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Rémy Martin is one of the so-called “big four” of the oldest cognac houses in France and ranks second in terms of sales in the world. The company exports products to more than 160 countries: the main destinations are the UK, Canada, Germany and promising Asian markets.
Brand history. The brand is named after the founder Remy Martin, who was born in 1695 in the small town of Royac in France. Remy’s father was a winegrower and winemaker, he instilled in his son a reverent attitude to the vine. Having married at the age of 19, Martin became independent early and in 1724 founded his own cognac business. Having managed to appreciate the importance of reserving (long exposure) cognacs for years to come, Martin created a solid foundation for the future success of the company. The products of the cognac house were of such high quality that he managed to bypass the existing restrictions to obtain the exclusive right to plant new vineyards.
After Remy, the son inherited the family business, but soon handed over control to his grandson, Paul Remy. Between 1810 and the beginning of the 1820s. the company’s turnover in the Cognac region grew from 530 thousand gallons to 2,7 million. By the middle of the XNUMXth century, Emile Remy Martin, the great-grandson of the founder of the brand, continued to sell cognac in barrels, and began to produce a drink in bottles.
Emile Remy Martin also finalized and then registered the trademark and the official logo of the brand: a frozen centaur preparing to throw a spear. The drawing depicts the mythical Chiron, the son of the god of Time. The allegory was intended to emphasize that time has no power over true values. This happened in 1874, on the eve of the phylloxera invasion of European vineyards.
Many farms were devastated by the “grape plague”, production in the region has decreased by more than three times in four years. The son of Emile Paul-Remy Martin, who had entered the world market by that time with his cognac, almost went bankrupt. Andre Renault, the son of a winegrower from Grand Champagne, came to the rescue. In 1924, after the death of Paul Rémy André, he took over as manager of E.Rémy Martin & Cie SA and refocused his focus on spirits from the best sub-region. After studying the law on controlled origin names, André decided to create a brand that would contain spirits of only two sub-regions – Petit and Grand Champagne.
In 1936, the brand launched the prestigious Louis XIII brand in a Baccarat crystal decanter. In 1965 André Renault died. By this time, the company already had significant stocks of cognac and produced up to 300 thousand boxes a year, becoming the leader in the market for cognacs of the highest category. The owners have always understood that large reserves are required to expand the business.
For each bottle sold, there were 8 bottles of cognac still ripening in storage.
In the 1960s Renault’s son-in-law, André Hériard Dubreuil, set up a modern enterprise near Cognac. He also came up with the idea of designing a matte bottle for cognacs of the VSOP category.
In 1970, the Ségun Moreau cooperage was built – the largest in Europe, producing more than 30 thousand barrels per year, which is a quarter of the total cooperage production in France. Only Limousin oak is used to make barrels here.
New categories of cognacs appeared in the brand line: Napoleon (aimed at the Japanese market), XO, Extra – standing between VSOP and Louis XIII. Today, the shares of the cognac house are highly quoted on the Paris and Frankfurt stock exchanges. The company also owns three champagne trading houses: Krug, Charles Heidsieck, Piper-Heidsieck and De Luze. In 1990, as a result of a merger with Cointreau, the Remi Cointreau Group conglomerate emerged, which became a prominent player in the global luxury alcohol market.
Awards
World Spirits Competition, San Francisco:
- 2007 – Gold medal (Remy Martin XO Excellence);
- 2008 – Gold (Remy Martin XO Excellence) and Silver (Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royal) medals;
- 2009 – 3 silver medals (Remy Martin Cognac VS, Remy Martin Fine Champagne, Remy Martin Grand Champagne Cognac 1989);
- 2011 – silver medal (Remy Martin Marc V);
- 2014 – double Gold (Remy Martin Cognac 1738 Accord Royal) and Gold (Remy Martin XO); medals
- 2015 – Gold medal (Remy Martin Cognac 1738 Accord Royal).
