Cognac Maxime Trijol VSOP Grande Champagne

This is made exclusively from fruit grown in Grand Champagne vineyards which entitles them to put Premier Cru on the bottle. It contains a high proportion of eaux-de-vie of up to 20 years of age which is far in excess of what's required for a VSOP. The result is a Cognac that has warm dried fruit aromas together with some spiciness and vanilla on the nose followed by hints of dried apricots and a little toasty oak on the palate. The overall feel is mellow and rich but with an elegant and smooth finish to round it off.

After starting out as a wine and brandy broker in 1954 Maxime Trijol started his distilling operation in 1962 in Saint-Martial-sur-Né a few kilometres to the south of the town of Cognac itself. In 1972 Maxime's son Jean-Jaques took over the business to be joined in 2013 by his daughters Anne-Sophie and Pauline. They boast 22 stills at their distillery and can justifiably claim to be one of the largest family-owned operations in the region.