From Napoleon to Jarnac: 200 years of Maison Courvoisier
The history of Maison Courvoisier begins at the start of the 19th century, when Emmanuel Courvoisier and Louis Gallois founded a wine and spirits business in the Parisian wine trading district of Bercy. Their sons Félix and Jules moved the company to the Charente in 1828 — to Jarnac, right on the banks of the river, in the heart of the Cognac region. There, Félix Courvoisier had the representative Maison built in 1857, which remains the seat of the house to this day. Courvoisier earned its decisive reputation through its connection with Napoleon Bonaparte: according to legend, the Emperor took several casks of Courvoisier with him during his exile on St. Helena in 1815 — the English officers on board subsequently christened it "Le Cognac de Napoléon". In 1869, Napoleon III made the connection official and awarded the house the title Fournisseur Officiel de la Maison de l'Empereur. After the death of Félix Courvoisier, his nephews, the Curlier brothers, took over the management before the English merchant family Simon took over the house in 1909 and expanded its fame to the British market and other European royal courts.
Today, Courvoisier belongs to the Campari Group and is one of the four largest cognac houses in the world. As the only house ever, Courvoisier has been awarded the French Prestige Gold Medal twice — in 1983 and 2021.
Assemblage as a craft: How Courvoisier builds its cognac
Courvoisier does not own its own vineyards, but works with a network of more than 1,000 winegrower families and distillers within the Cognac AOC. This decision is a statement: it gives the master blender the freedom to select the best eaux-de-vie from the four key crus vintage by vintage — Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, and Fins Bois. Grande Champagne provides elegance and floral depth, Borderies its rare violet tone and silky texture, and Fins Bois fruit fullness and accessibility. Distillation is traditionally carried out on the lees (sur lies), which gives the eaux-de-vie more body and mouthfeel. Maturation takes place in French oak barrels from the forests of Limousin and Tronçais in humid cellars — the humidity slows down oxidation and promotes aroma development.
The continuity of the house style lies with the master blender. After six generations, Thibaut Hontanx became the seventh master blender of the Maison in 2022 — he brings experience from distilleries from South Africa to Martinique and worked closely with his predecessor Patrice Pinet before taking over responsibility. Passing on knowledge between blenders is a tradition in Jarnac, not an exception.
Fruity, fine, multi-layered: the style of Courvoisier in the glass
What holds Courvoisier's range together is a clearly recognizable house style: fruity and floral on the attack, with a structure that comes from the combination of several crus rather than a single terroir. The VSOP — the heart of the range — combines eaux-de-vie from Fins Bois and Petite Champagne that have matured in oak for between eight and twelve years. In the glass, it shows aromas of ripe stone fruits, dried apricot, and vanilla, carried by a warm, soft texture. Neat at room temperature, the aroma profile is clearest; with a splash of still water, the finish opens up. Those who want to prepare a classic Sidecar or a Cognac Highball will find a reliable base in the VSOP with enough character of its own not to disappear in the cocktail. The range extends from the accessible VS to the VSOP to XO and limited special bottlings — including a finish in Japanese Mizunara oak barrels, which has brought the house attention beyond classic cognac drinkers in recent times.
