Organic Grande Champagne Cognac – Origine Maquisards | De Michellot

The world of cognac is divided into six distinct vintages, each with its own distinctive characteristics. Among them, Grande Champagne and Borderies are the most renowned, but offer two very distinct aromatic profiles. If you're undecided between a Grande Champagne or Borderies cognac, here's what you need to know.

🗺️ Two terroirs, two signatures
Grande Champagne is the premier cru of Cognac, located southeast of Cognac around Segonzac. Its chalky soil produces very fine eaux-de-vie that age slowly but are exceptionally elegant and complex.

The Borderies, smaller in area (the smallest of the crus), are located northwest of Cognac. This clay-siliceous terroir, rich in flint, produces eaux-de-vie that are rounder, floral, and accessible even in their youth.

🥃 Grande Champagne cognac style
Nose: white flowers, fresh fruits, citrus zest, fine spices
Palate: long, structured, with great aging potential
Ideal for: lovers of finesse, cognacs for laying down, XO or vintage cuvées
Signature: verticality, elegance, depth
🥃 Borderies cognac style
Nose: violet, honey, hazelnut, almond paste
Palate: round, soft, with an enveloping texture
Ideal for: those looking for an expressive, indulgent and accessible cognac when younger
Signature: aromatic generosity, suppleness, immediate warmth
🎯 So, what to choose?
Do you like complex, powerful cognacs, made for aging?
→ Opt for a Grande Champagne Cognac, like the Maquisards Origine cuvée from De Michellot.
Do you prefer a rounded, floral cognac that is seductive from the first sip?
→ A Borderies Cognac will be your ally.
👉 At De Michellot, we favor eaux-de-vie from Grande Champagne, for their purity, their aging potential and their natural nobility.
Discover our selection of artisanal cognacs at demichellot.com and experience the difference of a grand cru Cognac.

The name Origine embodies much more than a simple starting point: it marks the birth of the Maquisards range, a collection of rare, committed, and meticulously selected French spirits.
It is the first Maquisards cognac ever bottled, a founding vintage, a manifesto.

🌱 Origin is about getting back to basics
From the house of Jean-Luc Pasquet, this organic cognac comes exclusively from Grande Champagne, the 1er cru of Cognac.
Grown organically, distilled in an artisanal manner, then aged without artifice, it reflects our vision of cognac: authentic, alive, rooted in its terroir.

🛢️ Origin, it is a pure and sincere cognac
Without caramel
No added sugar
Without cold filtration
It is a raw cognac of truth, which reveals the natural richness of its barrel aging, its mineral structure, its aromas of white flowers, dried fruits and noble rancio.
Each sip tells the story of a land, a committed producer, and a desire to return to what matters: taste and meaning.

🥃 The first Maquisards: a declaration
With Origine, De Michellot is launching the Maquisards range, dedicated to exceptional spirits, produced in small quantities, in collaboration with independent houses.
This first bottling sets the tone: demanding, transparent, and profoundly French.

👉 Origin is the birth of a style, a commitment, a promise.

Available in limited edition on demichellot.com

The best region for producing exceptional cognac is Grande Champagne, ranked 1er cru of the Cognac appellation. Located in the heart of Charente, around Segonzac, it is renowned for producing the finest, most elegant eaux-de-vie, perfect for long aging.

🏆 Grande Champagne: the elite terroir
Thanks to its very calcareous chalky soils, similar to those of the Champagne wine region, Grande Champagne offers ideal conditions for growing Ugni Blanc, the main grape variety of Cognac.
The eaux-de-vie produced from it are slow to age, but over time develop a unique aromatic complexity, blending white flowers, dried fruits, noble spices and delicate rancio.

👉 It is in this region that the most sought-after cognacs in the world are produced, often bottled as XO, Napoleon or rare vintages.

And the other vintages?
Petite Champagne: similar in style, a little less complex, but elegant.
Borderies: the smallest vintage, renowned for its floral and rounded cognacs, accessible when young.
Fins Bois, Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaires: peripheral vintages, producing fruity, simpler cognacs, often used for blends.
🎯 Why is De Michellot focusing on Grande Champagne?
At De Michellot, we select cognacs exclusively from the best terroirs, such as Grande Champagne, for their aging potential, aromatic purity and artisanal signature.
Our vintages, such as Maquisards Origine, reflect this excellence.

