Imagine reaching home after a hard day’s work.
A day of labours, much the same as the day before, and the one before that. You do what you must, but still, you want an escape from your routine. You want to take the reins.
You’re lost in thought, but then you spy something quite unusual. A piece of paper sits on your desk. A blank cheque, already signed. It might as well be a magic lamp.
All that remains is the question.
What would you do with freedom?
Freedom and Choice
We considered this question carefully, but we’re a little overwhelmed with the idea of unlimited discretion. It’s almost inconceivable that we will ever achieve this degree of autonomy, so it’s actually easier to give ourselves some constraints. A handhold for our minds to grasp.
We don’t know what was going through the head of Rémy Martin’s young Cellar Master, Baptiste Loiseau, when he was given this freedom to shape his second edition of Carte Blanche.
We do know that Carte Blanche is a series only in the loosest sense. It is more of a set of guidelines, a philosophy. There is no release date, no number of editions required, no mandatory size for them.
There was but one condition: to reveal the quintessence of Rémy Martin’s style. A difficult task that starts with the question: what is the essence of Rémy Martin?
Perhaps a clue can be found in something Baptiste talked about last year: the concept of legacy. There have been Cellar Masters before him, but yet the character of the house has stayed constant throughout the long centuries. It is his duty to protect the traditions and shepherd the stocks of slumbering eau-de-vie laid down by his predecessors.
The very name Merpins, refers to the 20 hectare estate in Cognac, France, where 140,000 barrels of Fine Champagne eau-de-vie mature over decades, or even centuries. The past, present and future slumbers in its cavernous cellars.
It was in Merpins that Baptiste found his take on the second Carte Blanche.
Finding the Essence
If cognac is a diamond, each cask of eau-de-vie is a facet. As with many things produced in a natural fashion, there are too many variable to control the process exactly. There are always variations in how sleeping spirit has aged, in the grapes used to produce them. Factors which seem small, such as where the cask is stored in the warehouse, the year it was made, and the region from which the oak cask is made make for large differences when accumulated over time. It is to keep the style consistent that most cognacs are blends.
It is the Cellar Master’s blending that combines eau-de-vie to make cognac. In many ways, he or she determines the spirit (in both senses) of an entire house.
In 1948, André Renaud, the Cellar Master at the time, decreed that Rémy Martin would only sell Fine Champagne cognacs, and to this day, his mandate has stayed in place. Fine Champagne is made from grapes grown in the Grand and Petite Champagne regions of Cognac, which are considered to have the best terroir. Today, the quality of the spirit we enjoy owes much to his decision.
Yet, an individual cellar master rarely gets to see all his efforts come to fruition. With some eau-de-vie needing decades in the cask, each master enjoys some of the results of his predecessors’ work, and in turn, sets aside something for his successors. Through the long years of labour of many masters, Merpins now holds 140,000 casks of Fine Champagne spirit.
It is from this legacy that Baptiste found a single vat of blended cognac that had the qualities he sought. Its destiny was to be bottled for the second Carte Blanche.
Always in Style
The Rémy style, to us, has always been one of light, ethereal elegance. Fruits and flowers play a central part in its identity, with dried fruit and spices supporting it. Maybe that’s why their cognacs always tastes youthful and vibrant, even if they contain hundred year old eau-de-vie. We’ve tasted cognac from the youngest VS in its offerings, to the Louis XIII, and they all have a common thread running through them.
The 27 year old (or older) Carte Blanche Merpins Cellar Edition delivers much of the familiar flavours.
On the nose, the fruity aspect takes centerstage. We get mirabelle plum (which reminds us of a mild-flavoured cross between plum and apricot), orange peel, honey and some lemon. There is a gentle spiciness, with a touch of clove and cinnamon.
On the palate, there is an initial flash of fire, but that quickly smoothens into elegant refinement. There are bold, fruity flavours of orange, apricot, figs and honey to start. Plum and white peaches subtly round off the flavour, softening them as we reach the midpalate. The cognac languorously transitions into a more sensual combination of oak, cinnamon and a touch of warm, dark chocolate.
The finish itself has fragrant spice and oak, and goes on for a good ten minutes.
It’s like drinking in a fruiting orchard in summer. Fantastic.
We think this is closer to the top-of-the-line Louis XIII than the XO, and that’s saying something, considering the price.
Summing it All Up
Perhaps we can put our summary this way. The current price at DFS Singapore Changi Airport (and it’s available at DFS only) is $568.
We still paid for our own bottle. It’s that good. Baptiste did spectacular work with the freedom he was given.
If you have some cash to spare, you could do much worse than picking up a bottle of the Carte Blanche Merpins Cellar Edition. Don’t take too long though, there are only 9,650 bottles available worldwide.
If you’d like to read up a bit more on this cognac, you can check out what our friends at Spirited have to say, or go directly to the Rémy Martin website.
