Dudognon Cognac Napoleon 15yrs 42% 700ml

The Dudognon family has cultivated grapes in Lignières-Sonneville, a small Grande Champagne village 11 miles south-east of the Cognac town, since 1776. The current estate was purchased in 1852. The family produced Cognac across multiple generations, but the house was first formally recognised in 1898 when Paulin Dudognon won a Gold Medal. Raymond Dudognon took over from his father in 1946 and was the first generation to bottle and sell Cognac under the family name rather than as bulk eau-de-vie sold to négociants.

The current generation — Claudine Dudognon, her husband Gerald Buraud, and their son Pierre — work 10 hectares of vines split roughly 88% Ugni Blanc, 9% Folle Blanche, 3% Montils. The Folle Blanche and Montils plantings are recent: both varieties were widely abandoned after phylloxera in favour of hardier Ugni Blanc, and the Dudognon-Burauds are among the small number of Cognac houses replanting them. The two alembic stills produce around 100 barrels per year. Water is the only additive used in production.