Making the experience of super-luxury spirits crazily affordable and accessible!
Read more about the Spirits project.
- Suggested retail price: $189
- Friday, December 26 (for as long as it lasts), we're pouring a one-ounce pour for $5
Gourry de Chadeville is a one man-operation lead by Pierre Goursat. It is one of the oldest Cognac houses in Grande Champagne. The family has lived in the same house since 1619. The entire estate consists of a tiny 10 hectares of land (24.71 acres), only 7 of which are currently under vine. Of those 7 hectares, 2 have been replanted a couple years ago and are not producing yet. It usually takes about 3 full years for newly planted vines to start growing fruits steadily.
The vineyard is planted with old Colombard, Folle Blanche and Ugni Blanc vines.
Pierre operates a 25hl oil-fired and a tiny 7hl wood-fired copper pot-stills. The wine is twice distilled (on the lees) and comes out of the second distillation at about 71% Alc./Vol. (141 proof). Pierre barrels the freshly distilled spirit in old/used oak casks from the Limousin Forest.
Usually the spirit is rectified, but our friend Nicolas Palazzi, one of the finest importers of Cognac into the United States, decided to bring single casks of the pure liquid, unfiltered and at cask strength. He found the cognac coming from this wood-fired still so complex and funky that a cask-strength bottling was in order. This first release is a cask of 250 liters which yielded 330 bottles of spirit at 64.3% alcohol. He put it in bottle and it’s waiting in The Catherine liquor cabinet for Friday evening.
This rather high and unusual proof should not scare one. A well distilled spirit that has been well aged will be integrated despite how high the proof reads on the label. Nicolas recommends you give it a chance neat, let it open up in the glass and see for yourself.
Don’t immediately hammer it with water for fear of the alcohol. Taste it straight first. Then should you decide that it needs water or ice, by all means, do so. Much like the better high proof whiskey/bourbon/rye are delightful to drink despite being “high octane”, this cognac will change one’s perception about a category that is often sleepy, uninteresting and marketing itself around everything except the quality of the product bottled. Look at the picture of the still. This is the epitome of craft distilling.
On Friday, December 26th, we will open one bottle of this precious liquid that made it to our shores. We will pour one ounce portions at cost. I look forward to sharing it with you.
January 2nd, we will pour a Japanese Whisky: Ichiro's Malt "The First"
How exciting!