Normandin-Mercier Cognac 'Rare' 50yrs Petite Champagne 44% 700ml

Jules Normandin established the Cognac house in 1872 in La Rochelle, with his wife Justine Mercier providing the founding capital — Jules added her family name onto the labels in recognition. The Normandin-Mercier business has remained family-owned across five generations, with Edouard Normandin (Jules's great-great-grandson) now running the operation. The house is among the small number of Cognac producers that have remained continuously family-owned since the nineteenth century, with no acquisition by the broader Cognac négociant industry.

The Normandin-Mercier cellars are housed in Château La Péraudière, a 17th-century building in Dompierre-sur-Mer, just outside La Rochelle. The location is unusual for a Cognac house — most cellars sit inland in the Cognac town itself or in the Charente villages — and the maritime humidity from the Atlantic coast creates an ageing environment distinct from inland conditions. The house concentrates on Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne sub-appellation eaux-de-vie. The blend ratio is unusual: 90% Ugni Blanc, 10% Colombard and Folle Blanche, where most Cognac houses work close to 98% Ugni Blanc.

The current range covers VSOP (7 yrs Petite Champagne), Vieille Fine Champagne (15 yrs), XO (30 yrs Grande Champagne), Rare (50 yrs Grande Champagne), and the rare Très Vieille (100yrs+ stock from 1880–1914). Single-vintage releases — including the 1976 Petite Champagne Limited Batch — appear periodically. Beyond Cognac, the house produces Pineau des Charentes (the regional Cognac-and-grape-must aperitif) in Blanc and Rosé.