L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château is a magnificent new collection announced by Maison Martell, the oldest of the great cognac houses, founded by Jean Martell in 1715. This series of exceptional, luxury cognacs will be released annually, each one in partnership with a prestigious French château.
L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château de Chanteloup is the first of this remarkable series, and honours the brand’s historic family estate in France, located in the heart of the Borderies terroir. This small and unique terroir is renowned for delivering particularly refined and elegant eaux-de-vie, and it was chosen by Maison Martell more than 300 years ago as the embodiment of the house’s signature style.
Réserve du Château de Chanteloup has been meticulously crafted by Martell cellar master Christophe Valtaud – using great skill to blend more than 1,400 eaux-de-vie from the four finest terroirs in the Cognac region.
Each of these eaux-de-vie has been carefully selected and aged in fine-grained oak barrels, sourced from France’s most ancient forests.
Valtaud approaches the creation of cognac as an artist rather than merely a cognac producer, and he melds a deep understanding of the brand’s heritage with a constant fluid movement towards modernity.
Martell cellar master Christophe Valtaud
Valtaud understands what today’s luxury cognac consumer is expecting, and whilst respecting tradition, he embraces innovation and challenges convention to present exciting new expressions – the launch of L’Or de Jean Martell series truly marks ‘a golden age of cognac’.
The collection represents continuity, precision and bold artistry, as well as Valtaud’s passionate belief that outstanding cognac should be made and enjoyed with real feeling. He says, ‘It needs to be true, and it needs to create emotion.’
These words are made tangible with the first smooth taste of the spirit itself. To sip Réserve du Château de Chanteloup is to embark on a sensory journey: notes of iris, wild carnation and honeysuckle merge into rich, sweet, aromas of red and black fruit – notably cherry and blackcurrant, heightened by a hint of spice. As the cognac evolves, earthy aromas come to the fore, and fragrant notes of sandalwood and cedar recall the casks made of the 300-year-old French oak in which this precious liquid aged.
The opulent presentation of L’Or de Jean Martell displays French excellence in luxury and craftsmanship. Two iconic French brands, Maison Martell and Baccarat, have collaborated in the creation of an exquisite crystal decanter. Its graceful form is inspired by a single, pure drop of cognac, and comes encased in a beautifully crafted wooden box, lavishly accented in gold.
Valtaud comments: ‘When you hold a bottle of L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château de Chanteloup, you have in your hands a real treasure, a cognac that represents a quest for excellence spanning 300 years.’
Only 1,000 individually numbered decanters will be available globally, from January 2024, with an RRP of €6,900.
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