The Best of French Brandy For Bastille Day

On July 14th, 1789, revolutionary forces stormed the Bastille prison in an attempt to capture weapons and ammunition. These days, it is a day of national celebration in France and is marked by the oldest and largest military parade in Europe. Pick up some of these bottles, and enjoy!
Jul 06, 2016
  • 10
    92
    Rich & Fruity
    Hennessy's XO first debuted in 1870, crafted by Maurice Hennessy for friends and family. The blend incorporates over 100 eaux-de-vie with ages up to 30 years. It's said to be the first XO ever released, with Hennessy dubbing that name himself. According to the brand, that's why the full name is technically Hennessy The Original X.O.
  • 9
    81
    Fruity
    Maxime Trijol is a cognac house that has been growers and producers since the mid 1850's. They also purchase wine from other families in cognac to help supplement what they create. They have a Grande Champagne VSOP bottling as well, but this is their Classic VSOP bottling.
  • 8
    86
    Fruity
    Maxime Trijol is an independent, family-owned cognac house with vineyards in both Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne. They do purchase wines from other families to supplement what they produce before distilling. The oak they use for aging is mostly Tronçais and Limousin.
  • 7
    83
    Woody & Spicy
    The vineyards for the Château are located in Bas-Armagnac and for this bottling, 60% ugni blanc and 40% Baco grapes were used in its distillation. This is the youngest expression of their portfolio and is aged a minimum of 3 years in French oak. This family-owned, independent estate produces both Armagnac and still wine.
  • 6
    81
    Fruity & Spicy
    This cognac was specifically designed to enjoy with a cigar. Cognac from both Petite and Grande Champagne as well as the Fins Bois and Borderies are used to create this cuvée. Unusually for cognac, some of the brandy has been aged in new oak to accentuate the barrels influence and this is bottled at 84 proof rather than the traditional 80 proof that is standard.
  • 5
    78
    Fruity & Sweet
    Amédée Edouard Dor established this cognac house back in 1858 when he began amassing a collection of fine vintage cognac. Their house collection includes cognacs that predate the phylloxera blight which destroyed most of the vineyards in France and other European countries. They were aged in wood for 70+ years before being carefully transferred into glass demi-johns. The house still has these cognacs stored as the pride of their collection. This cognac, however, is far from 70 years old. The cognacs, sourced from both Petite and Grande Champagne are aged at least four years in oak.
  • 4
    83
    Spicy & Woody
    Maison Ragnaud-Sabourin is a family-owned cognac house and they only bottle cognacs from the Grande Champagne region. The Fontvieille is named for their oldest plantation of vineyards on the estate and the cognac is comprised from three grapes: 60% ugni blanc and 40% folle blanche and colombard. Though they have classified this as an XO, the number on the bottle (35) is the minimum age of the cognac.
  • 3
    86
    Fruity & Rich
    Bernard Gauthier & Fils is a grower-producer cognac which means that this family house grows the grapes, makes the wine, and distills the eau-de-vie for the production of their cognac. This bottling contains eaux-de-vie which have been aged between 20-30 years.
  • 2
    81
    Spicy & Woody
    Daniel Bouju is an independent cognac house which dates back to 1805. The family's estate is in Saint-Preuil in the Charente in the Grande Champagne region. Ugni blanc is their grape of choice and they age in Limousin oak and refuse to use coloring or boisé (mix of sugar, oak chips, and lower proof brandy) to their products.
  • 1
    78
    Fruity & Sweet
    This expression is the youngest released from Courvoisier and uses eaux de vie that range in age from 4-7 years. The grapes are primarily sourced from the Fins Bois region with some Petite Champagne used as well.