AMBRE: (Taste: 10 years)
Aged in old casks, Ambre has little tannin. Its color is golden, with a light and delicate nose. Aromas of flowers, oranges and a hint of vanilla highlight this cognac.

RESERVE: (Taste: 20 years) A complex and full-bodied cognac, Reserve has a fine gold color and is very fruity and round, with a slightly vanilla flavor. The aroma is like fresh picked grapes at the harvest.

Pierre Ferrand Ancestrale Grande Champagne cognac is unique, not only because of its age, but because of its structure, which has allowed it to age in oak for so many decades and still improve. Most cognac would be totally out of balance after such long wood aging. But on the contrary, Ancestrale displays an incredible richness of aromas. Because of the extensive evaporation (89%) that has taken place over the years, (called the "angel's share" by the French), it takes 100 bottles of wine to make one bottle of Ancestrale. Burnished gold in color, this rare cognac is comparable to a very old wine in its subtlety and complexity. Having a very delicate nose, it balances prune and chocolate aromas in a perfectly aged, pure eau de vie.
No more than 300 bottles of Ancestrale are released each year. It is drawn from the cask by hand, bottle after bottle. Each bottle is rinsed with a bit of Ancestrale before being filled. This may seem like a small point, but it means that this outstanding cognac remains pure and true to its type. Ancestrale is labeled and waxed by hand and is bottled on order.

PIERRE FERRAND MEMOIRES :

Cognac Pierre Ferrand will release its special Mémoire Vintage Edition in time for the countdown to the next century. Only 2,000 bottles of each of the three vintages - 1962, 1965, 1968 - will be released worldwide. These special Grande Champagne cognacs are bottled in a replica of the bottle used by Cognac Ferrand in 1900. The heavy glass bottle with a deep punt is etched with the words "Cognac Pierre Ferrand" and "Mémoire". A hand-written parchment label shows the vintage. Each small lot has been certified by a "Huissier de Justice", the most respected level of authentication under French law. Each bottle is numbered and signed by the cellarmaster and comes in a dark mahogany box adorned with an etched brass plate. A certificate of authenticity accompanies each bottle.

PIERRE FERRAND MEMOIRES 1914
MEMOIRE VINTAGE EDITION

“The world of 1914 has long vanished. In Europe the Czar's army was contesting Galicia with the Austrian army of Emperor Franz-Joseph. In USA Woodrow Wilson was promising to keep us out of the Great War. In Segonzac, Cognac a small group of women - the men had been called up to the army and were parrying the Kaiser's thrust toward Paris along the line of the Marne - distilled a small batch of cognac.
In 1989 it was transferred from barrel to glass. When a spirit passes its three score and ten years in wood, it gives up its body and becomes something more of the aether. This cognac's small discrete aromas and flavors make it a spirit of finesse rather than power. Drier than those of today, it is incomparably more delicate, but has lost nothing in force.

1914 Ferrand Cognac Grand Champagne; Color: warm gold tan; Aroma: fresh citrus a little coffee note ample and sweet, almond, sweet citrus note, later broad enveloping mocha and stone; Mouth: very clean and pure delicately forceful, opens very very long dry almond finish, elegant; Excellent - Superb .

Mr. Rosenberg, Federal Wine & Spirits

COGNAC FERRAND RELEASES
RARE VINTAGE – DATED COGNACS

Cognac Pierre Ferrand has released its special Memoire Vintage. Only a few bottles of each vintage – 1970, 1971, 1973 – will be released worldwide. These special Grande Champagne cognacs are bottled in a replica of the bottle used by Cognac Ferrand in 1900. The heavy glass bottle with a deep punt is etched with the words “Cognac Pierre Ferrand” and “Memoire”. A hand-written parchment label shows the vintage. Each small lot has been certified by a Huissier de Justice, the most respected level of authentication under French law. Each bottle is numbered and signed by the cellarmaster and comes in a dark mahogany box adorned with an etched brass plate. A certificate of authenticity accompanies each bottle.

Cognac Ferrand maintains stocks of vintage cognacs in bonded warehouses. These strategic stocks are normally used as part of the blends and are periodically tasted to evaluate their evolution. After a recent tasting, partners Alexandre Gabriel and Jean Dominique Andreu, together with their cellarmaster Patrick Giudicelli, deemed 5 casks of each of these three vintages worthy of bottling as a single vintage cognac. Grande Champagne cognacs usually reach their prime at around 30 – 50 years of age. When we tasted these three vintages we knew that we had three absolutely superlative, memorable cognacs.

VINTAGE DATING IN COGNAC

Until recently the only way to buy vintage dated cognac was to purchase “early landed” stock. This way young spirits, shipped in casks from Cognac and aged in England. For the consumer, it was important to know two things – was the spirit matured under optimum conditions and when was it bottled. (Cognac does not develop once it is placed in glass.)

In 1989, Cognac regulation has changed allowing Cognac to be vintage dated. In order to be eligible for this designation, the cognac must be stored away from other stocks under a double lock system (bonded warehouse). The proprietor can only enter accompanied by an official who holds the second key.
Cognac controlled in this way may then be issued a certificate proving the vintage date.