In reading back over my last article, I realized that I am not a writer. I am a storyteller or recounter of events; someone who enjoys sharing their experiences with others. I also realized that many of the wonderful experiences in Cognac have somehow blended, so that it becomes difficult to remember just what occurred during which visit to the region.

In my previous article, I talked about my first visit to Cognac. I had prepared myself for the visit by reading through Nicholas Faith’s "Guide to Cognac and other Brandies". That first time I went to Cognac, I was overwhelmed by the number of small producers in the region, and made numerous purchases of VSOP types of cognac. After returning to Paris, I realized that I was more interested in the older cognacs-those that were more complex. I still have some of those first VSOPs in my basement, and I give them as presents during the year. I don’t give away the good stuff.

Over the next several months, I bought more books, and visited stores in Paris to see what they had to offer. Saturdays, much to the chagrin of my wife, were spent at Hediard, Fouchon, and other smaller stores. I saw bottles that my revered Mr. Faith had not included in his book. On one of these outings, I went to Caves Auge, which is a store in Paris. I spent quite a bit of time looking and talking to the owner about the cognacs and armagnacs he had for sale. This is without a doubt the best store for cognacs and armagnacs I have ever found in Paris.

On one of my outings in Paris, I saw a bottle of Ragnaud-Sabourin Florilege for around 600ff. Although it cost considerably more money than I had been spending for cognac, I decided I would take a chance on it. I was told it was about 35 years old, and was of superb quality. Several evenings later, after a particularly fine meal, I decided to open this new treasure to see if it was what I expected. It was, and more. It was the finest cognac I had yet tasted. I decided that I would visit this producer on my next trip to Cognac.

Several months later it was time to schedule another visit. I called Les Pigeons Blanc again, and made a reservation. I again made sure that we had dinner reservations in their fine restaurant.

Several days before the trip, I began identifying producers that I would visit. I pulled out my map of the region, and began plotting out the path I would follow over the course of the 3 days I would be there. Ragnaud-Sabourin was first on my list.

On Monday morning, we drove from Cognac through Segonzac, and picked up D49 (Departamental Road 49) in the direction of Ambleville. It was difficult to find the property, but eventually drove up into the courtyard where I parked and headed towards what appeared to be an office. As it turned out, the "office" was actually their home.

Ragnaud-Sabourin is a property of about 50 hectares in the heart of the Grande Champagne region. Their products contain eau-de-vie from only this region, and I believe, only from their property. The company dates from 1850, and they have reserves equal to about 15 times annual sales.

They have won numerous awards with their cognacs, including several in England, where you will find Ragnaud-Sabourin in some of the finer restaurants.

The management of the firm is under the guidance of Patricia Sabourin-Reif, the granddaughter of the founder. Patricia’s mother, Annie, continues to take an active role in the firm. Denise, Patricia’s grandmother, still receives visitors from time to time, although I am not certain to what degree she any more participates in the management. One of my fond memories from one of the visits was Madame Denise offering me large glasses of Heritage Ragnaud (a blend made cognacs from the turn of the century); and Le Paradis which is blend of 90% eau-de-vie from the beginning of this century, and 10% eau-de-vie from the pre-phylloxera era (prior to 1870). I tried to refuse this kind offer, saying that I had no intention of purchasing either (about 2500ff per bottle). She told me that she wanted me to have the pleasure of tasting it since I enjoyed cognac so much. Can you imagine something like this happening in the United States?

Visitors are escorted into a comfortable room with a sofa and chairs, where they may try the different products of the firm. Generally, visitors are encouraged to begin with the Grand Cognac, which is 4 years old, and quite good for such a young eau-de-vie. The next is VSOP which is a 10 year old blend, which is a little softer on the palette, and beginning to take on some hints of vanilla.

Their 20 year old, Reserve Speciale is pleasant and smooth, and preferred by my wife as a little less fiery than the 4 and 10 year old blends. The complexities I find in the next two blends are absent in this product. I would best describe it as a very good every-day cognac. I personally find this blend not as interesting as the next two older blends.

The Fontvielle, at 35 years old, is probably my favorite of all the "affordable" blends. It has some floral and vanilla touches, and the rancio really starts coming through. I think it is the best value of all the Ragnaud-Sabourin products-incredible product at an affordable price.

Florilege, which is 45 years old, has a more pronounced rancio, and is bottled at a natural 46% alcohol content-no water added. I would describe it as drier than Fontvielle, but having the same type of bouquets and flavors.

During my initial visits, I could never decide between Fontvielle and Florilege. I would buy 2 or 3 bottles of each of these, and try to decide which I liked best over the months until my next visit. I finally decided that I preferred Fontvielle, since to me it had all that I was looking for in a cognac-rancio, a wonderful floral bouquet (violets?), a sweetness of caramel, and an aftertaste that I wanted to continue to linger (which it does).

On a subsequent visit, I was greeted by Patricia Sabourin-Reif, who arranged for me to spend time with their cellar master. We talked several hours in French, and he allowed me to sample eau-de-vie right from the still. It was like drinking fire, but the flavors were incredible. When I mentioned how I liked pure folle blanche armagnacs, he smiled and walked over to a table where he picked up an unmarked bottle of clear liquid. He offered me a glass, explaining that they were re-introducing the grape on some of their property, and this was some of the first production. It was fiery, but the unmistakable nose and taste of folle blanche was there. I told him I couldn’t wait until this reached a more respectable age for me to really enjoy.

Folle blanche cultivation has subsided over the years due to the difficulty and expense associated with growing the grape. It is a tiny white grape which grows in tight clusters, making it more susceptible to rot and fungus.

When I visited Paris in 1997, I wrote to Patricia and asked if she could send some bottles of Fontvielle to my hotel in Paris. She said she would be happy to do so. It was quite easy to arrange something like this, and I would suspect that they would do it for others who requested such service. I got the current price from her, and went to my bank in the US where I got an international bank draft in francs and mailed it to her. When I arrived at my Paris hotel several weeks later, there were 6 bottles waiting for me.

It was only after my third or fourth visit to Ragnaud-Sabourin that I discovered that Patricia spoke perfect English. And to think, all those previous visits they allowed me to practice my French!

If you can’t visit the property in Ambleville, you can find Ragnaud-Sabourin products at many stores in Paris. If you can’t go to France, you can look for the products here in the US in the larger metropolitan areas. Sadly, they are not available in the state where I live, but I discovered them at a huge store (called Wine Warehouse or something like that) in Lexington, Kentucky. The products are imported by Seagram’s.

I hope I did not bore you too much with my long ramblings this time. I really enjoy the products of Ragnaud-Sabourin, and encourage you to seek them out. They make some of the finest cognacs you can buy at any price. I won’t mention other brands, but the Fontvielle is better than some other cognacs costing over $500 per bottle, and the Fontvielle is only about $70 at the property.

Now if you will forgive me, I think I will start planning my next trip to Ambleville. 

22 March 2001