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Working in his father's vineyards as a young man, Paul-Emile Rémy Martin learned the basics of grape growing at an early age: how to prune, gather new shoots and gauge the weight of the grapes at harvest time. Then, thanks to the brutal winter of 1709, which forced the family of Rémy Martin to hoard their eaux-de-vie in barrels, the young man learned that when aged in oak, the family's precious elixir developed a diversity of flavors.

By 1724, Rémy Martin was putting that knowledge to good use. He had taken over his family's vineyards, acquired more land, and had begun to transform what had been a small, local business into a highly successful commercial enterprise. Using the best of Cognac's premium grapes, furthering techniques he had learned from his father and tirelessly performing hours of painstaking work, Rémy Martin rapidly distinguished himself as one of Cognac's most respected creators and merchants. Today, 273 years later, the House of Rémy Martin still employs the time-honored techniques pioneered by its founder and insists on the same high standards which have always distinguished Rémy Martin as the world's leading producer of Fine Champagne Cognac.

Cognac Begins In The Vineyard
Much of the reason Rémy Martin Fine Champagne Cognac displays a greater complexity in flavor is because 100 percent of the grapes the house selects for its eaux-de-vie come from Cognac's two premier growing districts, the Grande Champagne and the Petite Champagne. For over 50 years, Rémy Martin has been the only Cognac producer to focus solely on the production of Fine Champagne Cognac. And even though French law officially recognizes six districts where Cognac grapes can legally be grown, only those grapes from the Grande Champagne or Petite Champagne districts are chosen to make Rémy Martin.

Capturing The "Soul Of The Vine"
Rémy Martin Fine Champagne Cognac begins in the vineyard. Once the lots of grapes have been harvested, pressed and fermented into wine, Rémy Martin's established network of small family distillers begins to transform the fermented wine into eaux-de-vie. Each distillery is required to use the same style of traditional small copper pot stills, or alambics, as their forefathers did to ensure consistent quality each year. And unlike many other cognac makers, Rémy Martin insists that the wine is distilled with its "lees"—the sediment created during fermentation-- which contributes a high quantity of smooth and delicate characters to the spirit. Then comes Rémy Martin's "double distillation"—a unique process that takes place in special copper pot stills or alambics. During the first distillation, the wine is concentrated to 28% alcohol called brouillis. Then the brouillis is distilled again to form a 70% alcohol eaux de vie. This concentrated eaux de vie is referred to by Rémy Martin as the "soul of the vine."

Fine Champagne Cognac Is Born
So important are the barrels to the aging of its cognacs, that the House of Rémy Martin operates its own on-site cooperage. Today, the facility employs a full staff of coopers working year-round to craft Limousin oak barrels that measure up to Rémy Martin's rigorous inspectors. Once the barrels are accepted and filled, the aging process begins. The cognac will take much of its character from the barrels themselves, under the watchful eye of the Rémy Martin cellarmaster.

After some years, the eaux-de-vie gradually turns to gold. The Limousin oak barrel begins to slowly release subtle flavors such as vanilla, hazelnut, delicate spice, cigar box and sandalwood. The consistency of taste, bouquet and appearance expected from Rémy Martin is the result of blending Cognacs from different vintages. The Rémy Martin cellarmaster makes sure that every year a consistently rich Cognac is bottled.

The Perfect Marriage
Blending the Fine Champagne Cognac to make Rémy Martin is the final, if not most crucial, step in the Cognac making process. Component vintages are selected, blended and reblended to maintain the same quality and consistency of flavor for which Rémy Martin is renowned worldwide. Only cellarmasters with 10 years of experience are allowed to decide which lots to combine; when they do, they toast the union with the newest Rémy Martin, a cognac of wholly unparalleled depth, balance and dimension.

Today, the range of exclusively Fine Champagne Cognac and Grande Champagne Cognac produced by the House of Rémy Martin is enjoyed by cultures around the world. What began almost three centuries ago as a young Frenchman's dream is an internationally recognized brand name and a Fine Champagne Cognac of the finest quality.

Rémy Martin, the world's leading producer of Fine Champagne Cognac for decades, has produced the finest quality cognac available since 1724. Centuries of perfecting the art of cognac making process has resulted in a spirit of unparalleled richness of flavor and complexity. From the selection of the grapes to the aging and blending of the eaux-de-vie, Rémy Martin's signature amber color, fragrant bouquet, and complex, lingering flavor serve as a symbol of the brand's undisputed quality and consistency.

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