Jean Fillioux Cep D'or XO Cognac

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 40% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

For Cep d'Or XO, Jean Fillioux combines its Grande Champagne origins with distillation on the lees. It starts with wine made from Ugni Blanc grapes grown on clay-limestone soils dating from the Cretaceous period. The wine, together with its lees, is distilled twice in a traditional Charentais still.

Its aromatic range extends from spring flowers, including lilac and jasmine, to ripe grapes, banana and melon. Raisins, walnuts and spices add further dimensions. The Cognac also pairs well with spicy dishes, including those from Provençal, Indian or Mexican cuisine.

This bottling contains no colouring and has an alcohol content of 40%. The bottle contains 0.7 litres and comes in gift packaging. Cep d'Or won gold at the Bartender Spirits Awards in 2022 and silver at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2017.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose reveals lively notes of raisins, banana and walnut, accompanied by anise and cumin.
• Palate: The fruit becomes more expressive on the palate, where melon and blackberry meet walnut.
• Finish: Spicy notes of anise and caraway linger through the long finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

Honoré Fillioux founded his Cognac house in 1880 and purchased the Domaine de la Pouyade in Juillac-le-Coq in 1894. His son Jean expanded bottled sales and the brand's international presence. Five generations have now shaped the house; in 2015, Pascal Fillioux handed responsibility to his son Christophe.

The Domaine de la Pouyade has 25 hectares of vines on sunny slopes in the heart of Grande Champagne. Ugni Blanc is the predominant grape variety. The grapes are mechanically harvested to limit oxidation of the fruit, then pneumatically pressed. Before distillation, the house waits for both alcoholic fermentation and natural malolactic fermentation to finish. Its distilling season therefore rarely begins before December.

Jean Fillioux uses French oak for maturation, mainly from Limousin. Christophe and Pascal select casks directly from several Charentais cooperages to obtain a variety of cask profiles for their blends. They specify slow, prolonged toasting at a medium to slightly higher intensity. This approach to cask selection is part of the house's general working practice.

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