The Erté Courvoisier Cognac collection was created in 1988 by one of the great masters of Art Deco and fashion illustration, Erté (aka Romain de Tirtoff). The bottle shape was designed by Erté and each unique illustration represents a different stage in the cognac-making process. The contents are a blend of rare Grande Champagne cognacs, some from the 19th century. No. 1 Vigne No. 2 Vendanges No. 3 Distillation No. 4 Vieillissement No. 5 Dégustation No. 6 L'Esprit du Cognac No. 7 La Part des Anges No. 8 Inédit.
The bottles of the Erté Collection were designed by Russian deco-artist Erté and contain an extraordinary blend of precious Grande Champagne cognacs from the well-known château Courvoisier, considered one of the largest producers of cognac. Only 12.000 bottles were made of numbers 1 to 7. Courvoisier finally released a limited edition to commemorate the death of Erté in 1990, number 8, of which only 4.000 bottles were made. Each of the bottles’ design represents a different facet of the cognac-making process.
Originally established in Paris, in the French suburb of Bercy in 1809, Emmanuel Courvoisier started a wine and spirit company with Louis Gallois, then the mayor of Bercy. Originally, Emmanuel and Louis would act as traders for the best cognacs of the region.
Eventually the two decided that the only way they could guarantee the very finest cognac was relocate to the region and become producers themselves. The 200-year-old crafting process has not changed since Courvoisier’s establishment in Bercy.
In 1828, Felix Courvoisier and Jules Gallois, the sons of Emmanuel and Louis, wanted to improve the quality of cognac, moving the company to the heart of the Cognac region in the town of Jarnac. After Felix’s passing in 1866, his nephews, the Curlier brothers, took over the management of the business.
By 1909, the business was sold to the Simon family from England, but still maintained its production and headquarters in the Jarnac region. Located ten minutes from the town of Cognac, the main Courvoisier business operations still operate from the Château on the banks of the Charente river which was established in the 1870s.
Courvoisier sources Eaux-de-vie from the following crus to create its blends: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies and Fin Bois. The harvest season begins in October, followed up by distillation from November to March. Courvoisier cognac is aged in barrels handmade from 200-year-old oak sourced from the Tronçais forest in France.