My first brush with the Louis XII champagne cognac was way back in December 2012 when I photographed an assignment for Chateau Palmer wine and Louis XIII.
When Prarrthona invited me for a Louis XIII experience in December 2016, it seemed like I had come full circle. From photographer to blogger/influencer. From someone who photographed the experience to someone who experienced the experience. ( My clients at the photography gig took great care of me of course – so I had indeed participated in the experience even then – thanks to the staff at the French Ambassador’s residence. ) But this was something else. I was super excited – also because I wanted to take the boy out on a most exclusive date!
Dinner was at ITC Maurya’s Tian and Chef Vikram was the star. I loved that he gave us a short brief before we dug into each of the plates that were served to us. It really was an experience. The dessert was my favorite – with the exploding rose and that ice cream! I had a second helping of that ice cream. Fabulous.
Of course, there was wine – a lovely sauvignon blanc – fresh and fruity and crisp and then a sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon blend. Upon our arrival, we had been served a refreshing bubbly cocktail with Remy Martin VSOP, followed by a delightful Remy Martin XO. I was in LOVE with the XO. If I didn’t have to drive back, I’d have had multiple helpings.
Alexandre Quintin, who is the International Brand Ambassador, House of Remy Martin, had us entertained all evening. He regaled us with fascinating stories about the brand, the brew and the bottles.
From their press note :
Louis XIII is a legendary Cognac that was created in 1874. Each Decanter takes four generations of cellar masters over 100 years to craft. Its grapes grow in the chalky soil of Grande Champagne, the most sought-after area of the Cognac region, in France. It is an intricate alchemy of upto 1200 eaux-de-vie, the youngest of which is at least 40 years old. The unique blend evokes tasting notes and scents of myrrh, honey, immortelle, plum, honeysuckle, wood bark, leather and passion fruits, LOUIS XIII cognac is the ultimate expression of the mastery of time.
The dessert was fun and the LouisXIII cognac even more so. What delightful aromas. The boy isn’t even an alcohol drinker but he said it would be sacrilege to leave a single drop in his glass and sipped it till it was all done. I wish we could’ve stayed longer for seconds but the schedule has been quite crazy over the last few weeks. December is mind-boggling! After a bunch of selfies and photos with Alexandre, Prarrthona and the boy, we were off.
Thank you Prarrthona, Alexandre, Chef Vikram, and Pushpendu for taking such wonderful care of us – and thank you to all the other folks at the table for the lovely conversation! An evening that will be long remembered!
Louis XIII : Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Remy Martin : Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
ITC Maurya : Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
( You can click on any of the above photographs to see a larger version. All shot on the Google Pixel XL ).
Other LouisXIII stories on Naina.co
