Remy Martin X.O Cognac Limited Edition by Lee Broom (700 ml)

When Rémy Martin founded his Charente trading house in 1724, he staked everything on a single terroir conviction: that only the chalky, calcareous subsoils of Grande and Petite Champagne — the two highest-ranked Cognac crus — were worth working. Three centuries later, the house remains the only major cognac producer whose entire range, from VSOP to Louis XIII, qualifies as Cognac Fine Champagne AOC. That deep chalk retains moisture through dry summers, sustaining grape acidity and concentrating the aromatic compounds that survive double distillation.

The XO is assembled from up to 400 individual eaux-de-vie, the youngest a minimum of ten years old, the oldest exceeding thirty — all aged in French Limousin oak from trees at least a century old, seasoned outdoors for two to three years before coopering. The house's defining technical signature: distillation on the lees, retaining residual yeast sediment through both charentais pot-still passes, a practice most peers abandon at racking. This adds a measurable layer of aromatic density that clean-distilled cognacs structurally cannot replicate.

The Lee Broom limited-edition decanter — a faceted crystal form by the British designer — is the collector anchor here, but the liquid inside is the standard XO blend, unchanged. Drinking window: now through 15+ years; the chalk-driven acidity holds the long finish without oak domination.