FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

15 May 2018 By Ben Chin

Rémy Martin Carte Blanche Merpins Cellar Edition: A Rare Cognac From a Single Vat From a Single Cellar.

Unless you’re a hot Silicon Valley startup, it’s not everyday you get handed a blank cheque. But faith, thankfully, is still being granted in the most tradition of crafts. Cognac’s youngest cellar master, Baptiste Loiseau, was first given carte blanche to create what turned out to be an award-winning blend in 2016 – the Rémy Martin Carte Blanche à Baptiste Loiseau, taking home the gold medal that year from the International Wine & Spirit Competition.

For the 2nd edition, Loiseau decided to seek inspiration in the sprawling historic Merpins cellar, home to the world’s most precious Cognac Fine Champagne reserve.

Once again given free rein (no deadline, no specified number of editions, no size constraints), he nosedived into the maison’s vast inventory of eau-de-vie and discovered the exceptional 27-year-old blend. Bottled at the percentage proof naturally occuring in the vat, the Rémy Martin Carte Blanche Merpins Cellar Edition is nuanced and beautifully balanced, with spicy notes of gingerbread, cinnamon and honey.