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A Premier Cru Cognac from Grande Champagne, this Hors d'Âge from Bache-Gabrielsen is a blend of eaux-de-vie aged for more than half a century in Limousin oak barrels under the guidance of Jean-Philippe Bergier. Its deep amber color gives way to a nose of white flowers, violets, and spices, followed by a round palate with a silky rancio. A cognac for contemplation, named World’s Best Cognac at the 2021 World Cognac Awards.
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The house of Cognac Bache-Gabrielsen dates back to 1905. It was founded by Thomas Bache-Gabrielsen, a young Norwegian born in Holmestrand in 1883 to parents Kamilla Bache and Alexander Gabrielsen, merchants specializing in the sale of spirits.
Getting out of military school at the age of 20, Thomas is sent by his father to Cognac to develop the family business. The young adventurer quickly fell in love, with Cognac of course, but also with Odette Villard, a young Charentais woman who was the daughter of winegrowers; he then decided to settle in the region. The experience that was supposed to last a few months ended up lasting a lifetime.
Thomas and his Norwegian friend Peter Anton Rustad then jointly bought the Maison de Cognac A. Edmond Dupuy and renamed it Bache-Gabrielsen. Soon, thanks to their Scandinavian connections, their Cognac export business was doing well with Norway (the brand is now the leader in this market) and Denmark, then in continuity with the United States.
Through a long family history, successive generations would adapt, modernize and perpetuate the foundations of this House. Today, Hervé Bache-Gabrielsen, the fourth generation to head the company, is well aware that the world of Cognac is changing, with a strongly developed international market, a younger clientele, different consumption patterns and ever-changing marketing strategies.
To cope with this market, Hervé can count on Jean-Philippe Bergier, the cellar master, blender and nose of Cognac.
Since 1989, he has been in charge of selecting the most promising eaux-de-vie (as a négociant-éleveur the Maison calls exclusively on bouilleurs de cru, winegrowers who distill their own eaux-de-vie), overseeing their maturation (choice of woods, cellar hygrometry), creating blends and maintaining the Maison style year after year.
Fifty to seventy years of aging in humid cellars: this is the aging profile of Bache-Gabrielsen Hors d'Âge Grande Champagne, a cuvée drawn from the oldest reserves of the House founded in 1905 in Cognac. Made entirely from Grande Champagne, Cognac’s premier cru, this blend crafted by Cellar Master Jean-Philippe Bergier represents the most prestigious and rarest designation in the Charente hierarchy, far surpassing any standard age statement.
Awards
This cognac has been honored numerous times at major international spirits competitions, confirming its consistently high quality over more than a decade.
The Tasting
The mahogany hues of this eau-de-vie—deep amber with coppery and brown highlights—immediately reveal its exceptionally long aging period. On the first sniff, the aromatic profile is immediately complex: notes of candied fruit, dried violet—characteristic of the great eaux-de-vie of Grande Champagne—and white flowers rise with sustained delicacy. After a few minutes of aeration, the bouquet deepens with elegant rancio, aged leather, blond tobacco, dark honey, and noble spices—a reflection of a blend that has matured over several decades. On the palate, it opens with a full-bodied and silky attack, remarkably round, driven by the three grape varieties in the blend: Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard. The mid-palate reveals great richness, with nuances of prune, old wood, and a complex rancio character. The finish is very long and warm, carried by spices and an aromatic persistence that lingers well beyond the last sip.
Food and Wine Pairings
A Hors d’Âge of this caliber calls for a slow, meditative tasting, best enjoyed on its own to fully appreciate the richness of the blend. At the end of a meal, it pairs naturally with dark chocolate at 80% cocoa or higher, whose bitterness prolongs the notes of rancio and spices. A premium cigar of substantial body is an ideal companion for connoisseurs who appreciate this type of pairing. This cognac should be enjoyed exclusively neat, without ice or dilution.
Aging Potential
This cognac is best served in a tulip-shaped glass—the shape recommended by the BNIC—which concentrates the aromas toward the nose while limiting the ethanol saturation typical of balloon glasses. A serving temperature between 18 and 20 °C is ideal; pour 3 to 4 cl into the widest part of the glass, then gently warm the glass in the palm of your hand for a few minutes to gradually release the tertiary notes and rancio—never over an open flame. Bring your nose closer to the glass in stages—first at 15 cm, then 10 cm, then 5 cm—to first capture the most volatile aromas before the deeper nuances. Unlike wine, this cognac no longer evolves in the bottle: an unopened bottle can be stored indefinitely, away from light, in a cool, dry place, in an upright position to protect the cork. Once opened, the bottle retains its qualities for several months to several years if it is carefully recorked.
The vintage in the vineyard
Grande Champagne, Cognac’s premier cru, derives its exceptional character from its Cretaceous limestone soils, among the purest in the Charente region. This chalky substrate imparts to the eaux-de-vie produced there a distinctive aromatic finesse, a capacity for slow aging, and a remarkable length on the palate—qualities that make this cru the terroir of choice for heritage blends. The temperate oceanic climate of the Charente region promotes even ripening of the grapes. The three grape varieties in this blend—Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard—share naturally high acidity and low alcohol content, two essential characteristics for producing base wines suited to the Charente’s double distillation process.
Winemaking
The base wines—dry, acidic, and low in alcohol—are distilled on their fine lees in Charente copper stills with a capacity of 20 to 30 hectoliters, using the “repasse” method: a first heating produces the “brouillis,” while a second heating—known as the “bonne chauffe”—extracts the “cœur” at 68 to 72% vol., after the heads and tails have been precisely cut off. The eaux-de-vie are then transferred to coarse-grained French Limousin oak barrels in humid cellars, where they age for between fifty and seventy years. The “angels’ share”—annual evaporation of 2 to 3%—gradually concentrates the aromas and refines the spirit over the decades. The oldest eaux-de-vie rest in the House’s “paradise,” a cellar reserved for exceptional reserves. Jean-Philippe Bergier then blends these eaux-de-vie from the three authorized grape varieties to create the signature Bache-Gabrielsen blend, before gradually diluting it to 40% vol. This is achieved by adding distilled water, in keeping with the slow pace that has characterized the production of this cuvée since the House was founded in 1905.
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Founded in 1971, the Club Trésors de Champagne is a very exclusive circle that brings together 25 of the region’s finest artisan winemakers. United by a love for their terroir, respect for traditional craftsmanship, and a vision for the future, these exceptional winemakers have been rigorously selected for the excellence of their work. Membership in the club is granted only upon sponsorship by one or more existing members.
For them, champagne is not just a celebratory drink; it is a unique story told through every bottle.
The “Spécial Club” cuvée
Being a member of this highly exclusiveclub allows winemakers to produce a unique, vintage-dated prestige cuvée: the Spécial Club. Recognized as the ultimate symbol of their expertise, this cuvée undergoes a rigorous process to ensure impeccable quality.
To earn this coveted “label,” each bottle must pass through rigorous stages:
