The unveiling of Rémy Martin’s latest luxury limited edition is an engaging story of heritage, passion, Sense of Place and knowledge passed down the generations – and one in which duty free is playing a vital distribution role.
As we reported previously online, in early July the House of Rémy Martin hosted the global media unveiling of its new expression, Carte Blanche à Baptiste Loiseau, the first in a new collection of limited edition Fine Champagne Cognac from the house.
The line was made available initially through DFS Group at Singapore Changi Airport at a recommended retail price of US$400. From 1 June distribution was extended to DFS stores at Hong Kong International, Los Angeles International, New York JFK and San Francisco airports. From the end of October distribution will be widened to certain domestic markets.
The new expression is significant in that it is the first to be released by Cellar Master Baptiste Loiseau, who was appointed to the role in 2014 at a youthful 34, seven years after he joined the company.
Both Loiseau and Executive Brand Director Augustin Depardon stress the vital role of travel retail in bringing the new expression, and the brand in general, to a wider audience.
Depardon says: “Duty free is very important for Rémy Martin. With 3,000 out of 7,000 bottles for duty free the allocation of Carte Blanche for the channel is significant. It’s key from a business and image viewpoint. A product like this can be relevant for the traveller, people who want speciality items, but also people who are cash-rich and time-poor and only can buy at the airport. It would be a mistake to launch this kind of item and not consider duty free.
“It’s also a fantastic merchandising window. It offers us a wide range of possibilities and we can promote in ways that we maybe cannot in other channels. It is highly complementary to the domestic market launch.”
Loiseau says: “As Cellar Master I need to find a way to explain to people why Rémy Martin is different, from existing clients to new clients who will still be buying our brand in 20 or 30 years and beyond.
“More and more people want to understand why and how we make these great Cognacs. That can be through visuals or tastings, but it certainly means having the right people in a channel like travel retail. If you have one or two hours at the airport, and you’re eager to learn, you can take the time to understand these blends and where they come from. And that is an opportunity for us. That’s why the exclusivity in duty free for the first six months will help us explain what is specific about our house, and what sets it apart.”
Having been given a free hand (‘carte blanche’) by the company to “reveal the treasures of the house”, Loiseau selected one cask for the inaugural Carte Blanche Edition from the Gensac-la-Pallue cellar (one of 29 Rémy Martin cellars in the Cognac region).
Loiseau says: “I tasted every eau-de-vie that had been set aside by previous cellar masters for their ageing potential. One day while doing this, I found something very precious and decided to reveal it at the percentage proof at which it appeared naturally in the cask. It is very special, with the youngest eau-de-vie at 20 years and others in the blend above that.”
He adds: “What we want to highlight is the fact that we are the specialist of Fine Champagne Cognac. If you are choosing Rémy Martin you are experiencing the heart of Cognac.” That’s a reference to Rémy’s use only of grapes from Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne in its Fine Champagne blends, with Grande Champagne accounting for at least 50%.
Loiseau, a modest, understated man, takes pride in adding his name to this limited edition, but refers continuously to his role as that of a torch bearer, passing on centuries of tradition to the next generation.
“You are not born a Cellar Master, you become one,” he says. “Everyone needs a mentor in life, in work. I was lucky to have Pierrette Trichet as my predecessor and she taught me everything. She helped me find my voice.
“I am not the one who created this blend, I am just the one who reveals and highlights what the previous generation has done. Continuity is key: every day we work thanks to the heritage that has been handed down to us.
“I wanted just to find and share what was already in the cellar. I did my tastings and it was only then that I discovered that this blend came from one cask in Gensac-la-Pallue.”
The tiny village he names occupies a big place in the history of Remy Martin. Gensac-la-Pallue was the home of André Renault, who as the first Cellar Master helped to revive the fortunes of the house in the 1920s and beyond – and who was the grandfather of current Rémy-Cointreau President Dominique Hériard-Dubreuil.
“The location of the cellar is significant for us, and is part of the story, but what moved me was the truth inside the glass,” says Loiseau. “The style of the house is encapsulated in this blend. That means we use the two premier crus from the region and only from a tiny part of the region. It’s also what you taste and feel. There’s the opulence and richness of the taste; the harmony of the blend, which requires time to come together; and thirdly there’s the length. You have the sensation you are tasting something that took time to create and that is tied to the terroir.”
Loiseau confirms plans for further expressions of Carte Blanche, though no timing has yet been decided.
He says: “I need time to go through my notes and those of the previous Cellar Master. I could make that decision now but in a year or more, those blends might have changed. We are dealing with time and every day the contents of our casks are in evolution.
“I am already looking and have some ideas, having tasted all of the eau-de-vie that we hold in the search for the first expression. It should offer something different. That could mean it contains stocks that are younger than 20 years and it could be from other cellars. What it must do is surprise me.”
Whatever the outcome, any choice will remain in the house style. “That has to be the case as any blend is taken from stocks that have been in our cellars for years. It will be part of the Rémy Martin universe. In this case we had more floral notes because of the ageing process and sensations such as black tea, leather and smokiness.
