Martell

The Legendary Martell Cordon Bleu.

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 Charente, 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 Cordon Bleu is not only the most popular expression in the Martell lineup, its among one of the top Cognacs in its range period, highly acclaimed by connoisseurs. We don't know how else to put it, Cordon Bleu is a pretty B.F.D. This legendary Boderies XO is beautiful, complex, and filled with character. Designed by Édouard Martell in 1912, there is also a limited edition special release to celebrate 300 of La Maison Martell.