Grand Cellar Spirits
18+
Flag of France

Origin

France

Grande Champagne cognac, single cask armagnac and back vintage burgundy

291 lots held

Twelve from the France shelf

Held means the lot is in bonded storage and available. Reserved means a buyer has it under offer. Prices are what we last traded the bottling at.

  1. Maison Verrier 1948, Grande Champagne cognac, single estate
    Lot 052

    Maison Verrier 1948

    Grande Champagne cognac, single estate

    194841.0%700ml

    HeldA$9,650Coming soonEnquire
  2. Domaine Sarlat 1934, Bas armagnac, single cask
    Lot 401

    Domaine Sarlat 1934

    Bas armagnac, single cask

    193443.5%700ml

    HeldA$8,300Coming soonEnquire
  3. Clos Bellemare 1961, Burgundy, estate bottled
    Lot 402

    Clos Bellemare 1961

    Burgundy, estate bottled

    196113.0%750ml

    HeldA$6,900Coming soonEnquire
  4. Chateau Vireuil 1959, Pauillac, cellar release
    Lot 403

    Chateau Vireuil 1959

    Pauillac, cellar release

    195912.5%750ml

    HeldA$4,750Coming soonEnquire
  5. Maison Verrier 1914, Borderies cognac, single estate
    Lot 404

    Maison Verrier 1914

    Borderies cognac, single estate

    191440.5%700ml

    HeldA$18,400Coming soonEnquire
  6. Tenareze 1942, Armagnac, wartime distillation
    Lot 405

    Tenareze 1942

    Armagnac, wartime distillation

    194244.0%700ml

    ReservedA$7,100Coming soonEnquire
  7. Clos Bellemare 1947, Burgundy, estate bottled
    Lot 406

    Clos Bellemare 1947

    Burgundy, estate bottled

    194713.0%750ml

    HeldA$11,900Coming soonEnquire
  8. Fins Bois 1955, Cognac, single cask
    Lot 407

    Fins Bois 1955

    Cognac, single cask

    195542.0%700ml

    HeldA$3,850Coming soonEnquire
  9. Domaine Sarlat 1968, Bas armagnac, single cask
    Lot 408

    Domaine Sarlat 1968

    Bas armagnac, single cask

    196845.2%700ml

    HeldA$2,900Coming soonEnquire
  10. Champagne Roulier 1966, Blanc de blancs, late disgorged
    Lot 409

    Champagne Roulier 1966

    Blanc de blancs, late disgorged

    196612.0%750ml

    ReservedA$5,400Coming soonEnquire
  11. Petite Champagne 1929, Cognac, family reserve
    Lot 410

    Petite Champagne 1929

    Cognac, family reserve

    192941.5%700ml

    HeldA$14,200Coming soonEnquire
  12. Clos Bellemare 1978, Burgundy, estate bottled
    Lot 411

    Clos Bellemare 1978

    Burgundy, estate bottled

    197813.5%750ml

    HeldA$2,300Coming soonEnquire

Serving pieces from France

Nothing from France on the shelf yet. We would rather say so than pad the page out with things we do not have.

Not seeing it?

We buy from dealers and at auction worldwide, and most of what we handle never appears on a shelf at all. Tell us what you are after and we will go and look for it, say honestly whether it is worth the money, and agree our part before anything is bid.

Tell us what you are after

How France came to make it

  1. 600 BCGreek settlers plant vines on the Mediterranean coast
  2. 1310A prior at Eauze writes down the virtues of the local spirit
  3. 1600sDutch merchants create the trade in brandewijn

France fermented long before it distilled. Greek settlers brought vines to the Mediterranean coast around 600 BC and the Romans carried them north, so by the time distilling arrived the country already had a wine industry to distil from.

Armagnac has the older paper trail: in 1310 a prior at Eauze set down forty virtues of the local eau de vie, which makes it one of the earliest documented brandies in Europe. Cognac came later, and for a foreign reason. Dutch merchants in the 1600s wanted wine concentrated for the voyage home and called the result brandewijn, burnt wine. The double distillation in Charentais pot stills that the region still uses was worked out to serve that trade.

The other origins