👉 Discover the elegance of the 1er cru of Cognac on demichellot.com and enjoy an unforgettable tasting experience.

Cognac is a wine brandy produced using a precise and regulated process specific to the Cognac region of southwest France. From vine to bottling, its production follows seven major steps, combining winemaking tradition, artisanal distillation, and oak barrel aging.

1. 🍇 Harvesting and winemaking
Cognac is produced from white grape varieties, mainly Ugni Blanc, harvested between September and October.
The grapes are pressed and then fermented to produce an acidic, dry, low-alcohol white wine (9 to 10% vol.), without added sulfur or sugar, specially designed for distillation.

2. 🔥 Double Charente distillation
This wine is then distilled twice, using the traditional method known as “à repasse”, in a Charentais copper still.

1st distillation: we obtain a liquid called brouillis (30% vol.)
2nd distillation: only the good heat is kept (the heart of the heat), with an alcohol content of around 70% vol.
👉 This double distillation is essential to concentrate the finest aromas and guarantee the finesse of the cognac.

3. 🛢️ Aging in oak barrels
The brandy is then aged for at least 2 years (for the VS designation) in French oak barrels, often from the forests of Limousin or Tronçais.
This prolonged contact with the wood allows the development of amber colors and complex aromas: vanilla, dried fruits, fine wood, leather, sweet spices, etc.

The more cognac ages, the more it gains in roundness, richness and complexity.

4. 🧪 The assembly
The cellar master blends different eaux-de-vie from different vintages and ages to create a harmonious cognac.
Each category corresponds to a minimum age:

VS (Very Special): 2 years minimum in barrels
VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale): 4 years minimum
XO (Extra Old): 10 years minimum
Vintage or Single Cask: a single harvest or a single barrel
5. 💧 The reduction
The cognac, still too alcoholic, is gradually reduced to 40–45% vol. by adding pure spring water.
This step, carried out slowly, allows the alcohol to be softened while preserving the aromatic balance.

6. 🔎 Rest and clarification
After blending and reduction, cognac is often left to rest for several months to allow the aromas to integrate harmoniously. It may be lightly filtered, but artisanal producers like De Michellot avoid chill filtration to preserve the product's natural richness.

7. 🍾 Bottling
Once ready, the cognac is bottled, sometimes in cask strength, unfiltered or uncolored, for enthusiasts looking for authenticity.

✨ Cognac according to De Michellot
At De Michellot, we only select terroir cognacs, produced by family houses, such as Jean-Luc Pasquet in Grande Champagne.
Our Maquisards vintages are bottled in limited editions, with no added sugar, no caramel, and no chill filtration.

👉 Discover the true taste of artisanal cognac at demichellot.com

Are you hesitating between two exceptional cognacs from the Jean-Luc Pasquet house: the Maquisards Origine cuvée, selected by De Michellot, and the Pasquet L'Organic 30A, their iconic organic XO Grande Champagne? Here's a comparison to help you make the right choice, based on your taste, use, and expectations.

🌿 Two organic cognacs, but two approaches
Both cognacs are organically grown and produced in the noblest Cognac region: Grande Champagne. However, their positioning, style, and blending philosophy differ.

🥃 Maquisards Origin
Exclusive selection from Michellot, bottled in a limited edition
Single cask cognac (from a single barrel), unblended
No added sugar, no caramel, non-chill filtered
Profile: pure, direct, intense, floral and fruity, with a raw authenticity
Ideal for: lovers of signature spirits, demanding tasters looking for a rare and sincere product
👉 This is the first cognac in the Maquisards range, a manifesto of natural taste.

🥃 Pasquet 30A (L'Organic XO)
Organic XO Cognac aged for at least 30 years, blend of several barrels
More consensual, more blended, with a rounded, mature, elegant style
Typical notes of rancio, dried fruits, spices and noble wood
Ideal for: lovers of old, complex cognacs with an enveloping texture
👉 A great classic, which embodies Pasquet's mastery of aging.

🎯 Which one to choose?
Are you looking for pure emotion, transparency, a radically authentic taste?
→ Choose Maquisards Origine, for its sincerity and rarity.
Are you looking for an organic XO that will age well, is supple and sophisticated, to share or give as a gift?
→ Choose Pasquet 30A, a high-class cognac.
👉 Whatever your preference, these two cognacs embody the excellence of the Grande Champagne terroir in an organic version.
Discover them on demichellot.com and let your senses speak.