MartellVSOPRedBarrel(700mL)

<p>Martell’s VSOP gets it first update in five decades with a Cognac aged exclusively in middle-aged “red” casks.</p><p><em>Jean Martell</em> opened a trading business on the banks of the Charente River in the Cognac region of France in <em>1715</em>. Soon after he was purchasing local grapes, distilling Cognac, and aging them in fine-grained Tronçais oak. The business stayed in the family for generations and created their famous <em>VSOP </em>in <em>1831 </em>which became an instant success in demand all over the world — enjoyed by royalty from England to Japan. <em>Seagrams </em>purchased the company in 1987, and as such has been in the <em>Pernod Ricard</em> portfolio since 2001. They are the most famous Cognac maker in the world with a wide-ranging product lineup.</p><p>Like all makers of aged Spirits, Martell Cognac takes wood seriously. New oak can have a slight bitter bite to the Cognac. Old casks allow continued oxidation, but<em> the wood adds little complexity</em>. According to them, the sweet spot is <em>Tronçais oak barrels</em> that have aged Spirits between four and eight years — they call these <em>“red” barrels </em>because the oak itself takes on a reddish hue. Before 2019, Martell VSOP Medallion was the heart of the brand aged in a combination of new, red, and old barrels. That standard had not changed in nearly fifty years. <em>Martell VSOP Red Barrel</em> is the same eaux-de-vie aged for five years exclusively in those middle-aged “red’ casks to develop<em> the signature fruit-forward profile </em>without a trace of bitterness.</p>