A blend of a plethora of eaux-de-vie (literally, waters of life), some of which have aged over a century like hidden treasures, L’Or de Jean Martell is the culmination of a 300-year quest for perfection. With a long history of producing great cognac enjoyed all around the world, the House of Martell is the oldest of the cognac houses. The house’s expertise in the industry has been proven time and again to be the embodiment of success driven by the spirit of founding father, Jean Martell.
True to his motto stating that quality is the company’s most potent weapon, the cognacs of Martell have seen a glorious line of well-known and historically significant customers including the Austrian court, the Russian czars and the Kings of England.
Ever since the company’s establishment in 1715, Martell has never failed to deliver excellence through their fine cognacs. Throughout its 300-year history, Martell has progressively striven to hone its expertise and knowledge. Every successive generation of Martell’s cellar masters clings truly to the unique and absolute art of Martell inspired by the personal philosophy of Jean Martell himself.
Today, the House of Martell is proud to present L’Or de Jean Martell, an ultimate cognac that brought together two of the house essences: a double distillation of the clearest eaux-de-vie, which is a sophisticated combination of the four finest growths—Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, the Fins Bois and the Borderies—and a lengthy maturation in fine-grain oak barrels.
Heritage Director Jacques Menier told DA MAN that this new cognac strongly reflects the sheer genius of Jean Martell, when he remarked, “when we think about ‘his’ product, L’Or de Jean Martell, we had to put ourselves in Jean Martell’s shoes and consider what he would have been thinking at that time.” Presenting this fine piece of cognac art for the first time in Indonesia were Martell Heritage Director Jacques Menier and Brand Development Manager Thierry Giraud. Regarding this cognac—which means “the gold of Jean Martell” in French—Mr. Menier told us that “the design and, of course, the cognac inside is the best selection of what we have in the Jean Martell cellar within the company.”
Indeed, at first glance, L’Or is a delightful sight to behold. Even the decanter tells the story of the House of Martell. Made from the finest materials, the decanter that holds this “golden” cognac is crafted by experts using special material. That unique material is Cristal de Sévres, with curves embellished with gilded garlands reflecting the elegant French classical style. According to Menier, there is a lot of history involved in the making of the decanter as “the crystal maker that we have chosen to produce this decanter used to be the supplier of crystal to Versailles, so it’s all related back to the 1700s.”
Regarding the cognac contained within this marvelous decanter, Menier simply put it as “the top of what we have to offer up to this moment.” The character of L’Or de Jean Martell is its aged eaux-de-vie from the Borderies, which give it that exceptional complexity and richness in taste. Brand Manager Thierry Giraud elaborates on the long and meticulous process of creating it, which involves “the cellar master tasting over 400 eaux-de-vie and checking how they develop, rating them and the best ones will be entitled to be added to the L’Or de Jean Martell.” Some of these eaux-de-vie are the rarest of the rare and date back all the way to 1830 and are perfectly aged for the process.
After this meticulous selection process, the handpicked eaux-de-vie is then “married”—a process of perfectly integrating the blend, which takes a whole year—in an oak barrel, allowing the blend to mellow. The older the blend is, the longer it takes to meld. According to Menier, this “is like getting married when you’re older, when you have more old habits and things you have to get used to.” The House of Martell stores these eaux-de-vie in an old cellar in Cognac, France, which bears the traditional name “Paradise.” This secret cellar is indeed a paradise for a chosen few who are allowed access. Regarded as the “holy of holies,” this place inspires awe and is entered only with the greatest respect and humility Embodying the luxurious spirit of Jean Martell himself, the perfected cognac is the ultimate testament to quality for the House of Martell.
For those that enjoy the finer things in life, the L’Or de Jean Martell is a coveted must-have spirit.