As the auction for Delamain’s exceedingly special cognac concludes this week, Rachel Fellows explores the secrets of this exceptional spirit…
Are you familiar with a dame-jeanne? In case of any doubt, a dame-jeanne is a large glass bottle that looks somewhat rotund and rustic, but with a slender neck; it tends to house liquids of note. These vessels can also be referred to as demijohns or, less romantically, carboys. To celebrate its 200-year history, Delamain Cognac has created a particularly special 10-litre example bedecked by luxury goldsmiths Maisons d’Art Goossens, which is currently up for auction with Bonhams Paris, until 6th December.
It houses a bicentennial liquid that only this sort of maison could create – a blend of five separate vintages stemming back to 1893, each one selected by a different generation of Cellar Master and aged until just about perfect, before release. A further 200 standard-sized bottles of this ‘L’Édition Rare du Bicentenaire’ will go on-sale this December, priced at €6,000 each.
Founded in 1824, Delamain makes cognacs exclusively from Grande Champagne vineyards. Cognac itself sits on the western side of France, less than two hours north of Bordeaux; a region spanning 80,000 hectares and containing six subregions (or ‘crus’), each with its own terroir, only brandies from this appellation may use the term ‘cognac.’ The premier cru is Grande Champagne, right at the centre, which bears no relation to its bubbly namesake but does share some of its chalky soil characteristics, imbuing its liquids with a certain delicacy that Cellar Master and ninth generation family member Charles Braastad sees as his responsibility to preserve.
“Our purpose at Delamain is to keep this delicateness through the journey of ageing,” Charles tells us during a tour of the maison’s ancient cellars, “and not to cover up this delicacy with different artifacts like wood, sugar, caramel…so, we are really there to show this elegance of Grande Champagne. The only problem is that it takes more time – it is a slow maturer, so you have to wait more.”
Waiting is something that the Delamain family has proven rather good at. Whilst VSOP (“Very Superior Old Pale”) cognacs only require four years’ worth of ageing, Delamain shuns the category entirely – instead, its range starts at the XO (“Extra Old”) level, which requires a minimum of 10 years’ ageing and, even then, theirs are aged for far longer. “At 10 years, the cognac at Delamain is not ready,” Charles explains, “so we already age our XO much longer than the law requires. Especially because, at Delamain, we don’t use new wood. We are difficult people – we choose difficult paths! Everything we choose is always the longest way.”
This dedication to doing things properly – regardless of cost or effort – has made Delamain one of the most respected cognac producers over its 200-year history. The maison uses only second-hand cognac casks to age its eaux-de-vie, sourced at anywhere from six to 15 years old and used for up to 60 years or “until they fall apart and we use them for barbecue.” This older, previously used oak takes effect on the liquids it encases gently, creating complexity, nuance and character, as opposed to the comparative brashness of a first-use cask (a bit like the first time you use a tea bag as opposed to a second, or even third steeping).
Cognac is made from grapes grown in this designated region of France, which are turned into a base wine twice distilled into an eau-de-vie. This ‘water of life’ must be aged, before casks are blended together and then bottled. Delamain sources its grapes from trusted producers (as a négociant) as well as from its own 21-hectare Malaville vineyard in Bellevigne; it may also take semi-aged cognacs, again from dependable colleagues.
Production is dominated by the ‘Pale and Dry’ XO expression whose light colour leads onto a sweet yet zesty nose, full of citrus and apricot, rounded out by restrained touches of warm spice and riper, fleshier stone fruits on the palate. Delamain also creates a small range of single-cask editions in its ‘Pléiade’ collection, each showing the effects of ageing in one of the maison’s 12 cellars. The ‘Prestige’ collection includes an XO, XXO, and ‘L’Oiseau Rare’ – only released in summer 2024, this is an ode to ornithologist Jacques Delamain (born in 1874), whose formative book “Why Birds Sing” illustrates the family’s affinity for the natural world.
A bicentennial treat
This new release features two bottlings of ‘L’Édition Rare du Bicentenaire,’ a collaboration between outgoing Cellar Master Dominique Touteau, who guided production for 42 years, and the new incumbent, Charles Braasted, who has worked alongside Dominique for nearly three decades. The cognac itself harks as far back as 1893, its five components each chosen by a different generation.
The oldest eau-de-vie was selected by Charles’ great-granduncle, Jean Delamain. This liquid spent 79 years in-cask and, tasting it in one of Delamain’s three cellars in its hometown of Jarnac, it is poignant to note its marked floral tones, held together by an incredible length and concentration – signs of an age otherwise belied by its grace. This eau-de-vie was tasted by the great wine writer Stephen Spurrier very early in his illustrious career and, family history has it that, as Jean treated his guest to this special sample, he boasted that the last person with whom he had shared it was Winston Churchill. Aside from its fragrance, it has a measured force that brings backbone to the finished blend.
Vintages were also chosen by Noël Sauzey and Alain Braastad (his belonging to the ‘ladies’ vintage’ of 1914, when harvest and distillation were carried out by the wives of soldiers fighting in the Great War). Charles’ cousin, Patrick Peyrelongue, picked a cognac from just after the Second World War, in 1947, and the particularly hilly and sloping vineyards surrounding Château de Bouteville in the heart of Grande Champagne – weighty, earthy and deliciously powerful.
The final component is the 1965 vintage, chosen jointly by Charles and Dominique, who praises its “silky, buttery, nutty ensemble” and walnut overtones. Vintages are declared when the Cellar Master designates a cognac special enough to achieve “individual greatness,” as Dominique puts it, rather than heading for a blend that would evolve it into a new sort of cognac altogether.
The dame-jeanne of ‘L’Édition Rare du Bicentenaire’ is a thing of meticulous detail and beauty. Traditionally covered in wicker, this example is decorated with 245 individually crafted gold-plated pieces created by Goossens Paris, jewellery makers and long-time Chanel collaborators. These birds and plants nod again to Delamain’s preoccupation with the natural world, albeit with dazzling glamour. Bonhams expects offers to reach €100,000 – €200,000 and the successful bidder will also receive an identically-decorated 70cl bottle, a Goossens pipette, and an invitation to a two-day experience at Maison Delamain in Jarnac.
Those who purchase one of the 200 individually numbered 70cl bottles will receive theirs in an oak gift box bearing a Goossens medallion doubling as their golden ticket to a tasting with Delamain’s Cellar Master.
Either one is a very special prize offering a true taste of cognac history.
For more information about Delamain Cognac, including details of the bicentennial and the Delamain collection, please visit www.delamain-cognac.com. And, of course, to bid on L’Édition Rare du Bicentenaire please visit www.bonhams.com. The auction closes on Friday 6th December 2024.
