Martell

Martell Caractère is Straight up Homegrown.

If you make anything for over three centuries, chances are you are pretty damn good at it. House Martell is the eldest of the major Cognac houses. Founded in 1715 by Jean Martell along the banks of the Chantere, at the pinnacle of the French “L’Art de Vivre.” The French basically have this way of living, where they believe in embracing all of the good stuff life has to offer. Martell Cognac is definitely the good stuff, with a full range of expressions for us to indulge in. La vie est belle, d’accord? Cheers to House Martell.

The young Briton put himself on the map by marrying into "Cognac royalty" not once, but twice! His second marriage was to Jeanne-Rachel Lallemand, “a direct descendant of Jacques Roux, a pioneering 17th century cognac merchant,” by the 19th century, Martell had become the biggest international exporter of Cognac in the world, reaching as far as China and Japan.

Now under Pernod Ricard, House Martell has robust range of Cognacs; a collection of 10 expressions. They predominantly use Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano) grapes from the Borderies vineyards, aging its Cognac in Tronçais oak casks. They double distill their blends, with traditional “Charentais alembics” (pot stills).

Martell's diverse range of expressions includes their unique Martell Caractère, which definitely distinguishes itself among the others in the Martell core lineup. Caractère uses grapes straight from the vines of the Domaine de Jean Martell vineyards. This Martell, it is rich, bold, and original, with fresh notes of citrus. Martell’s Cellar Master, Benoit Fil, blends two types of eaux-de-vie to create the Cognac. “The eaux-de-vie are distilled twice without leas and aged in fine grain French barrels.”