Last Updated on February 18, 2024

Boutique Cognac at Delamain, Jarnac

Ever wondered what makes a boutique Cognac so special?  As we explained in our introduction to Cognac, while you’ll find the top four brands in almost every supermarket and off-licence, they are blended for consistency, both quality and flavour.  Boutique or artisan Cognac houses offer the opportunity to find something unique.  We visited Delamain, a boutique Cognac house in Jarnac to find out more.

One of the oldest family-owned and run houses in Cognac, Delamain was established in 1759 by an Irish immigrant, James Delamain.  Today it is run by a 9^th generation direct descendant of James, Charles Braastad-Delamain. 

The house is marked by offering only XO and above Cognacs exclusively from the Grande Champagne region.  It’s also now part-owned by Bollinger and there are plans afoot to offer tours for wine and spirits lovers which will encompass Bollinger, Delamain and some of the wines which are part of the family too.

Delamain is a specialist at maturing and blending Cognacs.  Cellar Master Dominic Touteau has worked at the house for forty-two years – and has been Cellar Master for the last thirty-two of those. The relatively small production (100,000 per annum) means that they can afford to be selective and create their own unique identity.  Although the house still operates on a negotiant basis, they now have a small plot of land, 21 hectares in Grande Champagne which is aptly named ‘Bellevigne’. 

The relationship between farmers, distillers and negotiants like Delamain for production is a traditional one. over 4,000 growers supply 300 Cognac houses. While some of the larger Cognac houses do distil their own eau-de-vie, the majority rely on ageing and blending a distillate that is produced for the farmers by professional ‘bouilleurs de cru’ or by around 1,000 viticulturists who also distil their own single vineyard cognacs.  Delamain likes to know where the distillate has originated and the relationship between the house and the growers is key to the success of the end product.  Their role is to select the best base spirits which are then aged for a minimum of 10 years but up to 40 years.

A rabbit warren of cellars holds French oak barrels all full of Cognac at various stages of the ageing process. Cognac can only be aged in new oak or in old Cognac casks – at Delamain they are currently using casks that date back to 1982. 

We tried ‘nosing’ some of the younger Cognacs – 2019 which was still 69% ABV, 2007 – which at 61% ABV was already a pale golden colour and had notes of forest fruits and 2003 which was 59% ABV and had notes of citrussy ginger on the nose.  Dominic monitors the progress of each barrel carefully.  Cognac can’t age once it is bottled and his ‘nose’ is critical to the creation of the house blend, Delamain Pale and Dry.  The aim is to bottle the Cognac when it is at its sweetest.

The vintage cellar holds casks, all sealed with red wax, which are each from a single year and a single harvest.  Also referred to as Millésime Cognac, these barrels are carefully monitored by the official Cognac board, the Bureau National Interprofessionnel Du Cognac, who seal them carefully. 

Some really old cognacs are also stored in a specially sealed room with a wax-sealed door.

Then, there are the ‘Landed’ casks and demi-johns, which were shipped to Bristol and Liverpool to be aged in a tea warehouse there.  It’s a traditional method of production.  Younger distillates were exported to be stored in damp cellars under the control of the British customs authorities.  The special conditions mean that the alcohol levels drop fast but the volume remains.  The cognac generally has a light colour and a more neutral taste.  In the case of Delamain, their landed casks were brought back to France, in part to form the basis for the new Pleiades series. 294 bottles in total dropped in alcohol level from 70% to 43% without any dilution.

To achieve the correct ABV, Delamain uses an aged ‘faible’ – lower alcohol Pale and Dry Cognac that has been diluted with water to 15% and then allowed to rest in a vat. It’s kept topped up a bit like a Solera and the dilution is done after blending, then the Cognac is allowed to rest for a further 18 months in barrel before being transferred to vats, which stop the ageing process but still allow the flavours to meld.  Delamain bottles on demand from the vat, hand labelling all their bottles!

Pale and Dry is now produced with slightly higher levels of alcohol (42% rather than 40%) and Delamain stopped adding sugar in 2020.  It was created after the First World War and makes up 80% of Delamain sales.  But, Delamain has a range of very special cognacs, which, as we discovered, are perfect for pairing with food or just for sipping.

We were introduced to the Pléiade range, which Delamain call ‘Treasures of Grande Champagne’.  Within that range, there are three groups of Cognacs, each with a range of limited edition bottles.  So, for example, within the Revelation series, we tasted La Rambaudie, a single vineyard cognac that comes from a small vineyard in Malaville, Grande Champagne. With notes of vanilla, cherries, quince and figs and with a spicy leather complexity, this is a cognac to enjoy as a digestive.

 

But, with our dinner, the main course of roasted farm guinea fowl breast with artichoke and cep mushrooms was paired with Delamain Apogee M Dauge. It’s one of Dominique Touteau’s favourites and is a great example of the ‘Treasures of Grande Champagne’.  The 10-hectare vineyard of octogenarian M Dauge is in Grande Champagne, near the left bank of the Charente river. M. Dauge took over cultivation of the vineyard in 1962 and distilled his first harvest in a small pot still that had not been used since 1914 and that was replaced in 1970.

The 1969 vintage was the last Cognac to use the still and that in itself makes it special.  When Dominique Touteau tried it, he fell in love with the elegant fruity notes and managed to persuade M. Dauge to sell.  Transferred to Delamain it was aged further then bottled as part of the Pléiade range. 

We also tried Early Landed 1999, another Pléiade Revelation collection – this time matured in a small 270l cask, specially constructed with staves from an old seasoned 350l cask. The ageing process took place several floors underground in a former brewery before being transferred to the basement of an old tea warehouse close to the River Mersey.  There, the high humidity and low temperature resulted in a subtle, pale, oaky Cognac with notes of peach, citrus, almond and cacao. 

And, ‘Ancestral’ from the Collection Apogee aged in the Grand Chai or Founder’s Celler and bottled at cask strength at 44% ABV.  

A visit to Jarnac is an excellent way to begin to appreciate the complexity of fine Cognac.  Any visitor will be left in awe of the expertise of the Cellar Master who orchestrates Cognac production with patience and diligence.  What other fine spirit needs to be constantly nurtured for a minimum of ten years – and in the case of Delamain for twenty five years or more?

To learn more about Delamain, do check out their website and consider visiting yourself.  We flew to Bordeaux and transferred to Jarnac by road, but you can also travel there by Eurostar and TGV to Angoulême.

You will find Delamain for sale in the UK from Berry Bros and Rudd and other fine spirits retailers.