21YO (((Bottled 2023)))
⏳ Drinking Window
Ready to enjoy upon release. Unlike wine, bottled Cognac does not mature further in glass and will remain stable for decades if stored upright and away from direct sunlight.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
dark chocolate, blue cheese, roasted duck
✨ Technical Specifications
Hine's 21-Year-Old expression represents an extraordinary departure from traditional Cognac classifications like XO, opting instead for a precise age statement that highlights over two decades of patient maturation. Sourced from the chalky, sun-drenched hills of Grande Champagne—the premier cru of Cognac—this spirit is crafted primarily from Ugni Blanc grapes. The house of Hine, founded by Englishman Thomas Hine in Jarnac, is celebrated for its delicate, floral style, achieved through light lees distillation and aging in fine-grained French oak casks. This 21-year-old bottling showcases the exquisite transition of primary fruit into complex tertiary notes of rancio, dried apricots, and sweet spices, embodying the historic craftsmanship and British-French heritage of this legendary house.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1763 along the banks of the Charente River in Jarnac, Thomas Hine & Co. represents one of Cognac's most distinguished artisanal houses, underscored by being the sole cognac house to hold a British Royal Warrant since 1962. Hine centers its philosophy on the premier crus of Grande and Petite Champagne, farming 115 hectares across the chalk-dominant, undulating hillsides of Bonneuil under certified sustainable practices (HVE and CEC). Under long-standing Cellar Master Eric Forget, the house champions the belief that monumental cognac begins as pristine white wine. Vinified exclusively from Ugni Blanc, the wines undergo double distillation on fine lees in traditional Charentais copper pot stills, followed by aging in lightly toasted, fine-grained French oak casks to preserve floral vivacity and mineral nuance. Renowned for its single-estate and single-vintage bottlings, Hine is celebrated globally for benchmarks such as Antique XO Premier Cru, Homage Grand Cru, and its legendary Early Landed vintages matured in humid British cellars.
🍇 Base Material
Ugni Blanc