As the Cellar Master of Remy Martin, Loiseau’s job is not just to create blends, but also to preserve the future of the cognac house. — Photos: Handout
Baptiste Loiseau is like an artist. But instead of paints, the cellar master of the House of Remy Martin creates art with his cognac blends. His palette is his palate and his nose, delicately sniffing and tasting eau-de-vie distilled from grapes from the finest crus in Cognac – Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne – in order to find the right ones to include in Remy Martin’s signature Fine Champagne Cognac expressions.
During an exclusive interview in Kuala Lumpur recently, Loiseau explained his creative process when creating a new cognac blend or expression.
“At the very beginning, it has to be the right balance between the blend itself and how I will achieve this blend, and also the way people will understand what I wanted to achieve with the blend,” he explained.
His creative process starts with an ‘aromatic vision’ of what the finished cognac has to embody. Does he want to emphasise the terroir of the grapes it is made from? Is it more an expression of the grapes, or certain villages or plots that give something different in terms of aroma?
Does he want to focus more on the ageing, and maybe the impact of the wood and the cellar? Or does he want to pay tribute to something that was blended by the previous cellar masters?
Loiseau's creative process starts with an ‘aromatic vision’ of what the finished cognac has to embody.
“First, I try to categorise what it could be in terms of aromas, what I want to achieve; and combine it with the story that we will tell to our clients in order to make it work; and also when it will be released,” Loiseau added.
All that is already on his mind before he steps into Remy Martin’s vast cellars to draw samples of eau-de-vie for the blend.
“Once I have the idea in my mind, I go into the inventory, where everything is coded on the cellars and on the cask. With all these codes, I know which one could be of interest, but I still have to be sure by testing it, so I will go in the cellars to take these samples, taste, and then decide.”
In a way, the way he deals with the eau-de-vie is almost similar to the way an artist paints with different shades and colours. However, there is one thing Loiseau cannot influence – time.
“From time to time, there would be certain eau-de-vie that I’d feel are not quite there yet, so I would have to wait another year or two more years for it to be ready,” he explained. “That’s why there is no rush in the cognac creation part, because we know that some eau-de-vie need much more time to express their potential from ageing.
“Then once it is blended, you need time to let all the components meet each other. If you are in a rush, maybe it won’t be harmonious, and will be still struggling in the blend. So it’s also a question of having the time to let all these eau-de-vie meld together.”
Present from the past
For the House’s 300th year anniversary last year, however, Loiseau came up with a special limited edition expression called the Remy Martin 300 Anniversary Coupe, which was created very differently from the other Remy Martin expressions.
“What’s different in the creative process for the anniversary blend is the fact that it follows a concept we call the ‘perpetual reserve’, which is based on what has been done by the previous generations of cellar masters for the previous anniversary coupe,” he said.
“When the cellar master has to make this anniversary coupe, he or she goes back to what has been left by the previous cellar master, and ‘nourishes’ it with the eau-de-vie that he has selected. So, it’s a never ending process, with the touch of the cellar master at that time, who decides what is the direction he or she wants to give to the coupe for the next generation,” he adds.
“Today, the 300 Coupe has been released, but most of the blend has gone back in the cellars and will wait for the next cellar master to create the next anniversary Coupe.”
This only the fourth time in the history of the house that Remy Martin has released an anniversary coupe. The very first one was for the 250 years anniversary, 50 years ago; and the second one was for the 175th anniversary coupe. Then there was the 290th coupe, and finally, the 300 anniversary coupe.
The Remy Martin 300 Anniversary Coupe. — MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
Loiseau had the advantage of watching this unique process when his predecessor, Pierrette Trichet created the 290th Anniversary Coupe 10 years ago. He took over her role in 2014, and began planning for the creation of the 300 Anniversary Coupe around three years ago, and had to decide what kind of eau-devie to add into the perpetual reserve.
For the 300, he had to decide what kinds of aromas in the eau-de-vie would be able to transcribe his ideas and vision in terms of the future of the House of Remy Martin.
“I really wanted to add a touch of exoticism, much more freshness. So I selected some eau-de-vie only from Grand Champagne, which gave it more exotic fruits, candied oranges, and the intensity of floral notes, like roses,” he said.
The result was a Cognac that was beautifully balanced, with the honey, figs, and dates notes that is in the DNA of the Remy Martin house, but with a twist of more fresh and floral notes.
“I also wanted to give the sensation that it has not just been aged longer, but is still something created with intention, and has gone through a demanding and rigorous selection.”
A day in the life
A typical day for Loiseau often starts outside the cellars, either in the vineyards that supply grapes to be distilled into the eau-de-vie for blending cognac, or the cooperages that make the oak casks that this precious spirit rests and matures in.
“My daily routine differs depending on whether it’s the harvesting period, the distillation period, or that time of the year when I’m more about the creativity process and making the blends,” he said.
“But what I like most is to start my day in the countryside, or in the cooperage where we are making the casks. I will meet with the people in my team on the estate, and the wine growers.”
Part of Loiseau’s daily routine is tasting and sniffing different eau-de-vie to assess their potential.
Then, at around 10am in the winter season, he attends tasting sessions with a team of four to six people. For about an hour and a half, they would blind taste the eau-de-vie coming from the wine growers to determine its quality, whether to accept it or not, and whether they are suitable for Remy Martin’s blends, from the flagship VSOP and highly regarded XO, to the ultra-premium Louis XIII.
The afternoon is when Loiseau focuses on his creation process, from deciding which eau-de-vie is ready to be blended together to make a final blend, to working on a new project.
“Sometimes, I would go in the cellars to take some samples. There in the darkness of the cellars, is the moment when I’m alone and focused on the creation that I will be making, and deciding what could be the future blends,” he mused.
Facing the future
According to Loiseau, his job as the cellar master of Remy Martin is not just to create blends, but also to preserve the future of the House, not only in terms of what is in the cellars, but also out in the vineyards, and beyond.
One of the challenges the cognac industry faces is climate change, which he says has an impact on the acidity of the grapes. Remy Martin launched an agro-ecology program five years ago, where the House works together with the wine growers to change their practices while maintaining the quality of their grapes.
“We have been doing some trials, research and development on our estates and in the fields – testing new cultivar, or new types of techniques,” he explained.
Loiseau's job as the cellar master of Remy Martin is not just to create blends, but also to preserve the future of the House.
“For me, the challenge to prepare for the future is to ensure there are changes in the growers’ practices, but at the same time, not affect the quality of the eau-de-vie that they will present to us, in order to maintain the consistency for the House. That’s the biggest challenge for me.”
In the end, he says, his job is really about having a vision of what the House can be in the next decades.
“It’s not only about the product, it’s also about the relationship we have with all the growers that are working for the house, how we will preserve our terroir. It’s how we prepare for all the challenges that we, and the next generation, are already facing,” he concluded.
Michael Cheang will never say no to a glass of Fine Champagne cognac. Follow him on Instagram (@Mytipsyturvy) and Facebook (fb.com/mytipsyturvy).
