Embark on a Groundbreaking Cognac Odyssey: Unveiling the Martell Single Cru Collection

Martell takes a bold step forward with the introduction of the Martell Single Cru collection in Malaysia. This landmark collection represents a turning point in the esteemed cognac house’s 300-year history. For the first time ever, each cognac within the collection is meticulously crafted using eaux-de-vie sourced from a single terroir.

The mastermind behind this collection is Cellar Master Christophe Valtaud. He meticulously selects only the most expressive eaux-de-vie, those that best capture the unique character, aroma, and aging potential of each specific terroir. This rigorous selection process ensures the utmost authenticity, with Valtaud choosing a mere 400 eaux-de-vie from the collection of 11,000 available within Martell’s reserves.

“Ever since the days of Jean Martell, the ethos of Maison Martell has been to express the best of the Cognac terroir. With Martell Single Cru, a rare and prestigious collection which represents less than 1% of Martell cognacs, my aim was to reveal the richness and diversity of the very finest crus. My hope is that this aromatic exploration of the Cognac region will speak to adventurous cognac drinkers, opening their minds and palates to new tastes, and enabling them to build their own personal collection – one which reflects their preferences and the pleasure of discovery.”
Cellar Master Christophe Valtaud

The Martell Single Cru Collection is structured in three tiers, progressively increasing in rarity. Each tier offers a unique journey of discovery, showcasing the distinct personalities of the various terroirs and unveiling exciting new taste sensations. The collection will continue to evolve over time, with future releases promising even more profound explorations of Martell’s esteemed terroirs.

The Discovery Edition: Unveiling the Tapestry of Cognac’s Crus

The Martell Single Cru Collection unfolds with the Discovery Edition, serving as an ideal introduction to the three main crus of the Cognac region: Fins Bois, Borderies, and Petite Champagne. Each cognac in this edition becomes a testament to the distinct personality of its terroir, influenced by a complex interplay of factors like geographic location, soil composition, climate, and sun exposure.

Martell Single Cru Fins Bois: This vibrant expression invigorates the senses with a profusion of lush, juicy fruits, offering a delightful dance of flavours on the palate.
Martell Single Cru Petite Champagne: This intense and spicy cognac explodes with a symphony of warm spices and rich nuts, leaving a lasting impression of power and character.
Martell Single Cru Borderies: Due to the limited production of the Borderies cru, this cognac presents a rare and luxurious experience. It rolls over the tongue with a captivating blend of sweet fruit and subtle floral notes, leaving a delicious impression of fullness.

Cellar Master Christophe Valtaud meticulously crafted these three expressions to reveal the authentic taste and unique personality of each terroir. It’s worth noting that the Martell Borderies, due to the rarity of the cru itself, holds a more exclusive position within the Discovery Edition, translating to a limited number of bottles released compared to the Fins Bois and Petite Champagne offerings.

The Aged Edition: A Journey Through Prestigious Crus

The exploration deepens with the Martell Single Cru Aged Edition, featuring cognacs exclusively crafted from eaux-de-vie sourced from the two most prestigious Cognac terroirs – Borderies and Grande Champagne. Notably, these were the very crus singled out by Jean Martell himself in the 18th century for their exceptional potential.

For the Aged Edition, Christophe Valtaud has undertaken a meticulous selection process. He not only seeks eaux-de-vie that captures the essence of each prestigious terroir but also prioritizes exceptional age. An eau-de-vie evolves dramatically throughout the ageing process, and these cognacs benefit from many years of careful maturation, allowing them to develop new and captivating organoleptic properties. This translates into an exceptional aromatic richness, reaching a pinnacle in the case of the XO, and a form of “aromatic plenitude” for the XXO.

