Godet XO Terre Cognac 700ml

The house of Godet traces back to Bonaventure Godet, a Dutch merchant who settled in La Rochelle on France's Atlantic coast in the sixteenth century and began exporting wine and salt. To help the wine survive long sea voyages, he had it distilled, an innovation that would eventually become cognac. Five centuries later, the Godet family, now in its fifteenth generation, remains the only cognac house still aging its spirits in cellars directly on the Atlantic seaboard.

XO Terre is a tribute to the full breadth of the Cognac appellation, blending eaux-de-vie from all six recognized crus: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bon Bois, and Bois Ordinaires. Rather than favoring Ugni Blanc alone, Godet incorporates rarer varieties such as Folle Blanche, Montils, and Colombard. The component spirits are aged separately in oak for between ten and thirty years before blending, and only a few dozen barrels are bottled each year, giving the cellar's salt air and coastal humidity time to shape the final character.

The color is a bright golden hue with deep mahogany reflections. Fresh floral and fruity aromas open the nose before giving way to cinnamon and warm spice. The palate is vibrant and layered, with leather, pepper, and oak framing a lingering, saline-tinged rancio character that reflects its maritime aging. It rewards slow sipping neat, allowing its complexity to unfold gradually.