Maison Martell has debuted Les Remarquables de Martell, its most exclusive collection to date. French artist Laurentine Perilhou was tasked with bringing the first edition to life, and she responded with an extraordinary Gilded Objet D’art, which is an ode to nature and to the terroir of great cognac.
Les Remarquables de Martell: A Cognac More Precious than Gold
Incarnating the pinnacle of luxury, this new collection releases a single Dame-Jeanne of a singular cognac each year – with only one exclusive piece being sold.
Neither the cognac, blended solely for each edition of this collection by Cellar Master Christophe Valtaud nor the Dame-Jeanne itself, a unique artwork created by a carefully selected artist, will ever be reproduced. And each release of Les Remarquables de Martell will truly be one of a kind.
For this premier edition of Les Remarquables de Martell, Cellar Master Christophe Valtaud selected just two exceptional eaux-de-vie, each distilled over 70 years ago.
They were aged in the historic cellar at the Port du Lys, built by Jean Martell’s sons in the 18th century, and then stored in the archives of the Réserve du Fondateur – where only the most precious eaux-de-vie are kept.
Sourced from Grande Champagne, a single and most exceptional cru, these rare eaux-de-vie are among the Maison’s oldest and rarest.
Blended together in perfect harmony, they offer a particular expression of Grande Champagne, one of the most prestigious terroirs of the Cognac region. The first eau-de-vie, having spent longer in oak, is characterised by power, tension and length on the palate, with prominent cedar notes.
The second is fresh and vibrant, with notes of honey, white blossoms and candied fruit. While the former evolves from wood to fruit, the latter evolves from fruit to wood, thus creating the blend’s remarkable harmony.
Christophe Valtaud’s expert mastery of the art of blending has produced a cognac which is extraordinary in two ways. Firstly, Les Remarquables de Martell marks the very first time that the Cellar Master has created a blend of such rare eaux-de-vie.
Rather than highlight a single precious vintage, he has chosen to unite two – underlining the particularly exceptional character of this remarkable creation. Secondly, it represents a true once-in-a-lifetime blend, existing in one single-edition release that will never be reproduced.
Crafting a Masterpiece for a Master Blend: A Gilded Objet D’art
To bring to life the first edition of Les Remarquables de Martell, the Maison brought in the unique talents of French artist Laurentine Perilhou, who is best known for elevating the craft of macramé into exquisite art.
Her work is precise and painstaking. Using no other tools besides her own two hands, she creates precious and original pieces – jewellery, decorative objects, artwork – and has collaborated with some of France’s most prestigious haute couture houses.
For Martell, Laurentine has created an ode to nature and to the terroir of a great cognac. Made with real gold thread, Laurentine’s creation represents the vine’s journey as it draws vital energy through its roots to produce the vigorous shoots that bring forth Martell’s precious cognac grapes.
Laurentine says of the piece, “My aim was to make the invisible visible… from the Earth to the Sun, from the roots in the soil to the vine leaves turned upwards to the light.”
An Exclusive Creation Uniting two Exceptional Traditions of Savoir-faire
As a collection, Les Remarquables de Martell elevates and celebrates traditions of savoir-faire: on the one hand, the selected artist’s craft, and on the other, the art of making cognac.
There are striking parallels between the technical mastery, deep creativity and patience across time required for both pursuits.
For Laurentine Perilhou, her discovery of Maison Martell in Cognac opened up a new world rich in natural inspiration. In the company of Cellar Master Christophe Valtaud, she visited the Maison’s vineyards, historic cellars and archives ahead of creating her piece.
It was, in fact, during a tasting session in the Cellar Master’s atelier that she was inspired to create a work that evoked the wonders of organic life.
To create her one-of-a-kind Dame-Jeanne for Martell, Laurentine worked with precious gold thread produced by the very last manufacturer of its kind, based in Lyon, France.
She transformed the gold thread into a magnificent, elaborate form, fashioning roots embellished with tiny gold nuggets, swirling tendrils that embrace the glass body of the dame-Jeanne, and an explosion of lively leaves around its neck, with a hidden swift, the Martell emblem, revealed within.
The design is adorned with three synthetic sapphires, echoing Martell blue, and a single diamond set in 22-carat gold, as well as an ornament featuring 40 faceted jewels fashioned from 300-year-old oak, evoking the centuries of Maison Martell’s own craftsmanship.
To achieve her vision, Laurentine collaborated with two highly specialised artisans, a jeweller and a cabinet maker. In total, Laurentine devoted more than 800 hours to craft the piece.
An Array of Exceptional Experiences for One Privileged Acquirer
For this premier edition, the artwork, painstakingly crafted over hundreds of hours, and the cognac, representing 70 years of distillation and ageing, were only the beginning.
The person acquiring the first edition will also be given the rare opportunity to further personalise the cognac as a truly bespoke blend, which will take place during an exceptional private tasting and unforgettable encounter with Christophe Valtaud.
During the tasting, they will have the opportunity to add one or more rare eaux-de-vie of special personal significance to the blend, a remarkable opportunity for any cognac aficionado.
In addition to taking home the precious artwork that is the Dame-Jeanne, the acquirer will also receive a striking cabinet in which to showcase it.
This cabinet – which can also be personalised – houses bespoke accessories specially designed for an elevated tasting ritual: six Baccarat crystal glasses, a pipette for drawing the cognac from the Dame-Jeanne, beautifully embellished by artist Laurentine Perilhou with a macramé neck adornment, six montre bottles, and a pair of embroidered white gloves.
To complete the immersive one-of-a-kind experience of Les Remarquables de Martell, the client and three persons of their choice will be welcomed by Maison Martell in both Paris and Cognac with a series of prestigious, private experiences offering in-depth explorations of the worlds of art, cognac and luxury, in the company of Laurentine Perilhou and Christophe Valtaud.
An Opportunity to View a Remarkable Objet D’art in Asia
After debuting on 1st December 2023 at the Pavilion Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this singular Dame-Jeanne was showcased for a month-long pop-up exhibition before embarking on a journey across Asia so that viewers may admire this extraordinary objet d’art.
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