Grosperrin ‘Ile d’Oléron’ Bois Ordinaire Number 90. Cognac

In the glass the color is light amber with gold highlights. The nose is floral, with a hint of iris, along with gentle notes of toffee, Mirabelle plum, chocolate, and a touch of nougat. On the palate the spirit is medium-bodied with bright acids and a flavor set that includes touches of cherry and damson plums along with a salty character that nods to the spirit’s origin. Enjoy!

Long before brandy was shipped from the Cognac region its major export was salt. This salt was collected from the marshes along the Atlantic coast and transported around Europe so that meat and fish could be preserved. Two islands off the coast of the Charente, the Ile d’Oléron and the Ile de Ré, were perfect locations to cultivate salt. In addition to these pre-Renaissance salt evaporation operations, grapes also grew on the islands from which wine was made and also exported. At the end of the 1500s when the Dutch brought copper stills to France and encouraged them to distill their wines, the island of Oléron proved to be an ideal location to ship from. This island sat at the mouth of the Charente river, and was something of a one stop shop for salt, wine, and brandy. As the production of brandy exploded in Cognac during the 18th and 19th centuries, the importance of the islands to supply Cognac to the large houses began to decline. Fast forward to the current day, and both islands still grow grapes, make wine, and distill Cognac. Today they are part of the rarely seen cru Bois Ordinaires. This area with its sandy soils, salty sea air, not to mention rarity has developed a niche fervent following. In comparing the spirits from this appellation to another much larger one across the Channel, Cognacs from this cru appeal to those that enjoy lowland single malts that display a particular saline character.

 Guilhem is a micro-négociant located in the ancient town of Saintes, halfway between the coast and Cognac on the Charente river. In the 1990s, his father worked as a broker. His day to day trade was to search the countryside for Cognacs (new make and aged barrels) from small producers that he could later sell to the large houses to be used as part of their blends. A quarter century ago Guillem joined his father at the trade and decided to take their work to an entirely new level. Instead of selling his finds to the large houses, he formed his own company and began directly marketing these unique and small lot Cognacs directly to a wide and increasingly savvy public. Hardcore Cognac fans were thrilled; here they were able to experience Cognacs from various Crus that were single vintages rather than blends, that had not been adjusted slash adulterated with sugar, caramel, or boisé and were released at cask strength. Vintage releases themselves are very highly controlled in Cognac, so Grosperrin started innovating with a number, like N°90 or Lot 90, as a wink to customers as to what vintage the spirit comes from, even though not officially recognized by the authorities. Grosperrin continues to wear out his tires while crisscrossing the region in search of hidden treasures. When visiting his warehouse in Saintes, our man on the ground Charles Neal tasted dozens of Cognacs from various crus, and landed upon the 1990 from the Ile d’Oléron.

While Cognacs from the central crus are widely available for export, very little is ever seen abroad from the outerlying crus. Guillem told Charles that this 1990 cask was bought from a small farmer long retired in Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron. This farmer had quite humid cellars which led the alcohol level to drop at an accelerated rate. In addition to the high angel’s share, the distillate was aged in old oak which ensured a lighter color to the resulting spirit. After the barrels were purchased from the farmer, they were aged for several more years at the Grosperrin headquarters. After conferring with Charles, this run of bottles was imported specifically D&M. This cognac is probably unlike any you have ever tasted before: we’re happy to expose you to it. Michael Kennel, D&M