Wine Region: Cognac - Grande Champagne - France

Grape: 100 % GRANDE CHAMPAGNE - PREMIER CRU DE COGNAC

Tasting notes:

After its delicate aromas, its power in the mouth comes as a surprise. XO VIP offers a palate of flavours, revealing in turn chocolate notes, dried fruit, candied fruit, and gingerbread. The expression is sophisticated and complex, with depth, but without ever losing the original freshness of the fruit. Composed with the precision of a sonnet, XO VIP is an ode to the passion behind its creation and flavour.

«This is a rich, complex and evolving cognac in which everyone will find their own aromatic references.»

Patrice Piveteau, Cellar Master

Expert Rating:

Cognac Master Asia - Gold Medal

How to Enjoy: As this is an older Cognac, we prefer to enjoy it neat, but make sure to leave it for several minutes to aerate before taking your first sip, you'll find the flavors continue to evolve until the very last drop. The wintery warming spices and dried fruit flavors mean this is a perfect Cognac to bring out at Christmas time, enjoy it by a warm fire with close friends and family.

Frapin has also suggested blending their XO VIP into the "Cocktail VIP One", originally created in a bar in Dusseldorf, this cocktail is a blend of:

• Frapin XO VIP
• 1.5 fl oz. St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 0.5 fl oz. Orange Curaçao
• 1 fl oz. Water (through dilution from stirring the ice)
• 0.75 fl oz. 2 dashes of chocolate bitters.

Stir ingredients for a minute in a large mixing glass filled with ice before straining into a martini glass.

About the winery:

Frapin is one of the oldest producers of Cognac in France. Indeed, not only is the family’s history closely intertwined with the history of Cognac, its predates it by several centuries.

The Frapin family first appeared in what would become the Cognac region in 1270. The family have been wine growers, and later distillers, for 21 generations. Their 750-acre estate, the Chateau de Fontpinot in Segonzac, set in the heart of Cognac’s Grand Champagne district, has 600 acres of ugni blanc vineyards. It is the only Cognac producer that is classified as a Chateau.

All of the grapes come from the estate in the Grand Champagne appellation. This district is considered the heart of Cognac, and is the source of its greatest Cognacs. Frapin distills its base wine on the lees, giving the resulting spirit a creamier, more substantial palate weight.