Château Montifaud | Jarnac

Founded in 1866, Château Montifaud is an independent, family-owned producer currently run by sixth generation, Laurent Vallet, with his wife Elodie. Before taking over, Laurent worked for ten years alongside his father, Michel, learning the art of distillation.

Château Montifaud specialise in the Petite Champagne sub-region of Cognac, which tends to produce the most floral, feminine cognacs. They have 125 hectares of vines, with Ugni Blanc the predominant grape grown. The Vallet's believe that harvesting healthy grapes is fundamental to the floral quality of fine cognacs together with soft pressing and temperature control. Distillation takes place in three much loved pot stills with Laurent including more lees (sediment) than most producers to accentuate the suppleness of his cognacs. When bringing the spirit down to drinking proof, he’s obsessed with adding the distilled water extremely slowly, even dripping it in to avoid any soapy flavours. The young spirit matures in Limousin oak casks where it continues to lose alcohol due to evaporation - the ‘angels share’!

A family tradition at Montifaud is to set aside newly distilled spirit when each new generation starts. This has led to a wonderful stock of old cognac and an enviable collection of certified vintage cognacs. The oldest barrels reside behind locked gates in a dark, atmospheric ‘paradis’. Given their outstanding quality these Cognacs offer tremendous value.