Rémy Martin VSOP

About this wine

Rémy Martin VSOP is a Cognac Fine Champagne blend made primarily from Ugni Blanc grapes grown in Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne. The blend contains around two hundred eaux de vie aged between four and twelve years in French Limousin oak casks, which gives the spirit its warm vanilla and toasted oak notes. On the nose expect apricot and ripe peach framed by light floral touches of violet and rose. The palate is silky and medium bodied with bright fruit at the center, gentle baking spice, and a creamy vanilla finish. The overall impression is balanced and refined, showing Rémy Martin’s emphasis on harmony in blending rather than a single dominant note.

About the grape

Ugni Blanc is the main grape of Cognac, a late ripening, high acidity white variety that originated in Italy and became dominant in southwest France for its resistance to disease and its ability to retain acidity during long ageing. In the Cognac region it is planted on chalky Champagne soils and at Rémy Martin it is sourced mainly from Grande and Petite Champagne vineyards owned and allied with local growers, picked early in the autumn, gently pressed and fermented for a short period to produce a low alcohol, high acid wine for distillation. Rémy Martin distills Ugni Blanc wines twice in small copper pot stills to create eaux de vie, Ugni Blanc supplies about 97 percent of the house blend and provides the structural acidity and clean fruit backbone that allow the VSOP Fine Champagne blend of Grande and Petite Champagne eaux de vie to age in Limousin oak for years. The grape is prized in this bottling for its reliability and neutrality, it is the workhorse that lets cellar masters assemble complex blends from hundreds of barrels aged four to twelve years.

Quick facts

• 📜 Rémy Martin introduced its signature Fine Champagne VSOP in 1927, a move that helped popularize the VSOP category worldwide.
• 🌍 All eaux de vie in Rémy Martin VSOP come only from the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne growth areas, a rarity among major houses.
• 🧊 The frosted bottle shape that makes Rémy Martin VSOP instantly recognizable first appeared in 1972 and has changed very little since.
• 🍇 The spirit is made from Ugni Blanc wine that is double distilled in traditional Alambic Charentais pot stills, a practice that shapes its clean fruit notes.
• 🐴 The iconic centaur emblem has appeared on Rémy Martin bottles since around 1870, making it one of the oldest continuous brand symbols in cognac.

Palate profile

Producer

Rémy Martin was founded in 1724 by Rémy Martin, a young winegrower in the Cognac region who began selling his eaux de vie under his own name. The House gained royal recognition in 1738 when King Louis XV allowed it to plant new vines, and it later became known for blending only Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne eaux de vie, a style called Cognac Fine Champagne. In the 19th century the centaur emblem was adopted and the brand expanded its exports worldwide, establishing itself among the major cognac houses. Today Rémy Martin is part of the Rémy Cointreau group and celebrated its 300 year anniversary with special releases and renewed focus on sustainability and craftsmanship.