cousins, with appealing floral overtones. Lighter and less ponderous, most petite champagne cognacs tend to age fairly rapidly. (bottled young, they preserve the wonderful soft fruitiness, which would disappear with lengthy aging.

THE ANCIENNE DISTILLERIE is 100% Petite Champagne of unusual quality: it is an extraordinary value at its price. The blend, 10 years old, comes from the cellar of the Surrenne home distillery. Pure and sweetly complex, its generous maturity preserves the region’s characteristic fruit, with an attractive bouquet and excellent length.

Lot 1986 CASKS 6, 8, & 14 From the single-still Galtaud distillery, founded in 1800 in the village of Mainxe. The single-vintage Galtaud has unusually rich fruit with the region’s typical attributes: profound volume with hints of violets and nut kernels. Bottled August 3, 2001. $70

The tiny borderies district contains soils deposited in ancient times by the Charente river. These heavier soils impart substance, and borderies cognacs are typically used to give body to more delicate blends. Many plantings have a southern exposure, so that the best borderies grapes are known for their rich fruitiness. Borderies cognacs do not require extensive aging.

The Galtaud, bottled unblended from select individual casks, is rich, beautifully perfumed, and full-bodied, with excellent balance and finish.