⏳ Deal of the Week: Crocodile Brothers XO + Zero, 20% off the pair until Sunday 20 September. Shop Now
Learn more about the different Cognac ages
Learn more about the different Cognac growth areas
A 25 year old Grande Champagne 1er Cru cognac bottled at cask strength, 54.3% vol., from a single 355 litre barrel marked LOT 00 - GC. The eau-de-vie was distilled in 2000 in the village of Verrières, and at this age it belongs squarely in the Hors d'Age category.
Pierre Vaudon chose to release this barrel in reference to his own arrival at Maison Voyer in Verrières, the year 2000 being the start of his time in these cellars. Twenty five years in French oak have taken it to 54.3% naturally, and it goes into the bottle unreduced and unfiltered for volume. Undiluted, the 355 litre cask gives 507 bottles, and once it is empty the house moves to another cask and starts a new lot.
The François Voyer house sits in Verrières, in the heart of Grande Champagne, and has been distilling and ageing its own eaux-de-vie since the 19th century. Cellar master Pierre Vaudon runs the ageing cellars, and the From Barrel Selection range is his own project: single barrels picked out of the stocks and bottled as they are, with the terroir, the barrel volume and the village of origin printed on the label. Our own visit to the house and its range is written up in this piece on François Voyer.
The house bottles these casks to order, in small runs, so the eaux-de-vie stay in wood until a bottling is called for. Every bottle is numbered by hand.
A cask of this age produces very few bottles compared with demand, so this is one for collectors of Grande Champagne and for drinkers who follow cask strength cognac.
A 70cl clear glass bottle with a punted base and a dark neck capsule carrying the F. Voyer signature. The silver front label is framed in green, with the house drawn in line art behind a large green 25. The technical label underneath prints the terroir, the barrel volume, the village of origin, the barrel number, the hand written bottle number, the alcohol and the bottle size.
Neat, in a tulip glass, at room temperature, and take your time over it. At 54.3% a drop of water is a matter of taste rather than necessity, and the fruit answers well to it. Best on its own after a meal, without food competing with the finish.
Today, La Maison François Voyer owns Pierre Vaudon's family estate, which covers 70 hectares, including 8 hectares of Grande Champagne premier cru vineyards around Saint-Même-les-Carrières. It has also forged links with local winegrowers, some of whom have been perpetuating their expertise for many years. This alliance between tradition and expertise ensures Maison François Voyer a place of honor among the finest Cognac houses, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to quality and excellence.
François Voyer Cognac is a family-run Cognac house that is passionate about every detail of production, which is why their bottles can be found gracing the shelves of the best restaurants in France: Ducasse, Lucas Carton, Laurent and more. The François Voyer family vineyards are in Verrières and Ambleville and their house has been a home to Cognac production since the 1870s. Their product range is classical, with a range of young expressions as well as exceptionally old blends and vintage bottles. The house of Voyer fosters traditional knowledge and attention to detail; here, Cognac isn’t just made -- it’s crafted from scratch.
