This $1 Million Cognac Is One of the Most Expensive Ever Released

Jonah Flicker
·3 min read
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We just covered the release of Martell’s L’Or Réserve du Château de Chanteloup, a luxury Cognac that arrived in limited numbers in the States this week. But now comes news of something even more expensive and limited—Les Remarquables de Martell, a single bottle of Cognac that is expected to sell for 1 million euros, or nearly $1.1 million, making it one of the world’s most expensive Cognacs ever released (Back in 2008 the Henri IV Dudognon Heritage bottle was priced at nearly $2 million).

So what makes a single bottle of Cognac so valuable? Well, a great deal of marketing and subjectivity for one, but Les Remarquables de Martell is truly a rare release. The liquid is a blend of two eau-de-vies from the Grande Champagne cru that were distilled more than 70 years ago, each selected by cellar master Christophe Valtaud. The Cognac was first aged in the cellar of Port du Lys, which was built by founder Jean Martell’s sons in the 1700s, and then stored in the Cognac house’s Réserve du Fondateur. The first eau-de-vie is a bit older than the second and is said to have “power, tension and length on the palate” (assuming you can taste power, tension, and length), along with cedar notes. The second is noted as being more fresh with notes of honey and candied fruit.

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Naturally, a pricy spirit like this has to have a fancy presentation, and that is the case here. The Cognac comes in an artist’s rendition of a dame-jeanne (also known as a demijohn, the glass vessel used to store Cognac). Laurentine Perilhou, an artist known for her macrame work, created this piece as a tribute to nature and terroir by using gold thread to represent the vine’s journey from roots to grapes. “My aim was to make the invisible visible,” she said in a statement, “from the Earth to the Sun, from the roots in the soil to the vine leaves turned upwards to the light.” The bottle also has three synthetic sapphires and a diamond set in 22-carat gold. The dame-jeanne comes housed in a wooden cabinet with six Baccarat glasses, a macrame neck adornment for the bottle, and a pair of white gloves so you won’t leave a fingerprint on this precious decanter.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to purchase this single dame-jeanne of Cognac, it comes with some perks, like a private tasting with Valtaud during which you can add another eau-de-vie to the blend if you choose. Also, you and three friends will be able to attend a series of private events hosted by Valtaud and Maison Martell. If you’re interested in purchasing this piece of liquid art, visit the Martell website to find out more.

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