This vin de liqueur was made in the heart of the Grande Champagne region in the early years of the 20th Century and filled into an oak barrel. Before WWII, the cask was secreted behind a hastily erected wall of rubble and then forgotten, until it was re-discovered in late 2017.
Pineau des Charentes is a classic French aperitif, unique to the Cognac region, and typically consumed in its youth. Almost 100 years after it was made, however, this unique cask-aged, Pineau has a dazzling intensity and depth of flavour, counterbalanced by poised acidity and freshness: perhaps more digestif than aperitif.
Rebecca Jago, Managing Director of The Last Drop, says: “Occasionally, we have the great fortune to come across something so fascinating, and so delicious, that we cannot resist: neither the temptation to savour the liquid, nor the joy of sharing such a unique discovery with our friends . This extremely old Pineau des Charentes definitely falls into this category: a vin de liqueur that, by rights, should have long since lost its charm, or evaporated into a woody syrup, but which, instead, matured into something quite miraculous. ”
Let the story unfold: in late 2017, Managing Director Rebecca Jago visited Cognac. On her visit, she was taken to visit an old friend of her host, the owner and distiller at a family owned distillery in the Grande Champagne region who have been making fine Cognacs since the 17th Century. There, they were presented with an unforgettable tasting which yielded the 1925 Grande Champagne Cognac which became The Last Drop’s 14th release in 2019. This superb cognac had been discovered by the current owner, having been hidden behind a wall of rubble before the second World War.
Alongside the hidden barrel of 1925 Grande Champagne Cognac, however, was another cask, containing its own treasure: a small quantity of Pineau des Charentes, made in the early years of the 20th Century. Like the cognac, it was hidden away – probably with no intention of being left there so long. Rebecca continues: “Having tasted it, we knew we had to bring it to the attention of a wider audience: the liquid itself commands the attention even more than the story of its discovery.”
The cask yielded only 382 bottles. Each 75cl bottle comes in a deep green gift box with accompanying pocket sized tasting booklet with space for personal tasting notes. The Last Drop, Pineau des Charentes RRP: £600.
Available from October via lastdropdistillers.com and fine wine & spirits retailers.