“These may not be classical terms associated with our Cognac but they are part of our world as they were chosen by previous Cellar Masters. It also tells you that what we are talking about is something deeply complex. Those layers of aroma make it worthwhile taking time to appreciate, and it’s our job to educate people about this.”
Loiseau’s respect for the tradition of the house means he sees himself as a “guardian” of its values, but he also has to be a creator in his own right.
“My main mission, as it has been for generations, is to recreate each year the range for people who like Rémy Martin and ensure they don’t see the difference, even though we are using different eaux-de-vie every single time. It’s about consistency. We always compare with what went before. If we notice a difference, so will our clients.
“The second mission is to create. I hope I will be here for many years. Maybe I will be the Cellar Master who sees the most evolution in aromas in the eaux-de-vie through the ageing. Since 2007 I have been lucky enough to play a part in selecting the eaux-de-vie with Pierrette Trichet. By 2030 or 2040 I hope to see these being enjoyed and to say that I played a part in making them come alive.
“The other priority is to keep my feet here in this region, among the wine growers. The Cellar Master has to give them the direction. I have this passion for the terroir and I’m connected to these wine growers even in difficult times. We need to be here in this place but we also need an eye on the outside world where tastes are changing.”
Augustin Depardon recognises the business pressures that changing tastes bring, but insists that no new blend will come to market without Loiseau’s absolute commitment.
“Everything starts and finishes with the Cellar Master, the creator. His work is about recreating what his predecessors did, but when he sees something that stands out as new or different, we decide whether to leave it longer, to drop it or to act on it and bottle it. It’s important that people understand that it isn’t the management that dictates when and how many new line extensions we produce.
“Once we decide on the blend, we talk packaging or target audience, but that comes later; he is the guardian of the product.”
But that approach also allows for new expressions and limited editions in particular, which have played a big role in building brand equity lately, alongside major consumer campaigns such as One Life/Live Them, launched in October last year.
“There are different types of limited edition. Those with celebrities can help animate the brand and you can build events around them,” says Depardon.
“Carte Blanche is different. It is designed as a collection and Baptiste will set the pace but there are treasures in our cellars that correspond to a collector’s needs.
“Carte Blanche is for people who want specialities that have only one release but that have a strong story behind them. In this case you have a recognisable Rémy Martin but some notes that are different. So that can also help create a bridge to whisky, bourbon, rum, calvados or Armagnac drinkers and help them discover the world of Cognac, which they may have thought was too specialist or too traditional for them.”
For Rémy Martin, the approach is helping it take advantage of some favourable conditions for the Cognac market. In the 2015/16 financial year, the brand hit sales of €647.8 million, a surge of +14.7% year-on-year, making it the stellar performer in the Rémy-Cointreau portfolio.
Depardon notes: “Cognac is a good market to be in right now. 2015 was a record year for volume and value sales. The trends are favourable. We still see that much more in the USA with double-digit growth, than in Asia, but even there we see single digit sales growth.
“Like others we have suffered as a category in China and everyone has had to readjust. But that is happening now. We see opportunity in the rise of the middle classes. That is more around the consumption opportunity rather than gifting or status purchases. But that is a healthy development. Plus you have the development of the cocktail culture, which is slow but definitely emerging.”
Other parts of Asia offer tantalising prospects, adds Depardon. “We’ll watch the rebound in China closely but we are also very interested in Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and even Japan. This was of course the major market until the late 1990s when the business fell from one million cases to 100,000 or so.”
Other regional markets are coming into focus as the brand seeks expansion. The company is investing heavily behind its progress in Africa, notably in Nigeria and South Africa, as well as what Depardon refers to as “smaller dragons” in Ghana, Kenya and Angola, through both VSOP and XO.
“Elsewhere, the UK plays critical role for us as a showcase for new activations, campaigns and consumer experiences. France can play more of a role. Russia is struggling because of macroeconomic elements. But we look forward to more stability in the Rouble and the oil price. It is a very promising market.”
For these markets to flourish, a commitment to consistency back in Cognac must be a core value – and this is what Loiseau and the wine growers of the region steadfastly, even jealously, protect, generation to generation.
We had the pleasure of meeting one, Sonia Sicaire, on a beautiful July day amid the rolling landscape of St. Preuil, heartland of the brand.
She spoke of the trials of working the land, of the pressure of ensuring her eaux-de-vie match the standards of a famous house such as Rémy Martin and of her own journey managing her small plot of land, just 16 hectares.
She summed up the meaning of Cognac to her in a few simple words.
“This is my office, the land,” she said. “You have to have a passion for it because it is hard, hard work. My grandfather worked them before me, and we have a long history with Rémy Martin.
“If you are not patient, you won’t be able to do the job. It is day by day toil. You don’t wait for the harvest – which is the grail each year – you have to work towards it. There is anxiety too. The moment when Baptiste Loiseau comes to try our liquid, to say whether it is acceptable to be included in a Rémy Martin blend, is one of the most anxious days. But when you work with passionate people, there is pressure and stress.
“Yet it is worth it. When we see the first drop of eau-de-vie, it is a magical moment.”
It’s an attitude common to thousands of people in this place, who are bonded by hard work and humility. The backbone of one of the great brands of the region and of travel retail.