International Wine & Spirit Competition, Лондон:
- 2013 – Gold (Rémy Martin Centaure de Diamant) and 3 Silver (Rémy Martin Centaure, Rémy Martin Club, Rémy Martin VSOP Mature Cask Finish Cognac) medals;
- 2014 – Золотая (Rémy Martin Coupe Shanghai Collection Heritage Extra) и 4 Серебряные (Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal, Rémy Martin 1898 Coupe Fine Champagne, Rémy Martin Prime Cellar Selection Cellar Nº 16, Rémy Martin Reserve Cellar Selection Cellar Nº 28) медали;
- 2015 – 3 Silver (Rémy Martin Centaure Extra Old Fine Champagne, Remy Martin VSOP Mature Cask Finish Fine Champagne, Remy Martin XO Excellence Fine Champagne) medals;
- 2016 – Золотая медаль (Rémy Martin Carte Blanche to Baptiste Loiseau).
The Global Cognac Masters:
- 2015 – The highest award Master in the category NO AGE SUPER PREMIUM (Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royal).
New York International Spirits Competition:
- 2013 – silver medal (Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royal);
- 2014 – silver medal (Remy Martin 1738).
Interesting Facts
- A Canadian couple spent a record $34 on the latest bottle of Louis XIII Black Pearl Magnum. The one and a half liter decanter was the result of a collaboration between Remy Martin House and Baccarat crystal manufacturer in 000, and in just a few years the limited edition of 2007 bottles was sold out by connoisseurs.
- For more than ten years, Remy Martin has been a constant partner of the Cannes Film Festival. In 2016, the famous Croisette hosted the presentation of the special limited edition Rémy Martin XO Limited Edition “Festival de Cannes”.
Types of cognac
Remy Martin VS Superiore, 40%
Created in 2007 by Pierrette Trichet, the first woman to master the blend of a large cognac house. The assemblage is built exclusively on spirits obtained from grape varieties grown in the Petit Champagne subregion. The double aging period allows you to more fully reveal the aromatic potential of alcohols. The bouquet highlights characteristic shades of linden blossom, crisp apple, peppermint and vanilla.
The palate follows the aromas, with pleasant notes of oak balanced by fruity sweetness in the aftertaste.
Remy Martin VSOP, 40%
The flagship product of the brand, recognized as a real hymn to the art of the master of assemblage. It accounts for a third of all world sales of VSOP cognacs. Contains more than 50 cognac spirits from two appellations – Petit and Grand Champagne. Thanks to a long aging in Limousin oak barrels, the bouquet is dominated by notes of vanilla, toffee, apricots, baked apple. The taste demonstrates the harmony of shades of ripe fruit and licorice, complemented by subtle nuances of hazelnut.
Remy Martin XO, 40%
Assembled in 1981 by cellar master Andre Giraud. The composition of the blend includes more than three hundred spirits from Petit and Grand Champagne. Some spirits have been aged for over 30 years, which gives the drink an exceptionally smooth taste and rich bouquet. The floral range is characterized by aromas of violets, jasmine, honeysuckle branches, and the fruity range is characterized by candied plum with light notes of walnut and cinnamon.
Cognac was awarded a gold medal at the prestigious Spirits Business Cognac Masters competition. Recommendation from the creator: enjoy the drink in its purest form, without ice and other additives.
Remy Martin Diamond Centaur, 40%
In 2010, Pierrette Trichet created a blend based on spirits from Fine Champagne. For the brand’s collection, this is a truly significant product; it is not for nothing that two words coexist in the name: “diamond” and “centaur”, which symbolizes the spirit of the cognac house. The bouquet is represented by aromas of white lilac and irises, which are intertwined with notes of dried figs and hazelnuts. Rounded velvety taste is rich with tones of dried fruits, candied fruits and dates. Tip from the cellar master: to fully appreciate the versatility of the drink, it is better not to add anything to it, not even ice.
Remy Martin Louis XIII Grand Champagne, 40%
The name of cognac corresponds to high quality – the drink has won numerous awards and prizes at the most prestigious tasting exhibitions. The blend includes more than 1000 rare and precious spirits, some of which have reached the age of one hundred years. A special cellar has been set aside for their aging in the company’s storage facility. Produced since 1874 from grape varieties grown in Grand Champagne. The famous company Baccarat has made the appropriate setting for the “diamond” of the Remy Martin collection: a royally luxurious decanter, decorated with a lid in the shape of a fleur-de-lis.
