There's a certain responsibility saddled to the superlatives of the world. With Martell—the oldest of the great cognac houses conceived in 1715—that onus requires the Maison to maintain its legacy while honouring its past. 

To celebrate a sense of place and its storied past, Maison Martell will be presenting yearly releases of L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château, a rare and exquisite cognac, where every edition is matured in a different French château across Cognac.

For its inaugural blend, the Maison decided to set its sights back to where its heart is: Home. More specifically, Martell’s historic family estate, the Château de Chanteloup, where creation of the new L'Or begins.

The idea of just "letting things be" exemplifies the gradual ageing of Martell's spirits. Under normal circumstances, the liquid is typically aged in 300-year-old oak barrels at a dedicated cellar in Cognac, using blends of more than 1,400 eaux-de-vie from four terroirs in the region. For this occasion, the maturation process is conducted at Château de Chanteloup—a tribute to the Maison’s evocation of art de vivre (the art of living).

Talking with Martell’s cellar master, Christophe Valtaud, we were told that a year into maturation, the flavour profile of the sublime spirit comes to fore. “When you hold a bottle of L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château de Chanteloup, you have in your hands a real treasure; a cognac that represents a quest for excellence spanning 300 years,” he expresses. “The next château will be completely different, in terms of the cellar’s condition, so the tastes would be unique.”

Only 1,000 individually numbered decanters are available worldwide, with less than 100 available in Singapore. Three more châteaux are planned for the next edition of L’Or de Jean Martell. On the palate, there are notes of iris and wild carnation that blithely coil around aromas of cherry and blackcurrant. A hint of spice lingers.

To contain such a complex cognac, it must be presented in a decanter of fine complexity. That’s where Baccarat, renowned for its crystal craftsmanship, comes in. The crystal decanter is shaped to look like a single drop of cognac. The decanter is topped with a 19-carat gold neck that details the château the cognac is aged in, as well as the limited edition number. Housed within an exquisite wooden box, the bottle comes with two stoppers—one for transportation and one for display.

As the interview comes to an end, we can’t help but ask Valtaud if there was any consideration to age the blend outside of France? “We want to spend a little bit more time in France for now because we want to create a strong product,” he replies smiling. “But in the future, we might head outside France. Who knows? When it comes to art de vivre, it’s not relegated to the borders of France; it is a mindset.”

L’Or de Jean Martell - Réserve du Château de Chanteloup retails for $9,888.

This article was first seen on Esquire SG.