Maison Martell has introduced the Martell Single Cru collection in Malaysia, a significant milestone in Maison Martell’s history spanning over 300 years in that — for the first time—every cognac in the collection is crafted with eaux-de-vie sourced from a single terroir. Crafted by Cellar Master Christophe Valtaud, the Martell Single Cru Collection is rare, comprised of only eaux-de-vie that can give the most precise personality, aroma, and ageing potential, and most authentic expression of each terroir; a process so rigorous that Valtaud retains fewer than 400 of the 11,000 eaux- de-vie available to him in the Martell reserves.
“Ever since the days of Jean Martell, the ethos of Maison Martell has been to express the best of the Cognac terroir. With Martell Single Cru, a rare and prestigious collection which represents less than 1% of Martell cognacs, my aim was to reveal the richness and diversity of the very finest crus. My hope is that this aromatic exploration of the Cognac region will speak to adventurous cognac drinkers, opening their minds and palates to new tastes, and enabling them to build their own personal collection – one which reflects their preferences and the pleasure of discovery.” said Valtaud.
Structured in three ascending editions, right up to a selection of rare or extra-rare vintages, The Martell Single Cru Collection will be enriched over time, with each new release representing a fresh discovery of the House’s terroirs, an exploration of new taste sensations.
The Discovery Edition: An introduction to the main crus of Cognac region
The Discovery Edition offers an ideal introduction and a perfect starting point to the specificity of the terroirs of Cognac. Each of the three cognacs is sourced from one of the three main Cognac crus: Fin Bois, Borderies and Petite Champagne. Each cru is associated with a specific taste and aromatic profile, resulting from a variety of factors, including geographic location, soil composition, climate and exposure.
Martell Single Cru Fins Bois invigorates the senses with lush, juicy fruit, for a vibrant, fragrant sensation on the palate, Martell Single Cru Petite Champagne is intense and spicy, bursting with warm spices and rich nuts, while Martell Borderies rolls over the tongue with sweet fruit and subtle florals, leaving a delicious impression of fullness. Martell Cellar Master, Christophe Valtaud has crafted three cognacs from eaux-de-vie sourced from a single cru in order to reveal the authentic taste and unique personality of each. Due to the rarity of the Borderies cru, the Martell Borderies is more exclusive within the Discovery Edition. This translates into a limited number of bottles released compared to the Martell Single Cru Fins Bois and Petite Champagne.
Aged Edition: A journey through the most prestigious crus of the Cognac region
The exploration continues with the Martell Single Cru Aged Edition, featuring eaux-de-vie from the two most exclusive Cognac terroirs—Borderies and Grande Champagne, which were singled out by Jean Martell himself as early as the 18th century. For the Aged Edition, Christophe Valtaud has made a precise selection of eaux-de-vie which not only express the essence of each prestigious terroir, but are also remarkable for their age. An eau-de-vie evolves throughout the ageing process, and these two cognacs have benefited from many years of ageing to develop new organoleptic properties, attaining an aromatic richness that is exceptional in the case of an XO, and reaches a form of plenitude for an XXO.
Martell Single Cru XO Grande Champagne reveals the full potential of this terroir. With young Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, the impression is predominantly one of power and structure. With older eaux-de-vie, this cognac is enriched with notes of nuts and dried fruit, as well as overtones of wood, reaching a perfect balance between power and fruitiness.
Martell Single Cru XXO Borderies is blended from eaux-de-vie that have attained their aromatic plenitude. Expressing all the subtlety and complexity of the Borderies cru at an ideal stage of the ageing process for this terroir, Martell Single Cru XXO Borderies demonstrates incomparable richness and fullness, overflowing with luscious fruity notes.
Vintage Edition: The exceptional expression of a single terroir and single year
With the Vintage Edition, the exploration of Maison Martell’s terroirs reaches its culmination. This exceptional cognac represents the encounter between a terroir and a year, with its specific climatic conditions – a rare event, in that it only happens once. Here, the Cellar Master’s savoir-faire consists in defining the point at which an eau-de-vie is ready to reveal nature’s finest, purest and rarest qualities at a given moment. Every year, a new cognac will be added to the Vintage Edition: a single eau-de-vie, sourced from a single terroir, in a single year.
To start the Vintage Edition, Valtaud selected a remarkable Borderies eau-de-vie from the Gallienne estate, the emblematic vineyard of the Martell family. It was produced in 1999, a challenging year in terms of climate, which resulted in lower volumes at harvest, but increased the quality and rarity of the grapes. In February 2000, immediately after distillation, the eau-de-vie was transferred to fine-grained oak barrels, ageing for 23 years to attain its aromatic plenitude.
Martell Single Cru Borderies 1999 offers a complete organoleptic experience, representing the purest expression of the best of the Borderies terroir in that particular year. With characteristic notes of candied fruit, linden blossom, and vibrant citrus, it demonstrates an extraordinary smoothness, with a rich, fruity dimension palate.
The Vintage Edition is presented in a precious, numbered bottle and it will be released in exceptionally limited quantities—representing the very last barrels of these rare eaux-de-vie— for collectors.
Martell Single Cru: Unrivalled and uncompromising savoir-faire
The personality of a cognac is shaped by the terroir which produces its eaux-de-vie. Each cru is associated with a distinct aromatic profile and a specific ageing potential, linked to factors including its geographical situation, its soil, climate and exposure, as well as the quality of its grapes.
In order to respect the authentic expression of the different crus, Maison Martell distils only clear wines and ages its eaux-de-vie exclusively in barrels of fine-grained oak, thus minimising the impact of lees and wood. Moreover, eaux-de-vie from these four finest terroirs in the Cognac region – are aged separately in the Martell cellars. It is this unrivalled and uncompromising savoir-faire which attains its purest expression with the Martell Single Cru collection.
● Fins Bois
With its reddish clay and limestone soils, is known for its light, airy eaux-de-vie with an aromatic profile of fresh fruit, in particular pear and peach.
● Petite Champagne
With greyish and chalky soils, produces fine eaux-de-vie which offers structure and length on the palate. They are distinguished by notes of nuts, red and dried fruit.
● Borderies
The signature cru of Maison Martell since 1715, produces subtle, elegant eaux-de-vie with luscious aromas of flowers and candied fruit.
● Grande Champagne
With chalk and limestone soils, is renowned for the aromatic richness of its eaux-de-vie, which are characterized by notes of pepper, nuts and red fruit, as well as their excellent potential for ageing.
Price and Availability
To officiate the introduction of The Martell Single Cru Collection in Malaysia, a grand launch was held at The Chamber Starhill, granting exclusive purchase access to the collection until 6 May 2024.
The Martell Single Cru Discovery Edition and the Aged Edition will be available in Malaysia nationwide, today onwards. While, the Vintage Edition will be set to release in Malaysia with limited units via Martell’s Prestige Manager.
● Starting from The Discovery Edition, with Martell Single Cru Fins Bois and Martell Single Cru Petite Champagne priced at RM 580 per bottle. While the Martell Borderies will be priced at RM 620 per bottle due to the rarity of its cru.
● For the Aged Edition, the Martell Single Cru XO Grande Champagne and Martell Single Cru XXO Borderies will be priced at RM 1,440 and RM 2,830 respectively.
● The Martell Single Cru Borderies 1999 from the Vintage Edition, will be released with a price of RM 10,800 in limited quantities.
Explore the quintessence of Maison Martell’s terroir with the Martell Single Cru Collection, available at selected retail stores. Stay tuned at Martell Malaysia official website or Martell Malaysia Facebook and Instagram account for more information.