Marquis De Montesquiou Hosts Historic Armagnac Dinner

NEW YORK - Eminent Armagnac House Presents a Rare Tasting Experience

On May 1, 2009 La Maison Montesquiou held an historic dinner at Thomas Keller’s Michelin-starred Per Se showcasing a range of extremely rare and aged Armagnacs.

Hosted by Jean-Francois Collobert, International Director of Pernod, the evening was one of special significance for the illustrious Maison Montesquiou. “We wanted to offer an extraordinary tasting experience,” said Collobert. “To that end, we organized the first Armagnac-only pairing dinner ever hosted by an Armagnac house. It was designed to take our guests on an epicurean journey through history, utilizing the medium of the most exceptional Armagnacs possessed by La Maison Montesquiou, and the foundation of Marquis de Montesquiou which has been a purveyor of Armagnac for over five centuries.”

Led by Andreas Larsson, a talented sommelier named best Sommelier of the World 2007 by the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale, the seven-course menu paired Montesquiou vintages from 1967 to 1865, with dishes using specific flavor profiles to illustrate tasting highlights in each vintage. The most prestigious of the collection, Marquis de Montesquiou 1865, was auctioned earlier, marking an auction record as the most expensive bottle of Armagnac sold by Christie’s North America. Four bottles of Montesquiou 1865 were released for auction to benefit GoodPlanet, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness of environmental protection.

The Montesquiou family has been a pioneer in the long history of Armagnac since 1431. Its oldest members, the Counts of Fezensac, served under Clovis, King of the Franks in the year 480. At the top of the list of its most esteemed members is Count d’Artagnan, musketeer under King Louis XIII and the hero of Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel “The Three Musketeers.” The history of the Montesquiou family and Armagnac is closely linked, and for centuries Marquis de Montesquiou Armagnacs have represented one of the oldest brandies in the world.

Marquis de Montesquiou will launch a full line of prestigious Armagnac vintages, spanning 1893 to 1989, later this year through selective distribution in the U.S., the UK, Russia and European duty free stores. These extraordinary Armagnacs are presented in collector’s boxes, featuring a solid silver signature created by renowned Parisian jeweler, Arthus-Bertrand.

Marquis de Montesquiou Armagnacs are a part of Pernod International’s prestigious brand portfolio, which includes Pernod, Pernod aux plantes d’Absinthe Superieure, Soho, Cafe de Paris and Suze.

Source: Pernod International

Sara Bigelow, Pernod International, +1-212-229-2294, sbigelow at ttc-pr.com