Delamain Cognac Ancestral Collection Apogée Vintage

Delamain Cognac Ancestral Collection Apogée

The Delamain house, thanks to its deep roots in these privileged areas and its constantly friendly relations with the owner-distillers, has always secured its supplies from the best sources by taking special care in both aging and the other small stages of Cognac processing. All distillates mature at least 20 years before they are put on the market, and even the distilled water that is used is subject to meticulous care. It is mixed with “Vieilles faibles” (very old spirits that have lost much of their original alcohol content) many months before use, to allow a perfect “mariage” between the two components.

At Delamain, smiling, they ironically state, “In order to ensure perfect quality, we are so crazy that we even age water!”

The collection features exceptionally old cognacs: eaux-de-vie so great that they have reached their apogee, their optimal aging in terms of quality and complexity; cognacs that are truly fully evolved.

Apogée is currently a limited series of Vintage 1965 or Ancestral.
This exceptionally old cognac, which comes from vines harvested in 1965 in the small Grande Champagne hamlet of Verrières, has been patiently evolving in Delamain’s cellars since March 1966. It was hand-selected by then-director, Jean Delamain, as famous for his writings on botany and natural science as he was for his instinctive understanding of cognac.

BOTTLES

It was aged in an aged 350-liter French oak barrel from the Limousin forest. The use of old aged oak reduces the influence of tannins, preserving the rich complexity of this truly evolved old cognac.

CELLAR

This extraordinary barrel has remained in the same corner of what we call our founder’s cellar, a barrel at the forefront of the vision and thoughts of generations of the Delamain family, is an old friend. Placed near a damp wall and next to a door, it has benefited from temperature changes and airflow year after year, evolving into a cognac of sublime intensity and richness.
An everyday part of our lives, the Verrières 1965 has also become an important part of Delamain’s history, representing the epitome of what can be achieved with the finest eau-de-vie aged to peak maturity over several generations of Delamain administration

In 2015, after aging for 50 years in an old 350-liter oak barrel, this exceptional cognac reached its apogee in terms of aging, and was transferred to a 30L Dame-Jeanne to lock in time and preserve its unique flavors and aromas.