Philpott Family Adventures: European Vacation 2023 (Part neuf)

It's Cognac Day! After multiple tours of wineries and learning about winemaking, today we get to learn what's different about making cognac, with a tour and tasting at the famous Maison Remy Martin cognac facility.

Thursday, June 29th

As usual, I was essentially alone in the lounge for the early risers' breakfast. But I did pop down to the seated breakfast once it opened. There is a camera over the omelet station at breakfast (and the pasta station at lunch) so you can watch the chefs working their magic. As soon as breakfast was over, we hopped onto the coach and headed north to Maison Remy Martin (it's a maison, not a chateau, presumably because they make cognac rather than wine). We drove parallel to the river (Bourg is on the Dordogne, but it joins the Garonne just north of Bourg and becomes the Gironde, so technically I think we drove along all three!) and had a lovely view over the terra cotta roofs to the water. And very soon, the view turned to acres and acres of vineyards. 

There are a number of makers of cognac in Cognac, the most well-known being  Remy Martin, Hennessey, and Martell. Like specific wines, cognac is an appellation with strict guidelines for growing, blending, and processing. There are six districts which can grow grapes for cognac; Remy Martin only uses grapes from the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne regions. The word "champagne" is misleading, however. In this case, it does not refer to either the region or the grapes associated with the sparkling wine of the same name, but is for its literally meaning, "chalky soil," which is similar to the soil where champagne grapes are grown.

    

We had some time before our tour began, so the coach dropped us off at the main square of Cognac and we had time to admire the restaurant where we would be eating later, Brasserie du Coq d'Or ("Golden Rooster"), grab a cafe creme or glace, or admire the statuary around the square, before our guide led us around the town a bit. The wide cobblestone streets were decorated with huge flowering plants in hanging pots. 

A statue of King Francis I

Of course, there was a tower. There's always a tower. And a gothic cathedral with a stunning rose window and vaulted ceiling. 

 

This church also had a cloister with a pretty courtyard and interesting topiary. 

Everybody meet back at King Francis and say "Fromage!" Now back on the bus to head for Remy. 

The man with the sunglasses is Costa, one of the onboard servers who joined us for the tour on his day off. He was a charming and hilarious traveling companion!

Maison Remy Martin is a huge facility. Their visitors' area is quite large, but it's nothing compared to the overall estate. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the facility, but we took quite a few of the pretty courtyard with a large reflecting pool filled with multicolored water lilies. We got to ride in a little open tram from location to location. 

We learned more about cognac than I could possibly write here, but I recommend browsing the Remy Martin webpage, which explains the entire process. The short version is that they use grapes grown by more than 800 vineyards but only in the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne regions. The grapes are pressed and the juice ferments for 5-7 days before being distilled twice in copper distillation units to form a liquid called eau de vie ("water of life"). A tasting committee tastes all the eaux de vie and select the best for blending and aging in handmade oak casks. The Cellar Master selects a specific combination of eaux de vie to recreate the exact flavor and aromatic profile of Remy Martin cognac. Unlike blended wines, which vary in flavor based on the vintage (year bottled), cognac has no vintage. Eaux de vie are aged for many years, some - like RM's famously expensive "Louis XIII", pronounced "Loo-ee Trez" - 100 years or more, and a single cognac may include eaux de vie of multiple ages). We saw a single bottle of Louis XIII stored in the oldest aging room, carefully glued to the barrel it was sitting on, and spectacularly lighted with its own spotlight. Bottles of Louis XIII are crystal, not glass, and come with numbered and individually fitted crystal stoppers, all created by France's finest crystal makers, such as Lalique and Baccarat. This bottle will set you back about $3,700.

At last, it was tasting time! One last lesson on classifications of cognac: VS is Very Special, and has been aged at least 2 years; VSOP is Very Superior Old Pale and has been aged at least 4 years; and XO is Extra Old and has been aged at least 8 years. In addition to a lovely snifter of VSOP, we had a refreshing cocktail called the "Harmony," made with VSOP cognac, apple juice, lime juice, and almond syrup. Even those among us who weren't big fans of cognac enjoyed the lighter cocktail. 

After a visit to the gift shop, we headed back to Coq d'Or for a cognac-themed lunch with our fellow passengers: Chicken with roasted potatoes in a cognac sauce, followed by a cognac-infused creme brulee that was spectacular. The restaurant also had a lovely display of cognac from several local distilleries. 

Quite a few of us grabbed a little catnap on the coach ride home, then a little relaxing time before we met up in the lounge and enjoyed a few snacks, like an avocado shooter and a bacon-stuffed rice bite.

The girls cleaned ourselves up before dinner, and the lovely Janet (in the silver top) joined us as well! Not to be outdone, the gentlemen donned their berets for dinner, which turned out to be a mushroom and vegetable tartare amuse bouche, served on endive leaves; an absolutely spectacular foie gras creme brulee with a little dollop of apple chutney (there was also a lobster option and a pumpkin soup that both looked amazing); a palate cleansing lemon sorbet with champagne jelly; a truffle-crusted filet of beef served with gratin potatoes, broccoli puree, and roasted carrots and mushrooms; and a "chocolate extravaganza" that I didn't actually have room to eat, although I did peel the fabulous chocolate ganache off the passionfruit curd to go with the last of my glass of Chateau Magnol Haut Medoc, and I may have also made room for a few bites of cheese which I washed down with one last taste of Cotes du Rhone Reserve Blanc.  

Next to the citron tart, this was the best thing I ate on the whole cruise

Herb opted for the butter-poached lobster medallion

The pumpkin soup called for pepper, and Florin gladly obliged

The potato stack was topped with a wine-marinated shallot 

After dinner, we retired to the lounge for dancing, and we managed to sweet-talk the bartenders into recreating the Remy Martin cocktail for us. Surprisingly, it turned out to be quite popular with many of the gentlemen in our group. 

As we were nearing the end of our trip (sniff!), Captain Jeremy and Co-Captain Gary joined us in their dress uniforms. 

Rachel photobomb!

Big dip to end the night!

Tomorrow we head north to Blaye and debate whether the proper pronunciation rhymes with play or ply (my verdict is it's halfway in between, and you almost pronounce the "e" at the end but you swallow it before it actually exits your mouth). Sleep tight!