PARCHED | 13 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT LOUIS XIII

The world’s most renowned Cognac house has just released Louis XIII Time Collection ‘The Origin 1874’. So what’s this all about then?

‘The Origin – 1874’ is a commemoration of the original Louis XIII decanter created in – yup – 1874.

1874 marked the creation of Louis XIII by Paul-Émile Rémy Martin and the decanter is modelled on the design of a royal flask Paul-Émile chanced upon – incorporating its spiked sides and fleur-de-lys medallion of the French monarchy.

The idea for this Time Collection was conceived more than 10 years ago.

You say “lou-wee treize“.

Made of pure Saint-Louis crystal, this meticulously hand-crafted decanter features 13 spikes instead of the usual 10 and bears the design of a stopper (above) that Paul-Émile used himself; a miniature upturned decanter, spiked with dentelles itself.

Look again – it’s an inverted miniature decanter!

You must know this: All Louis XIII Cognac is at least 100 years old. The grapes that the Cellar Master just put into the barrels will only be opened 100 years from now. The present Cellar Master won’t get to blend his own liquids, but have to use the grapes that were picked a century ago.

Every sip is essentially a taste of time. There is nothing that has spent more time in a barrel than Louis XIII.

The Time Collection is a special series of limited Louis XIII editions that recount milestone chronicles of the storied house and relive great moments of history, including Louis XIII’s presence on board the legendary Orient Express in 1929, and at the honorary banquet held at Versailles Palace in 1938 for British King George VI and his wife, Queen Elisabeth.

saint-louis-making-process Louis XIII

For decades, cognac had only been sold in barrels, but Paul-Émile realised that individual bottles would give his cognacs a hallmark and set them even further apart (quality notwithstanding). He set about reproducing a glass design of the royal flask that would transform it into a precious decanter. Voila! The royals lapped it up.

The decanter design was inspired by the discovery (by a farmer) of an old metal flask on a field in Jarnac, near Cognac – site of a historic battle fought almost three hundred years earlier, in 1569. That metal flask had 13 spikes.

the-origin-1874 Louis XIII ‘The Origin – 1874’ is the first of many limited editions, and it is encased in an elegant sleek woven metal case.

The ritual tasting of Louis XIII is a matter of reverence and restrain; each decanter has a blend of up to 1,200 eaux-de-vie. You have to drink from specially made glasses which, when clinked, gives off a chime like a church bell. You don’t just say cheers, you’re travelling in time.

The Louis XIII Time Collection is available for direct purchase through Louis XIII Private Client Director, Chris Kwek at Chris.Kwek@louisxiii-cognac.com.

Like this? They’ve put Louis XIII into a time capsule

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