Martell Single Cru XO Grande Champagne: This cognac reveals the full potential of the Grande Champagne terroir. While young Grande Champagne expressions are known for their power and structure, this XO showcases a beautiful evolution. With older eaux-de-vie contributing to the blend, notes of nuts and dried fruit emerge, harmoniously balanced with hints of wood. The final result is a perfect equilibrium between power and fruitiness, a hallmark of a truly exceptional XO.
Martell Single Cru XXO Borderies: This cognac is blended from eaux-de-vie that have reached their peak aromatic expression. Perfectly capturing the subtlety and complexity of the Borderies cru at its ideal stage of maturation, Martell Single Cru XXO Borderies overflows with luscious fruity notes, showcasing an incomparable richness and fullness.

The Vintage Edition: A Rare Encounter of Terroir and Time

The Martell Single Cru Collection culminates with the Vintage Edition, representing the pinnacle of terroir exploration. This exceptional cognac embodies the unique encounter between a specific terroir and a distinct year, with its characteristic and often unpredictable climatic conditions. Such an encounter is a rare event, occurring only once. The Cellar Master’s expertise lies in identifying the precise moment when an eau-de-vie is ready to reveal nature’s finest, purest, and rarest qualities at a given point in time. Each year, the Vintage Edition will be enriched with a new cognac, crafted from a single eau-de-vie sourced from a single terroir in a single year.

To initiate the Vintage Edition, Valtaud selected a remarkable Borderies eau-de-vie from the Gallienne estate, the emblematic vineyard of the Martell family. This particular eau-de-vie was produced in 1999, a challenging year in terms of climate. While harvests were lower in volume, the resulting grapes possessed exceptional quality and rarity. Immediately following distillation in February 2000, the eau-de-vie was transferred to fine-grained oak barrels, where it aged for 23 years to attain its aromatic

Martell Single Cru: Uncompromising Savoir-Faire Meets Cognac’s Finest Terroirs

Maison Martell takes an “unrivalled and uncompromising” approach to crafting cognac, ensuring each expression reflects the unique terroir from which it hails. The personality of a cognac hinges on the specific “cru” where its eaux-de-vie are produced. Each cru possesses a distinct aromatic profile and ideal ageing potential, influenced by a complex interplay of factors like geographic location, soil composition, climate, sun exposure, and even grape quality. To preserve the authentic essence of each cru, Maison Martell meticulously distils only clear wines and ages their eaux-de-vie exclusively in fine-grained oak barrels. This approach minimizes the impact of lees (deposits from fermentation) and wood charring, allowing the unique character of the terroir to shine through. Furthermore, eaux-de-vie from the four finest Cognac crus – each a distinct microclimate with its own story to tell – are aged separately in Martell’s cellars. It’s this unwavering commitment to meticulous craftsmanship and respect for terroir that finds its purest expression in the Martell Single Cru collection.

Fins Bois – With its reddish clay and limestone soils, is known for its light, airy eaux-de-vie with an aromatic profile of fresh fruit, in particular pear and peach.
Petite Champagne – With greyish and chalky soils, produces fine eaux-de-vie which offers structure and length on the palate. They are distinguished by notes of nuts, red and dried fruit.
Borderies – The signature cru of Maison Martell since 1715, produces subtle, elegant eaux-de-vie with luscious aromas of flowers and candied fruit.
Grande Champagne – With chalk and limestone soils, is renowned for the aromatic richness of its eaux-de-vie, which are characterized by notes of pepper, nuts and red fruit, as well as their excellent potential for ageing.

The Martell Single Cru Discovery Edition and the Aged Edition are now available in Malaysia nationwide. The Vintage Edition will be available in Malaysia with limited units via Martell’s Prestige Manager.

Starting from The Discovery Edition, with Martell Single Cru Fins Bois and Martell Single Cru Petite Champagne priced at RM 580 per bottle. While the Martell Borderies will be priced at RM 620 per bottle due to the rarity of its cru.
For the Aged Edition, the Martell Single Cru XO Grande Champagne and Martell Single Cru XXO Borderies will be priced at RM 1,440 and RM 2,830 respectively.
The Martell Single Cru Borderies 1999 from the Vintage Edition, will be released in limited quantities priced at RM 10,800