Martell Cordon Bleu Extra adds age and aromas to a classic cognac

Oct 16 , 2017

Martell launches Cordon Bleu Extra and hosts a Cognac pairing at Dynasty Restaurant.

The smoother, more aromatic cognac is now available in Hong Kong

Cognac lovers in the city are having a good year. Limited editions and collectors items from Martell, Hennessy and Rémy Martin have made appearances across the city.

Hennessy has launched a new decanter for its XO limited edition by award-winning industrial designer Marc Newson. The decanter is reminiscent of Hennessy’s classic XO bottle, designed in 1947, which was the first Cognac bottle that wasn’t cylindrical.

A limited edition of Hennessy’s XO bottle in Hong Kong. Photo: Nora Tam

Designed to delight collectors, Rémy Martin’s XO Cannes Limited Edition 2017 features a glamorous decanter and gift box celebrating the 70th Cannes Film Festival. Three hundred bottles of the XO, which blends more than 400 individual brandies, or eaux-de-vie, were made available in Hong Kong.

The new ‘Rémy Martin X.O Cannes 2017 Limited Edition’ has us all pampered. Only 300 bottles – packaged in tribute to the Cannes Film Festival 70th anniversary – are allocated to the Hong Kong market, and the STYLE team was one of the first to be invited to have a little interactive taster in the unveiling. @remymartin @festivaldecannes . . . : @hillchoilee

A post shared by Style_SCMP (@style_scmp) on Sep 4, 2017 at 3:07am PDT

Cognac connoisseurs may be most excited about the launch of Martell’s Cordon Bleu Extra – 105 years after the original Cordon Bleu was created by Edouard Martell.

Martell shipped its first bottle to Shanghai in 1858. With 80 per cent of its profits now coming from Asia, Martell brand development manager Bertrand Guinoiseau told Forbes in 2013, the house has a larger presence in the region than ever. Last year, Cordon Bleu Extra launched exclusively at Singapore’s Changi airport for a year before becoming available in Hong Kong last month.

Cordon Bleu Extra adds age and aromas to its predecessor. Aged around 30 years, the XO is a steep step up from its predecessor in aroma and taste. Smoother on the tongue, it is more aromatic, with a distinctly sweet and floral scent.

Jacques Menier, heritage director at Martell, attributes this to the XO’s terroir. “Because of its heavy soil, full of clay, it produces … cognac with the most fragrances.”