PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Merlet is a family-run Cognac house based in the village of Saint-Sauvant, where the Merlet family has been distilling since 1850, and it’s best known in the US for its fruit liqueurs and crèmes. The Cognac side of the house is led today by the fifth generation: Gilles Merlet and his sons Pierre and Luc. The Sélection Saint-Sauvant is the family’s limited-edition prestige line, “blended from the house’s finest eaux-de-vie when they reach the optimum age,” and each new blend is assigned a batch number, “a guarantee of the rarity of this exceptional Cognac.”
Assemblage N°1 (Blend N°1), bottled in 2013, is the first. In Merlet’s words: “This delicate cognac is a marriage of ‘eaux-de-vie’ from the Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne aged over 10 years as well as from the Fins Bois (1992 and 2001) and from the Petite Champagne (1993). The alcohol strength is then slowly reduced to allow a perfect balance of flavors.” That reads like a map of the family’s cellars: two of the top crus of Cognac (Grande and Petite Champagne), and older Fins Bois, which is typically the fruitier, quicker-aging cru. It’s bottled at 45.2% ABV (90.4 proof), a higher strength than the standard 40%, and fewer than 800 bottles reached the US.
Drinkhacker’s review described it this way: “Quite fruity on the nose, the Cognac offers notes of peaches, tropical fruits, vanilla extract, and intensely perfumed aromatics. The body is immediately engaging, offering deep fruit notes atop quite a bit of bite, and a growing nutty character that emerges more clearly as the finish reaches its climax. The extra alcohol here is evident throughout, giving this brandy a headiness and punch that more gentler, lower-proof brandies simply don’t provide. But it’s the aromatics that lend a special character to St. Sauvant, melding gentle wood notes with clove-studded oranges, apricots with chocolate sauce. It’s a bit punchy from start to finish, but fun stuff, through and through.” Retailer descriptions add “aromas of dried apricot, prunes, lavender blossom and faint orange,” and “raisins, prunes, and lightly spiced oak with cinnamon and almond.”
It’s a fruit-driven, punchy, aromatic Cognac, and a very different style from the heavy, oaky, vanilla-driven XOs of the big houses: more of an enthusiast’s Cognac, at a stronger-than-usual strength, from a family that grows and distills its own. It’s best neat, in a tulip glass, at room temperature, with a few drops of water if you like. It’s a collector’s bottle for Cognac fans and a gift for people who already know the Merlet liqueurs.
Merlet Sélection Saint-Sauvant Assemblage N°1 is produced by Merlet, a family house in Saint-Sauvant, Cognac, France (distillers since 1850; led by Gilles Merlet and his sons Pierre and Luc), a blend of eaux-de-vie from Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne aged over 10 years, Fins Bois (1992 and 2001), and Petite Champagne (1993). Bottled 2013, with the strength slowly reduced. 45.2% ABV / 90.4 proof, 750ml. Limited edition: fewer than 800 bottles in the US.
No numerical critic score was found.
Drinkhacker (February 2015):
“Quite fruity on the nose, the Cognac offers notes of peaches, tropical fruits, vanilla extract, and intensely perfumed aromatics. The body is immediately engaging, offering deep fruit notes atop quite a bit of bite, and a growing nutty character that emerges more clearly as the finish reaches its climax... But it’s the aromatics that lend a special character to St. Sauvant, melding gentle wood notes with clove-studded oranges, apricots with chocolate sauce. It’s a bit punchy from start to finish, but fun stuff, through and through.”
Retailer tasting notes:
“Aromas of dried apricot, prunes, lavender blossom and faint orange. The palate offers raisins, prunes, and lightly spiced oak with cinnamon and almond.”
Nose
Peach, tropical fruit, and dried apricot, with vanilla extract, prune, lavender blossom, faint orange, and gentle wood.
Palate
Punchy and fruit-driven, with raisin, prune, apricot with chocolate sauce, clove-studded orange, and spiced oak.
Finish
Long, with a growing nutty character, cinnamon, almond, and a lingering warmth.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Cognac — Limited-Edition Blend (XO-Class) |
| ABV / Proof | 45.2% ABV / 90.4 Proof |
| Blend | Grande & Petite Champagne (10+ years), Fins Bois (1992, 2001), Petite Champagne (1993) |
| Bottled | 2013 (Assemblage N°1) |
| Producer | Merlet — Saint-Sauvant, Cognac, France (since 1850) |
| Production | Fewer than 800 bottles in the US |
| Critics | Drinkhacker reviewed (2015) |
| Style / Identity | A fruity, perfumed, punchy, higher-proof enthusiast’s Cognac |
| Aromas & Flavors | Peach, tropical fruit, dried apricot, prune, vanilla, clove-studded orange, almond |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Neat in a tulip glass — at room temperature, with a few drops of water if you like.
Sidecar or Champs-Élysées — for a special occasion.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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