The famous Grande Champagne Terroir.
Domaine du Grollet, the Rémy Martin family estate.
Aishwarya Nair
The King’s Cellar
By Aishwarya Nair
Aishwarya Nair is the Corporate Food and Wine Consultant for The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, the company founded by her father and grandfather.
added yet another occasion to the momentous annals of Louis XIII tastings. In fact, over the years, Louis XIII has been served, and been part of, some of the most privileged experiences of time, whether it’s a journey on the Orient Express or a supersonic flight on the Concorde. And contrary to what most people believe about cognac, there really isn’t a right time to
partake of Louis XIII – no particular season, and certainly not just as a digestif. I’ll never forget my first tasting…which was appropriately straight from the barrel at the dank cellars of Louis XIII in Cognac. I had the unique privilege of being accompanied by Cellar Master Trichet, who, reacting to me being at loss for words, articulated her
understanding of my experience. “As luxurious as it can be, tasting Louis XIII is an experience of humility,” Pierrette remarked, “the century -old Louis XIII is beyond all of us...” LOUIS XIII IS AVAILABLE IN INDIA IN MORE THAN 40 LUXURY HOTELS, RESTAURANTS AND WINE SHOPS (INCLUDING THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS, SELECT CITYWALK, SAKET, NEW DELHI).
NOV — DEC 2012
Tiercons – oak barrels for brewing Louis XIII.
A Louis XIII tasting is always a special occasion, but one at Le Grollet, Cognac – the historic home of the Rémy Martin family in France – with the Cellar Master Pierrette Trichet, is quite a remarkable experience. I was led into the ‘chai’ (cellar) which resembles a fairy-tale setting: cool, dimly lit, and illuminated only by a single light hidden behind a bottle of Louis XIII giving the entire place a forbidding ambience.
Once my eyes got accustomed to the light, all I could see were casks – wooden vessels in which Louis XIII spends the better half of a century in. “These distinctive casks are not
shared by any other cognac. They are lovingly restored, never replaced and the unique property of the Louis XIII legend,” Pierette informed me. These barrels known as ‘tiercon’ are casks made from 150-year-old Limousin oak, which provide the ideal tannin level for prolonged ageing of the eaux-de-vie. The uniqueness of the Rémy Martin barrels comes from its staves’ thickness and their enormous size which ensures ample exchange between the liquid and the environment, promoting perpetual ageing. The first sip of Louis XIII in that environment intensified the experience for me, and was in a strange way reminiscent of nascent childhood feelings. First on the nose: a beautiful complexity of flowers, fruits, particularly peach, and toast. Then, once on the tip of the tongue, flavours of intense vanilla, candied fruit, honey and saffron. Sublime.