Paul Giraud XO Rocky 25 years 40% 700ml

The Giraud family's roots in Bouteville — a small village in the Grande Champagne sub-appellation south-east of Cognac town — trace back to around 1650, with the property passing from father to son since 1635. Across that nearly four-hundred-year span the family farmed and distilled eaux-de-vie under various corporate arrangements typical of small-scale Cognac production: estate-grown grapes, on-site distillation, sale of finished spirit to one of the négociants who would blend it under their own house brand. The contemporary Paul Giraud Cognac label was established only in 1976, when Paul-Jean Giraud — together with his father — began bottling the family stock under their own name.

Bouteville sits at the heart of Grande Champagne, the premier cru of the Cognac region — recognised for its chalky soils that produce the longest-ageing, most aromatic Cognac eaux-de-vie. The estate works the standard Cognac varietal mix (Ugni Blanc dominant, with smaller Folle Blanche and Colombard plantings) and double-distils in copper Charentais alembics in the traditional pattern. The cellar holds a deep stock of older eaux-de-vie that Paul-Jean has built across his decades at the helm; the house's reputation rests on the breadth and age of the cellar more than on production volume.

The current Paul Giraud range covers the standard Cognac age tiers (VS, VSOP, Napoleon, XO, Hors d'Âge), plus several single-vintage and aged-stock bottlings drawn from the Giraud cellar — most notably the Heritage 70-year-old Grande Champagne. Beyond Cognac the house produces a Liqueur Gingembre (a 17.5% ginger liqueur built on Grande Champagne Cognac base) and Pineau des Charentes — the regional Cognac-and-grape-must aperitif. Paul-Jean's son Paul represents the eleventh generation.