Distillery Info
An eau-de-vie possesses a special memory, carrying an infallible record of the entire life of the grape, from beginning to end.
In the vineyards of Cognac, the grapes are harvested when they reach aromatic maturity - when they embody the very nature of the soil from which they have grown - rather than at physiological maturity, the moment at which the balance between the acidity and degree of alcohol of the wine is best.
When the grapes are pressed, the pips must be removed at once, in order to avoid any unwanted taste of tannin in the future cognac. A traditional press is used. The juice is then left to ferment naturally for one to two weeks. A low initial alcohol content is considered an advantage, as the aroma of the cognac will be richer.
The wine obtained is very fragile. No additive may be used and the wine will be distilled as soon as possible during the winter following the harvest, that is to say, between November and the end of March.
Now is the moment that sets the scene for everything that LOUIS XIII will one day become. Decades of ageing and blending depend on perfection at this point. Nothing less than the best will do, and the rules are minutely defined. The starting point is a light acid wine, fermented across a leisurely one-to-two-week period, low in alcohol because that is always the preferred basis for a superior cognac.
It will take ten litres of this wine, at seven-to-ten-percent alcohol, to produce one litre of the seventy percent alcohol eau-de-vie that is the next objective.
Distillation must commence quickly, because the qualities in the wine are fragile – as soon as possible after harvest in November, and never later than the end of March.
The eaux-de-vie that go into LOUIS XIII are always distilled twice with the 'lees', a mixture of grape yeast and minute particles of the fruit.
From the heart of the second distillation, at 70 degrees alcohol comes the fiery young spirit that will maybe in one hundred years become LOUIS XIII. But only maybe.
The Cellar Master must now seek within the fire of the alcohol for those indications of excellence that only an expert nose can detect at this stage. And despite the best efforts of the distiller, the decision will most likely be negative.
Of some 1,000 samples that are submitted for the Cellar Master's approval, barely a dozen will be selected for this special destiny.
LOUIS XIII is an exceptional blend of up to 1200 eaux-de-vie, sourced 100 % from Grande Champagne, the first cru of the Cognac region, which will bring hundreds of aromas to the cognac.
This succession of blends creates a balance between the different aromas and contributes to the smooth harmony of LOUIS XIII. This blending stage keeps the memory of taste alive, and brings out the timelessness of LOUIS XIII.
