NV Jacky Navarre Pineau des Charentes Rosé, Dordogne, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

The 11-hectare Navarre estate – located entirely within Grande Champagne – was founded in 1811 and Jacky Navarre is a fourth-generation distiller. The majority of the estate is planted to Ugni Blanc and 1 hectare is reserved exclusively for the production of the regional apéritif, Pineau des Charentes. This fortified wine - made by blending Cognac with fresh, unfermented grape juice - is required to be aged for one year. However, Jacky ages his PdC for an unthinkable 29 years in cask! The result is one of the most beautiful and complex fortified wines you will ever taste.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Jacky Navarre is one of the last purists among the artisan cognac distillers. The 4th generation of cognac makers in his family, located in Gondeville since in 1811, he takes care of his small Grande Champagne estate with a very basic rule, “Let nature do (most of) the work.”

His 11 hectares vineyard is composed in its majority of Ugni Blanc grapes and includes 6% of Folle Blanche (for his own research purposes), 6% of Colombard, 32 acres of Merlot and 23 ares of Cabernet Franc. Jacky makes a point to harvest by hand – a technique long ago forgotten by most in the Cognac area as it is not quite compatible with the ever expanding race for who will put out the most branded cases on the market – then distills right away using a small 30hl copper “charentais” potstill.

His entire line-up is composed of only 4 products: one “Vieille Reserve” cognac, two Pineaux des Charentes and…due to excessive rarity, information regarding his fourth and last bottling are unknown to most.

Jacky distills on the lees. His cognacs see no sugar, caramel or boise. And no water. These products are in the purest form there is, bottled at a natural 45% obtained by letting evaporation slowly bring down the cask’s abv. Both Pineaux are made using old cognac (6 years old), a highly unusual technique. There are simply no other such products on the market.