Eau Vie
⏳ Drinking Window
As a distilled spirit of exceptional quality and high alcohol strength, it is virtually immortal; it is ready to drink upon release and will remain stable in the bottle indefinitely.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Dark chocolate tarts, aged Gouda cheese, roasted walnuts
✨ Technical Specifications
While the Carthusian Monks of Grande Chartreuse are globally renowned for their secret herbal liqueurs, they also possess a historic mastery over pure wine distillates. The Eau-de-Vie de Vin (often referred to as Eau-de-Vie or Eau Vie) represents this parallel monastic tradition. Distilled from select French grapes using traditional copper alembic stills, this spirit is aged for years in oak casks within the legendary, cool cellars of Voiron. This slow maturation tempers the fiery spirit, imparting a beautiful amber hue and a complex bouquet of dried stone fruits, toasted oak, vanilla, and warm spices. It stands as a testament to the monks' centuries-old dedication to the art of distillation, offering a rare, contemplative alternative to their famous green and yellow elixirs.
🍾 About the Producer
Chartreuse represents one of the world's most legendary and enigmatic spirit traditions, rooted in an alchemical manuscript for an 'elixir of long life' presented to the Carthusian monks by François Annibal d'Estrées in 1605. Brother Jérôme Maubec and Brother Antoine spent decades unraveling its formula, establishing the Élixir Végétal in 1764 and Green Chartreuse in 1840. While production historically migrated from Fourvoirie to Tarragona during monastic expulsion, and later Voiron, primary distillation moved to the Aiguenoire facility in Entre-Deux-Guiers in 2018. Surrounded by the limestone massifs of the Prealps, only two designated Carthusian monks hold the complete secret formula, overseeing the selection, weighing, and blending of 130 alpine herbs, plants, and botanicals. The complex multi-stage macerations and copper pot distillations age in colossal uncharred oak foudres, creating peerlessly complex liqueurs capable of decades of bottle maturation. Benchmark expressions include the intensely herbal Green Chartreuse (55% ABV), saffron-tinged Yellow Chartreuse (43% ABV), and extended-cellared V.E.P. bottlings.