Cognac XO Folle Blanche (50cl)

If you are looking for exclusivity and high quality, look no further than this amazing organic Cognac. Made from Folle Blanche grapes (once very common, but now very rare and difficult to grow) and aged in oak for 10 years, this is a Cognac that reminds us of yesteryear. Only 1,000 bottles of this Cognac were produced! With strong floral hints and layers of beeswax and dried apricot to add complexity, this is a delicate Cognac, one that guarantees a smooth slide down your throat with every sip. Its rarity makes it pricey, but it’s definitely worth the high cost, especially compared to many of the ‘high street’ XO Cognacs.

• Recommended in World of Food and Drink, ‘A Fins Bois vintage cognac with intense floral notes, beeswax and dried apricot. In 1969 Guy Pinard became the first Cognac producer to introduce organic practices. Until the outbreak of phylloxera in the late 19th century, Folle Blanche was the grape used for making wines for Cognac, but today the vast majority are made from the Ugni Blanc variety.‘ Barnaby Eales, September 2017

The Pinard family has farmed 17 hectares of organic vineyards around the village of Foussignac near Jarnac and is the first organic Cognac producer. Aware of the harmful effects of chemical products, Georges Pinard and his son Guy decided to convert the entire operation to organic farming in 1969, reconnecting with some of the most virtuous practices inherited from 300 years of vine cultivation on the estate. The little village of Foussignac is in the heart of the “Fins Bois de Jarnac”, a small sub-region that has been renowned for its elegant and floral Cognacs for hundreds of years. This specific terroir, together with the organic methods and the Pinard family know-how leads to authentic organic Cognacs. Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Folle Blanche are used, with the tricky-to-grow Folle Blanche adding a lovely floral character.